Publications

1

CAN THE PASTOR DO IT ALONE?
(Author) Dr. Melvin Steinbron

“Moses found he couldn’t handle the crowds of Israelites in the wilderness, and many pastors know exactly how he felt! Fortunately his father-in-law helped him out. Dr.Steinbron has done the same thing for us.” -D Stuart Briscoe
The past 35 years have brought the word enabler into disrepute among both lay leaders and denominational officials. For many it has become a synonym for lazy as the self-identified enabler passively waited for the laity to accept larger responsibilities in “running the church” or in doing the work of ministry. This refreshing volume brings three distinctive ideas to this ancient and honorable goal of equipping the saints. -Lyle E. Schaller
Can the Pastor Do It Alone

2

목회, 혼자 할 수 있는가?
(Author) Dr. Melvin Steinbron(멜빈지음/서병채 역)

3

LAY DRIVEN CHURCH
(Author) Dr. Melvin Steinbron

“Dr. Steinbron has done it against in his excellent book has refreshes and informs us about enabling the laity to provide pastoral care to the congregation. We have used Lay Pastors Ministry here at Frazer Memorial with tremendous results for more than five years. It works! And it works because it is biblical.”

-John Ed. Mathison, Senior Minister, Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church
Montgomery, Alabama
Lay Driven Church

6

CONCEPT & THEOLOGY OF LAY PASTOR MINISTRY
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

Many people helped me until this book was published. I think it’s only natural to thank them. First of all, I couldn’t thank Pastor Melvin for giving me a starting point and motivating me to carry out my work for the laity community. In particular, I naturally bow down to the materials he developed and his dedication. I am personally proud to know this dedicated person. He is Pastor Kim Sang-bok of Hallelujah Church, who has continuously supported and endlessly encouraged these ministries in Korea, and he has been devoted since the first conference (2001) to give lectures and give directions. And they are the lab staff who have continued to develop this ministry in the Korean church. They are the members of the ministry, who have devoted several years to encouraging each other so that they do not lose the vision that such a ministry is necessary for the Korean church in the midst of difficulties.
Concept & Theology of Lay Pastors Ministry

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8

MAXIMIZE YOUR MININSTRY
(Author) Dr. Robert Slocum

Both Robert Slocum and I believe in ordinary people. He wrote: “I am convinced the effective church for the twenty -first century will be the church that mobilizes, equip, empowers and support ordinary Christians in ministry.” And Slocum defines ordinary Christians: “By ordinary Christians, I mean the laity, the lay men and women who are not church professionals, yet who make up more than 98 percent of the people of God.” He continues, “It is of critical important for us the ordinary Christians to understand who we are, what we are supposed to do and where we are supposed to do it.“ -Mevin J. Steinbron

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9

평신도목회의 극대화
(Author) Dr. Robert Slocum (로버트 슬로컴 지음/서병채 역)

평신도가 현장에서 어떻게 사역을 하고 있는가,또 어떻게 사역해야 하는가를 다루고 있다. 평신도 목회가 교회라는 한정된 영역이 아니라 교회와 직장. 가정과 정부를 포함한 모든 공동체안에서 활동하고 사회를 변화시켜야 한다고 주장한다. 그러기 위해 개인뿐 아닌 공동체의 구조와 제도를 어떻게 만들어 갈 것인지 다룬다. 평신도목회를 추구하는 이들을 위한 지침서이다. 저자 : 로버트 슬로컴 Robert E. Slocum (Ph.D in Physics) 장로교 평신도이며 달라스에있는 ‘폴라토믹 Polatomic’이란 회사의 창설자이자 회장이고, 하이테크 레이져 분야의 권위자이다. 원자물리학자로서오일 탐사, 우주탐험, 레이저 시스템 분야등에서 일하고 있다. 그는 지난 20 여년에 걸쳐 교회에서 교사로, 평신도 전도자로, 그리고 세미나 강사로 활동하고 있다.
(한국의 평신도목회 컨퍼런스에 와서 주강의 하였다.)

