This will be the last post in the series “30 Days on the Chinese Church,” but it won’t be the last time I have something to say about this topic. Today I want to pause and reflect on what it has been like to do this series.

As I shared in the first post of the series, I got the idea of doing this series because I needed to do some writing on the topic in preparation for my D.Min. dissertation. I wanted to challenge myself to write every day. It was indeed challenging, but I did succeed in writing something almost every day (except Sundays), which was my goal. On busy days it was not easy to squeeze in the time to write something, but I’m glad that I did. I have a new level of respect for bloggers who post 2 or 3 substantive posts every day. Of course some of them are professional bloggers. . .

I hope that you have found the series to be helpful. I have been sharing many of these things verbally over the years with different people, but this is the first time that I have tried to write them down. Now on to the much larger project of doing my dissertation. Meanwhile, I will return to my “regular” blogging schedule, which includes trying to write 2-3 substantive posts each week.

In doing this series I also hoped to stimulate a discussion among those who who are part of a Chinese or other bilingual immigrant church. I was disappointed by the small number of comments that I have received so far on these posts. I know that there are plenty of others out there with experience serving in Chinese churches, and we can all benefit by pooling our ideas. Probably there are not that many people who even know about this series, and many of you are very busy. My hope is that even though the series is completed the discussion can continue. If you have found this series helpful, why not share it with a friend?

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It’s already June, but since I took a break for a few days for Memorial Day Weekend I want to finish up this series with two more posts. Last time I wrote about advice to a young ABC pastor. Today I want to address the other side of the equation and address OBC pastors and church leaders.

I have a great deal of respect for anyone willing to take on the challenge of pastoring a Chinese church in the U.S. It’s not an easy job! If you are an OBC pastor, then you have experienced first hand the difficulties of moving to a new country and learning to adjust to a very different culture. You were convinced that coming here was the right decision, but you have sometimes experienced the downside as well. If you have children who grew up here, then you know the frustration of not only the “generation gap” but also of the “culture gap” experienced by immigrant families. So your concern for reaching the next generation is personal as well as pastoral.

Of course every situation is different, and I can only speak in general terms. I also recognize that most of my time is spent serving in the English Ministry, so my understanding of the Chinese Ministry is limited. But I know that you care about reaching the children who grow up in the church, and so I will share some thoughts from my perspective as an English Pastor who has also had missionary training and experience. What can you do as an OBC senior pastor or board member to develop a mature, effective English Ministry?

1. Recognize the importance of cultural differences

You might feel that ABCs talk far too much about cultural differences, but please remember that they have grown up feeling pulled in two directions by two different cultures every day. At home they lived in a Chinese cultural environment, while at school and with their friends the culture was more American. Out of necessity they had to adopt one cultural pattern of behavior at home and another when there were away from home.

Many of our ministry practices in church are greatly influenced by our cultural backgrounds. (See the article in this series on Culture and Biblical Truth.) An important part of your role as a leader is to help church members discern what is a cultural practice (and is therefore negotiable) and what is a biblical absolute (and is therefore not negotiable). Don’t be too quick to assume that what seems like the “right” way to do something is the “biblical” position unless you can find clear exegetical evidence to back up your claim. In a bi-cultural church the pastors have to be part missionary and part theologian.

2. Allow young ABC leaders the freedom to make some mistakes

It’s tempting to keep everything “under control” so that no mistakes are made, but that approach will inhibit the development of young leaders. ABC English Ministry leaders, who may be much younger than you are, need to have enough freedom to try new things and customize the EM to maximize its effectiveness. They will make some mistakes, but that is part of the learning process. The job of older leaders is to provide some guidance, so that they don’t make really major mistakes, but to allow enough freedom for them to innovate.

Just as I reminded young ABC pastors to overcome issues from their past, you also must be careful not to let past experiences poison your relationship with EM co-workers. If you had a difficult relationship with your own teenage children or a past EM leader, try not to let those feelings affect your present relationships. I remember one incident during my first few years at CFC. I was suggesting some type of change in our leadership structure and I felt that a number of the deacons suddenly became very defensive. I knew that a number of key leaders had left with the former English Pastor and created a lot of hard feelings in the church, so I realized that they were afraid that I was headed in a similar direction and the church would be split. But the situation was completely different, so I said to them rather strongly in Chinese, “I am not Pastor <name>!” After that they calmed down and we could continue to discuss the issue.

