In July 2024, Pastor Dr Chew Weng Chee retired as Senior Pastor of SIBKL, a vibrant intergenerational church in Kuala Lumpur, after leading it for 30 years with his wife, Pastor Dr Lee Choo.

The couple founded the church in 1994 while both were medical professionals. Pastor Chew was an obstetrician-gynaecologist, while Pastor Lee Choo was a paediatrician.

In 1999, Pastor Chew left his medical career to answer God’s call to full-time ministry. Over the decades, his journey has been an example of faithful obedience and faith.

Now 78, Pastor Chew embraces a new season, dedicating his time to mentoring young Pastors, strengthening small churches in West Malaysia and supporting the East Malaysian church.

In a recent interview, he reflected on his decades of ministry, sharing three key lessons he wishes he had known when he first stepped into pastoral leadership.

1. Mentoring works best when it’s personal

As Senior Pastor, Pastor Chew primarily led group mentoring sessions, a style he naturally gravitated toward. However, over time, he realised that group settings often allow mentees to “hide” behind others, making it harder to foster vulnerability and build open, honest relationships.

“I should have done more one-to-one mentoring, which is more personal and effective,” reflected Pastor Chew. “It creates space for deeper conversations, private exchanges and truly getting to know the person.”

While Pastor Chew acknowledges the value of group mentoring, he believes one-on-one interactions are essential for bringing everything into the light and fostering genuine growth.

Today, he meets regularly with his successor, SIBKL’s Senior Pastor Isaac Ling, for coaching, advice, and encouragement – one conversation at a time.

2. Invest in the next generation

Another key lesson Pastor Chew has learned is the importance of investing in the next generation early.

“I did not spend enough time with the next generation in the first half of my ministry. It was only in the latter half of my 30 years that I started. If I had started earlier, I would have reaped the fruits earlier,” he shared.

Stepping down at 77, Pastor Chew reflected that an earlier investment in succession planning would have freed him up to pursue projects close to his heart, projects he had lacked the capacity to tackle while leading SIBKL.

Now in what he calls “the final phase of life”, his passion lies in coaching young Pastors and strengthening the local church.

“One thing I must say: My Pastors are teachable and want to learn. That is important. For example, Pastor Isaac comes up to me and says, ‘Pastor, can I spend time with you?’ He is not being forced or feeling obliged. And my answer is always yes,” said the senior leader.

Pastor Chew praying for his successor, Pastor Isaac, at their church’s 30th anniversary.

One long-awaited initiative Pastor Chew has embarked on is the Lentil Patch Ministry. He feels called to unite the body of Christ across denominations and regions.

“Of the 4,000 churches in West Malaysia, 85% have congregations of less than 100 people. Many Pastors in these small churches serve faithfully, often in isolation, defending their ‘lentil patches’ where God has placed them,” he shared, referencing 2 Samuel 23:11-12.

Pastor Chew’s vision is to encourage and uplift these Pastors through targeted efforts such as sponsored Pastoral retreats, weekend service relief teams, and the rebuilding of prayer altars.

3. Intentionally make time for family

For his final point, Pastor Chew paused thoughtfully.

“I would have spent more time with my family. It is often the ones you love most who end up suffering the most,” he said softly.

When he founded SIBKL, Pastor Chew was juggling his role as an OBGYN consultant and medical director of a hospital, alongside the demands of a rapidly growing church.

Odd working hours and intense responsibilities left little time for family, a regret that still lingers.

While his marriage remained strong, with Pastor Lee Choo serving alongside him, Pastor Chew admitted that his two sons paid the price.

“To some extent, my two sons had to sacrifice their father and quality time for ministry. I left a lot of their growing up to market forces, their friends, colleagues and community. But in the past seven to eight years, I began making up with them,” he shared.

Pastor Chew and his wife share two grown sons.

He also recognised the weight of expectations his sons faced as children of a Senior Pastor, describing how restrictive it felt for them.

“When I heard them share their experience with me, I realised I had been insensitive,” he reflected.

Today, Pastor Chew is grateful that his relationship with his sons has greatly improved.

Having learned through experience, he now urges his Pastors to prioritise family time by scheduling personal leave at the start of each year.

“You must make and then protect it (time with family). If you don’t, you will find that it’s gone. It will be filled up by everything else,” he said.

When asked if doing ministry inevitably requires sacrificing family relationships, Pastor Chew responded: “It doesn’t have to be that way. With proper time management, it’s possible to balance both.”

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