10

REFLECTION ON THE LAY PASTORS MINISTRY
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

CONGRATULATION! Dear Byeong,
Congratulations on your book, Reflection on the Lay Pastors Ministry and leadership in making the School which will be vital to authentic, quality, and effective Ministry of Lay Pastoral Care into the future of the churches in Kenya Africa. God will bless you for the strenuous effort you are giving to this project! However, as we leaders of Christian ministry know, it takes more to do God’s work that our “strenuous effort.” Jesus puts this way, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He also said, “It is the Father, living in me who am doing his work.” Somehow, in the mystery of God, His Son, and His Spirit…the triune God…with and in us, we are able to get His work done.
-Melvin J. Seinbron
Reflection on the Lay Pastors Ministry

11

평신도목회
(저자) 서병채

순수하고, 질적이고, 또 효과적인 평신도목회를 위해 인도의 나가랜드에 학교를 세우고, 또 이렇게 지난 15년간의 평신도목회 사역에 헌신한 내용들을 정리하여 책을 출간한 것을 축하드립니다. 당신이 이 사역에 쏟고 있는 계속적인 노력에 대해 하나님이 축복해 주실 것입니다! 우리 기독교 사역의 지도자들이 알고 있듯이, 하나님의 일은 많은 수고와 눈물이 필요하지요. 예수님은 “나를 떠나서는 너희가 아무것도 할 수 없다”(요 15:5)라고 말씀하셨지요. 그는 또 “아버지, 내 안에 사시는 분이 그의 일을 하고 계신다.”고 말했지요. 하나님과 그의 아들과 성령의 신비로운 역사, 삼위일체 하나님께서 우리 안에, 그리고 우리와 함께 하실 때 그의 일을 완수할 수가 있지요. ..
-멜빈 J. 스타인브론 박사/ 미국 평신도목회(LPMI) 설립자
평신도목회 서병채

12

DAILY BYEONG
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

PREFACE: The date were written on each Daily Byeong-365 Readings are not implemented on that date. I used two English books here that I wrote myself: Reflection on the Lay Pastors Ministry, and Are You a Leader? The first book was written while looking back on 15 years of ministry as the national director of the LPM Institute in Korea, and the second book was written of what I felt and learned while establishing Melvin University in Kenya. So this book Daily Byeong-365 Readings is the order of the contents of those two books, not the order of events itself.
Daily Byeong 365

13

DAILY BYEONG
(저자) 서병채 

“Daily Byeong 365 읽기” 한글은, 영어로 쓴 것을 그대로 번역해서 옮긴 것이다. 날자는 [365일 동안 매일 읽기]로 해서 적은 것이지, 그 날짜에 해당 글의 내용이 시행된 것은 아니다. 365 읽기는 내가 쓴 책 두 권의 내용을 처음부터 매일 읽기로 준비한 것이기에 내가 쓴 책의 순서이지 일어나 사건의 순서가 아니다. 여기에 사용된 두권의 책은 영어 책으로, Reflection on the Lay Pastors Ministry, 그리고 Are You Leader? 라는 책이다. 첫 번 책은 내가 한국에서 연구소장으로서 [15년간 사역한 것]을 되돌아보면서 쓴 책이고, 두 번째 책은 [18개월간 케냐 멜빈대학교를 세우면서] 느끼고 배운 것을 정리한 것이었다.
Byeong 365 한글

14

ARE YOU LEADER?
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

To say this book is “by Byeongchea” overstates the case. Without the significant contributions made by other people, a number of people who encouraged me and assisted me in the writing, this book would certainly not exist. First of all, I am really very grateful to God for opening the door for me to come to research in the United States of America (Divinity School at Yale University), and United of Kingdom (Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University). I would like to thank those principals at two schools for encouraging me and giving me wisdom to write this book.
Are You Leader?

