Rev. Au Sze Ngui. Photo by LWF/Johanan Celine Valeriano
Church historian Rev. Au Sze Ngui reflects on her work to strengthen Lutheran identity in the Asia region
(LWI) - Born and raised in Sabah, the eastern part of Malaysia located on Borneo Island, Rev. Au Sze Ngui served in 2024 as vice principle of the prestigious theological seminary there. She teaches church history, as well as homiletics and pastoral theology, and is currently the dean for students of different denominations who come from all over the south-east Asia region.
Established in 1988, Sabah Theological Seminary is the first such institution to offer courses in the Malay language, as well as in English and Mandarin. Ngui notes that, in a country where Islam is the state religion and Christians number less than 10 percent of the population, the proposal to provide theological training in the local language sparked fears of evangelism among the Muslim majority.
“But fortunately, we are able to teach in Malay and can train local indigenous pastors,” Ngui says. “With a more recently established Lutheran Study Centre at the seminary, we also provide important resources to strengthen and spread a deeper understanding of Lutheran identity throughout the whole region,” she adds proudly.
Can you share with us something about your family background?
My ancestry is Chinese, but I am a 5th generation Christian on my mother’s side and 2nd generation on my father’s side. My mother’s family became Christian in China because of the good work of the Basel mission there. They took up an offer of emigration from the North Borneo Chartered Company, that needed people to settle and work the land on the island, so my family travelled here in the late 19th century and the Basel Christian Church of Malaysia was officially established in 1882.
When did you decide to train for ministry in the church?
I originally trained as a linguist and I began my career by teaching English as a second language. But during my university days in Canada, I was involved with the Campus Crusade for Christ movement. During a mission trip to Brazil one summer, I remember we were all asked to consider if we were being called into full time ministry.
When I finished my studies, I returned to Malaysia and began teaching, but God kept sending people across my path to make me think more deeply about training for ministry in the church. For a long time, I reflected and listened to God speaking to me through Scripture and through preaching. In 1997 I finally answered God’s call and went to study theology in Singapore.
When were you ordained?
I was ordained in 2008 and served in three congregations of differing sizes before being asked to consider teaching at the seminary. I went to Hong Kong to do a master's in theology, but again I struggled with God and with myself as I thought about changing from ministry to lecturing.
Originally, I was asked to study systematic theology, but following a change of leadership at the seminary, I was able to study church history, which I love. Now I teach homiletics and pastoral theology too and I really enjoy the interaction with the students. My years of serving as a pastor are important too, as they color how I teach and how I prepare students to go into full time ministry.
Tell us about the seminary and about the students you teach.
Altogether we have about 1,500 students including full time, part time and online, training as pastors or for lay ministries. About 50 or 60 of those live in residence in the student hostels and attend a wide range of academic and practical courses. They come from different Protestant churches as we are interdenominational and are supported by many churches, both in Malaysia and abroad.
In the past there have been tensions between the Muslim majority and the Christian population in Malaysia – is this a problem for students and staff at the seminary?
Sabah is in Malaysia’s eastern state where the Christian population is much larger than in the western part. In Sabah, we number around 25 percent and in Sarawak, in the north of the island, there are over 35 percent or more Christians. We have a much stronger presence, but it is still not easy to obtain land to build churches, so a lot of congregations meet in either commercial buildings or house churches.
Your seminary is partnering with the LWF on a new program offering Theology, Gender Justice and Leadership Education for churches in the Asia region – what are the challenges facing women in your country?
Malaysia is quite an open Islamic country as women can hold jobs, including high positions as CEOs of companies. But I am excited to be part of this new initiative that I hope will contribute significantly to strengthening the capacity of women to reach the top echelons of leadership in our churches in this region.
I helped to design the leadership section of the curriculum, which includes online courses, individual mentoring and an in-person session later in the year. I am not a natural leader myself, but I was taught well by a senior pastor and others. It is important to learn good leadership skills and principles that are undergirded by theology and Scripture.
What does it mean for you and your work to be part of the global communion of churches?
For the average member of a local church, people are more concerned about things in their congregations and it is not always easy to relate to the wider communion. But when I first started participating in LWF’s programs, I found it eye-opening to be connected to a worldwide communion. Even within our south-east Asia region, it was encouraging to know that there are others struggling through the same things and finding solutions together.
What gives you hope for the future of the church in your country?
When I first began teaching in the seminary in 2017, we were facing a government that was very negative towards Christianity. Foreign lecturers had great difficulty obtaining visas and had to leave the country every three months. But since the government changed, we have seen a great improvement. Our prayers were answered and we can now have work visas for our foreign staff, as well as applying for foreign student visas. Everything has changed and we are very hopeful that this will continue.
