I’ve learned some important lessons over the years serving in Chinese churches both here in California and in Taiwan. I’ve also met my share of frustrated English Ministry pastors and had the opportunity to mentor some younger pastors. Today I want to share some suggestions to help younger ABC pastors serve effectively in a bilingual Chinese church.
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An increasing number of ABCs are being attracted to English only Asian American churches instead of bilingual Chinese churches. What should we make of this trend? What does it say to the Chinese church?
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When a missionary goes to another culture with the Gospel, he or she must learn to distinguish between biblical truth, which has authority over every culture, and cultural practices, which should be changed to adapt the church to each culture. There have been many heated debates about which beliefs go into which category.
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Today I learned about an interesting book called “The Dangerous Book for Boys.” The authors contend that the lives of boys today are too well programmed and too “safe.” An article in today’s newspaper describes the book:

But the truth is, many boys today frequently have little opportunity to do anything that isn’t scheduled or carefully orchestrated. About the closest they come to danger is losing a life on a video game or forgetting a homework assignment.

There is a sense in some quarters that we are not raising well-rounded boys with a sense of adventure and all manner of intriguing skills, and they know it. They hunger for something beyond Pokemon Pearl. And that’s why “The Dangerous Book for Boys,” a quirky compilation of seemingly random bits of information and lore, strikes such a chord. The British version of the book, by brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden, was a runaway best seller, spawning a quick succession of copycats.

It’s possible that boys need to experience a certain amount of danger and adventure in order to grow into confident, mature men. Does our over-protective society deprive them of that opportunity? What do you think?

The most precious resource of any church is its lay leaders and co-workers. Yet all to often churches take these people for granted and fail to give them the care that they need. Today I want to share about how this applies to Chinese churches.
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When people are looking for a new church (or deciding whether to stay at their old church), they want to know not merely what the church is like now but also where the church is going. The vision of your church will attract certain people, but may turn other people away.
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Do you want the English Ministry in your Chinese church to grow beyond a youth/college ministry? If so, it is necessary to reach English speaking young working adults and young families. But many Chinese churches struggle in reaching these groups. What does it take to reach them?
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