The President¡¯s Dog

Once the Democratic candidate Obama became the president-elect, he embarked on fulfilling the very first campaign promise that he had officially made which was to get his daughters a dog. Since such news came out, there was such a buzz as to what kind of breed the White House dog needed to be among those well-educated about dogs throughout the States. The two conditions that the president-elect Obama put out were first the dog shouldn¡¯t shed because his daughter is allergic to dog¡¯s hair, and second the dog will be adapted from the animal shelter.

A mixed breed, a mutt carries no value, and it takes an effort even to just give it away. On the other hand, a dog with a mixture of different breeds for a clear purpose has a higher value and becomes a favorite among people. In fact, the results of a mixture of two different breeds are the same, but the difference is whether one was made with a certain purpose in mind or not.

A right mixed dog can result from mixing two breeds in accordance with the needed characteristics of the breeds. President Obama¡¯s dog should be one whose hair doesn¡¯t fall out. In other words, the dog¡¯s hair must be sheared occasionally. For example, a Poodle belongs to that category. When their curly hair is not sheared, their hair turns into a fur ball. If one¡¯s choice is not a Poodle, but still can overcome allergy when a dog doesn¡¯t shed hair, all one has to do is to mix this Poodle with another breed. Those who know something about mixing breeds recommend a mixture of a Poodle and a Labrador, namely, a hybrid breed called a Labadoodle. Not only does a dog of this kind not shed any hair, but it also has the body size and personality of a Labrador – America¡¯s most favored dog.

If a Labadoodle is decided on to fit in the White House, there is another task President Obama needs to overcome. It is to find the dog among the homeless dogs as he declared before Americans, instead of having a professional breeder just mix the two breeds together. Even though they are politically correct words, the problem is that it¡¯s hard to find such a dog.

If one wants to make a breed with the right chemistry, it takes a very experienced dog breeder to have a sufficient amount of time to do it. If this doesn¡¯t happen, the mixed breed can be a Poodlelaba with a projected face that sheds hair, or it can be a very big Poodle, or a ridiculously mixed dog. That¡¯s why one has to pay a high price to purchase a dog with such picky conditions. However, Mr. Obama declared that he would find his dog among the homeless dogs. Since it was the president¡¯s declaration, there is a chance that just such a dog might be found, but it¡¯s not going to be easy.

Many churches in the States go through the same process when looking for a second generation minister. The picky qualifications to meet are that they have to be: America-born, have a good command of English, and have a good understanding of Korean traditions and culture, etc. Not only that, they add one more condition: a part-time minister who is willing to receive a small salary. While compensating them financially as if they were seminary students or people who will only stay for a short while, churches complain that ¡°EM folks don¡¯t stay long but leave immediately.¡±

We have to reflect and see whether we are intentionally raising up second generation ministers. Any senior pastor or any incoming senior pastor would make the promise, ¡°I will make the EM a good and strong ministry¡¦..¡± However, how do they explain that effective and vibrant English ministry constitutes less than 1 percent among 4,000 Korean churches in North America?

This might not be a correct answer, but I have been involved in second generation English ministry for years, and these days I have been serving on the board of a Christian university. Based on my many years of service and involvement, this is how I summarize my thoughts on the topic. The Korean churches in the States must wake up from the fact that a random Seminary student would suddenly receive a calling from heaven, and devote himself to the church for the rest of his life without pay. That¡¯s a ridiculous miracle. Instead, they have to actively raise up second generation ministers without delay. When raising up second generation ministers, the very first thing that needs to be done is that churches need to know their own unique conditions. They have to either have a professional breeder (seminaries) mix two breeds that meet their conditions, or invite a ready-made breed after paying the right price.

What I mean by paying the right price is that the church takes on the responsibility of paying, for not only university education but also for seminary education, in the form of investment for homegrown young adults. Also churches must make a long-term investment in raising up future leaders by establishing a scholarship system or setting up fund for scholarships. On average, youth pastors leave churches within 18 months. One way to prevent this from happening is to raise a homegrown minister, or to pay the right price.

A dog that is obtained easily is not a breed mixed for a need, but a mixed dog that is wandering around randomly on the street. If we understand this principle, a bright future will dawn, even slightly on the reality where there is less than 1 percent of successful second generation ministries. Who would have expected that a president with mixed blood, especially the blood of an African-American would be produced? The Providence of God is truly beyond my comprehension. That¡¯s why I become more excited about what God will do in the future.