15

나는 리더인가?
(저자) 서병채

여러분은 여우와 고슴도치의 이야기를 알고 있을지도 모른다. 어느날 그들은 서로 싸웠고 결국 고슴도치가 게임에서 이겼다. 왜 그런가? 여우는 많은 것을 알고 있었지만, 고슴도치는 오직 하나의 큰 것만을 알고 있기 때문에, 모든 그것에 집중시켰다. 실제로 나는 철학자 이사야 베를린(1953년 출간)이 쓴 에세이집 ‘고슴도치와 여우: 톨스토이의 역사관에 관한 에세이’에서 이 이야기를 읽었다. 그의 발견에 따르면 세상에는 두 종류의 사람들이 있다는 것이다. 하나는 고슴도치 스타일이다. 예를 들어, 그들의 삶에서 중요한 것 하나만 하려고 노력하고, 다른 하나는 여우처럼  그들은 많은 것을 알고 있다. 그래서 그들은 인생에서 많은 것을 하려고 노력하며, 결국 그들의 삶은 평범해진다는 것이다. 물론 이것은 나의 개인적인 비유이지만, 나는 그것이 오늘날 우리에게도 해당된다고 확신한다.
나는 리더인가!

16

WHERE AM I HEADED!
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

Anyway, the water finally reaches its final destination. If there is a rock, avoid it. Why? To arrive at the final destination. Likewise, when we choose something important, it is meant to guide us. And it flows like water and moves smoothly. How can water reach its final point, sometimes a big ocean? In fact, I think there are two important concepts for smooth water flow: “Avoidance and Acceptance.” Two words. Avoidance and Acceptance. What does ‘avoidance’ mean here? This means that it is better to avoid things that are not very important in our progress and that there is a possibility of discord. It is necessary to block what is not necessary to move forward more smoothly and effectively in the future.
Byeong ESSAY (English)

17

나는 어디로 가고 있는가!
(저자) 서병채

인생에서 서로 만남이 중요하다고 생각된다. 나의 경우 세 만남이 있다: 미국 멜빈목사님과의 만남. 한국 김상복목사님과의 만남. 케냐 오길라목사와의 만남. (미국 멜빈목사님은) 1998년 그분의 책, Can The Pastor Do It Alone? (1987)1) 을 통해 만남이 시작되었다. 캐나다/Canada 에서 귀국하여 성결대에서 원서강독을 하게 되었는데, 캐나다에서 임상목회훈련(Clinical Pastoral Education: CPE)을 받은 적이 있기에, pastoral care에 관한 책을 가지고 원서강독하는 것으로 학교와 결정이 났다.
서병채에세이(한글)

18

DAILY MELVIN
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

I am grateful to hear that the book “The Daily Melvin” will publish soon. I developed many resources in ministry last thirty years. People questioned where in my work to find the best discussion on how to place people, even I find it difficult to answer those questions. The Daily Melvin is intended to provide an answer. It presents in organized form —and directly from my own writings— a key statement of mine, followed by a few lines, also from my own works, of comment and explanations, on topics ranging across a great many resources on my work: Lay Pastors Ministry. The most important part of this book is the blank spaces at the bottom of its pages. They are what the readers will contribute, their actions, decisions and the results of these decisions. For this is an action book. -Melvin J. Steinbron
Daily Melvin

19

DICTIONARY OF LAY PASTORS MINISTRY
(Editor) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

In the year of 2015, we have thought to make Encyclopedia of Lay Pastors Ministry because people in those days look at internet for every information, so we decided to compile and put every resources of the Lay Pastors Ministry at one place, in the online. But today, we think people want to look at those resources with the off-line, as a real paper book, so we are prepared for this book. By they way, to publish as a real book is very expensive because this book is nearly thousands pages, so we will make pdf book first and use it for a while, then move on to real book. Thanks for interested in this book, and this project.
Dictionary of Lay Pastors Ministry

