Lal Pian Mawia, whom the APNTS community commonly call as Pastor Piana, started pastoring in 2005 after he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in theology from Chapman International College which at that time was called Southeast Asia Nazarene Bible College. In 2011, he started studying Master of Ministry in the same school but later on decided to continue to his studies in APNTS.
After ten years of pastoring, he left his home country, Myanmar, to come to the Philippines and study Master of Divinity. As a minister in a Nazarene congregation, Pastor Piana saw the need for him to have a better understanding of Wesleyan theology. “I wanted to have a clear understanding of our church’s doctrines and the theology that lies beneath them because sometimes I get confused especially because in Myanmar different theologies influence Christian churches.”
For Pastor Piana, having a clear and deep understanding of Wesleyan theology helped him strengthen the foundations of his faith and he sees that this will help him be a better minister of the Lord. “I wanted to improve in theology and in my education. And after serving as a Pastor for ten years, I wanted to refresh myself, to learn more, to start new.”
Now that he has graduated, Pastor Piana has returned to the pastoral ministry in Myanmar and with him he brings a fresh and new perspective about the church’s role in the society. “In our place, almost everyone is Christian. I came from a Christian tribe. There are Buddhist groups near our province; however, we have always been neglecting them. We do missions but in farther places. When I go back, I plan that our church will start to reach them out.”
Pastor Piana knows that it will be very challenging to do this ministry but he believes that if he walks with God and obeys His commands, in the end, there will be victory.