20

MELVIN UNIVERSITY & ME
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

This book is enlarged and comprehensive as well. I wrote two books,  Reflections on the Lay Pastors Ministry (2015) and Are You Leader? (2020) I wrote those two books before we completed the Melvin University, but now opened university for a few months ago, so I want to put together from the beginning (since 1999) up to now (2021), that is from the ministry to the university all together. You will see from “how to started and done the LAY PASTORS MINISTRY (in Part I), and to how to completed MELVIN UNIVERSITY (in Part II) as well”.
Melvin University & Me

21

7 PRINCIPLES FOR THE SHORT-TERM PROJECT
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

There are three kinds of Choices. Above all the Primary Choice is the most important. Only one primary choice should be in place. The major job is to complete in our life. Other many things are secondary. So there are many maybe thousands of secondary choices in the world. Third choice is fundamental choice. Even we had wonderful primary choice, and many secondary choices, but if fundamental choice is weak and in problem, our two choices are not working very well, and in the end it fails in vain. The third, fundamental choice is to be honesty, and integrity. We have to be honest intentionally, because it is good leverages to support the previous two choices.
7 Principles for Short- Term Project

22

LAY PASTORS MINISTRY OF BYEONG
(BILINGUAL, ENGLISH & KOREAN)
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

I have got to know the person, Dr. Melvin J. Steinbron through his book first. When I started teaching at Sungkyul University in the 1990s I have used his book Can the Pastor Do It Alone? Then I thought he is only senior pastor at one church in the States, but later on I realized he is doing the Lay Pastors Ministry for the States and for the world. I translated his materials and used for Korean churches last 15 years plus. In the International conference 2,000 at St. Louis, I met him in the face to face.
Lay Pastors Ministry Bilingual, English Korean

23

MELVIN STEINBRON: HIS MINISTRY, PHILOSOPHY, AND LEADERSHIP
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

I often talk about “big fish in the small pond” when I meet with our university staff, especially the vice president and the head of the faculty. It is expressed as a joke in the case of a new professor at school or a large church pastor who participates in the school management. It doesn’t mean there’s a problem with such people coming into school. The key is how to deal with it from the school’s point of view. In any organization, in any ministry, there are competent people. They might always think, “Should I stay here longer?” Therefore, rather than expanding their organization or ministry, they always check whether they can grow or not in here, or they can leave at any time.
Melvin J Steinbron. his Ministry and Philosophy…

24

AXIOM OF MELVIN
(Editor) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

Dr. Melvin wrote many ideas, insights on the Lay Pastors Ministry in the newsletter from the beginning to all the way, called Network News through his experiences of 35 years. I have read and studied all of them, and even translated them into Korean. I thought of selecting more valuable articles from them and to put them into one volume, called myself, AXIOM by Dr. Melvin. I personally respect and admire his own hand-written, just like golden message.
Byeongchea Seo, Ph.D (Editor)
Melvin University
Axiom of Dr. Melvin

25

LECTURE TO THE MELVIN STUDENTS
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

I have trained one church with PACE, so one of trainee made circle at 10, means she wanted to do this kind of ministry in her lifelong, and she helped, cared for people very well many years already, and it was more effective than associate pastors. Anyway, she was trying to do this caring by herself, nobody in the church, even church are not recognized and publicize, so she was dying of burning heart, by the way through the PACE equipping seminar her burning heart was rekindled inside, so she became the ministry leader of PACE in her church, and later she became one of national leaders, and finally helped to start PACE Seminary in Nagaland India, and helped in the beginning to Melvin University.
The Lecture to Melvin Students

31

APHORISM
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” That is an interesting comment, isn’t it? Teacher first? or Students first? What we are saying are the three elements for making school: teacher, student and facilities. We know the facilities, which means buildings, and so on, that’s infrastructure for learning. By the way, why did the students first say the title? Just as we might question the other ways of the church, people first or pastor first. For instance, if there are people, they definitely invite the pastor. OR if there is a pastor people gather to him.

APHORISM

32

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT FIRST, THEN ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

What is personal development? Management Father Peter Drucker said that organization growth is as much as the competence of people those who belong to. That is true. Look at my ministry, I believe as much as I grew, our organization from the beginning, institute to now, university. I was not talking very much that ” we have to grow,” but I try my best to grow myself then its energy flew to our organization so my personal development definitely affected to the grow of inside of Institution, then those synergy overflow the wall of organization, and then it helped others out there. That’s why our personal development is indispensable to the success of our
organization.
Personal Development

33

COMPELLING for SELF-DEVELOPMENT
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo

Once I got the terminology of compelling I thought many brainstorming; just like definition of COMPELLING, Where to get COMPELLING, Functions of COMPELLING, and Impelling from COMPELLING, Motivation by COMPELLING, Action from COMPELLING, Maximization from COMPELLING, and Perseverance are also coming by strong compelling, Momentum through compelling, Passion by compelling, Adaptation by compelling, Growth through compelling, writing by compelling, retired by compelling, and When the Compelling come? How to get the concept of compelling? Telling me “to study English” from my old brother. I have worked about three decades for the Lay Pastors Ministry, Enough to make Melvin University, so on, and many more. I have been written two columns, one in Korea and another in Toronto, Canada. Through this written hopefully I and you as well to get answer on those questions and brainstorm above even though  roughly. Byeong, Melvin University

COMPELLING

34

CLIMBING TOWARD OR DESCENDING TOWARD
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo (in preparation)

Confidence vs Competence:These two are totally different words. Confidence means I believe in myself. That’s am I confidence in me? But competence is about our ability to do it or to manage it successfully. For me, sometimes I think of myself as a competent person, because I can do and solve problems nicely, which means I am able to do any given task.d as compelling, impelling, motivation, and action.

Climbing or Decending

35

PREFACE
(Author) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo (in preparation)
This book, AXIOM of BYEONG, is coming up from my mind and thoughts on a daily basis, and I found some invaluable ideas, insights, reflections, so I have done jot down from time to time. I hope you find them worthwhile for yourselves, as I do.

Byeongchea Seo, President of Melvin University

36

REVIEW of Lay Pastors Ministry

(Editor) Dr. Byeongchea, Seo (in preparation)

The laity pastoral movement does not use laity to fulfill the pastor’s mission, but rather, pastors help and train laity to carry out the spiritual mission they received from God to cultivate laity pastors who can build the Church of the Lord on their own with their predecessors. The church has long seen the reality that the enormous resources and qualities of laity are simply tied to the one-dimensional level of “service” in the church.

Sometimes pastors have considered it a threat to the participation of saints in the pastoral ministry, which is their own territory. In some cases, the saints thought it was comfortable for the pastor to use the name of “service” for the pastor, as much as possible. The more the saints are trained and know too much or expand their abilities, the more uncomfortable it is for the pastor. Even so, pastors sometimes have difficulties because of the laity of pretending to know, but there were times when they thought it was more difficult for them to do the ministry if they were trained like pastors.  (David Kim)
REVIEW of Lay Pastors Ministry

37

(Author) Dr. Melvin Steinbron

Bona-fide means genuine, without fraud, Roget’s 21″ Century Thesaurus lists these synonyms: authentic, real, actual certain, factual, honest-to goodness, kosher, legitimate, official, true, and valid.

Try any of these synonyms for the above title: Your are a real minister. Your are an authentic minster. You are a honest-to goodness minister. You are an official minister. Every lay person should be required to write on the chalkboard 100 times, I AM A MINISTER. I have a cartoon of a man with chalk in hand doing just that.

ESSAYS, MONO, LETTERS

38

(Author) Dr. Melvin Steinbron

What Keeps You At It?
“I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars!” said a friend to one who was telling of her experience as a Lay Pastor. The Lay Pastor’s response? “Neither would I!” Pastoring for money is ruled out as an acceptable motive by Peter who called lay people to be shepherds of God’s flock, “not because of greed for money, but because of eagerness to serve.” (I Peter 5: 2, 3). What, then, keeps lay people pastoring once they have started? Especially since there are discouragements, rejections, demands on already scarce time, and failures. These are the major reasons for keeping at it:

Melvin’s NETWORK