3. Stand behind your ABC leaders

There are few things more terrifying to a young ABC pastor than to find himself in a controversy in the church and to see the senior pastor and board members back off and leave him to sink or swim alone. The feeling of abandonment and lack of support could easily lead to the end of his ministry at the church. I wonder how many young leaders have been destroyed by this type of situation.

If you want young leaders to be loyal and committed then you need to support them, and to stand at their side when they face a storm. Young leaders need to know that you believe in them and stand behind them. That does not mean that you must defend all their decisions, but it does mean that you need to shield them from unfair criticism and attack. You are an experienced leader and can take the heat, but they are young and need protection. In fact, people who are quick to criticize and gossip are a major cause of turmoil in many churches, and the senior leaders need to speak out against this sin and call people to repentance.

When I first started at CFC they had a welcome party for me as the new English Pastor. During the party I heard a long time church member standing nearby ask the senior pastor, “What will his wife do?” The senior pastor replied, “We are hiring him, not his wife. His wife will be an ordinary church member.” Earlier during my interview we had discussed my situation and he knew that my wife was busy home schooling our two boys. I had made it clear that she should not be considered an “extra” staff member. I deeply appreciated the support of the senior pastor when the question was asked at the welcome party.

4. Promote a vision for a mature English Ministry

The English Ministry in most Chinese churches begins as a youth ministry. Even if the EM at your church is at an early stage, what is your vision for the future? Do you see the EM as never being anything more than youth ministry, with the implication that once they become adults they will find another church? Or do you see the EM as gradually developing into a mature congregation that will be an equal partner with the Chinese Ministry? If the latter, it is important that you help the other church leaders and core church members to understand the vision for the EM.

The senior pastor at a Chinese church near here recently made a statement at a joint worship service that he saw the EM as the key to the future of the church, and that one day the EM would probably be larger than the CM, and the senior pastor would be the EM pastor. This was a very visionary statement made by an OBC senior pastor, and the EM leaders felt energized that they were a very important part of the vision for the whole church. (I have shared additional thoughts about English Ministry vision in an earlier post in this series.)

5. Help CM co-workers to understand the EM

Sometimes co-workers will want to make the church more “unified” by doing things the same way in both congregations. While this can work at times, we must remember that unity does not come from doing things the same way. (See my earlier post on unity and diversity.) Because the two ministries are reaching out to different groups of people, they must do some things differently in order to succeed. For example, there may need to be some differences in the food we eat, the way we dress, and the type of music we sing.

A number of years ago our board at CFC came to a clear understanding that both congregations are working toward the same overall goals, but that we may sometimes need to use different methods. This understanding has been a helpful tool as we have worked through various issues, especially questions concerning worship style. The senior pastor and board members have an important role in helping the church members to understand why the EM needs to have its own identity and way of doing things for the sake of the Gospel (see 1 Cor. 9:19-23).

These are my suggestions. I’m sure that others could improve this list, and your feedback is appreciated.

Now it’s your turn. . .

• If you are an EM leader, what is the most important thing that your senior pastor could do to help the EM to fulfill its mission?
• If you are an OBC senior pastor or church leader, what would be your advice to a new English Ministry pastor?
• If you are part of a Chinese church, what are your observations on the relationship between the EM and the CM?

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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.

Let me start with a word of encouragement to young ABC pastors: I admire your dedication to Christ and your desire to serve Him in vocational Christian ministry. I know that it was not easy for you to lay aside other options and pursue ministry. Probably some of your friends or family thought that you were making a foolish decision and wasting a fine education. I also admire your dedication to the Chinese church, and your desire to serve the next generation growing up there. I know that it frustrates you at times, but it is worth the effort. If you are a youth pastor, then your ministry is focused on the next generation at a time in their lives that you can have a tremendous impact on them for Jesus Christ. Make the most of it!

Let me share some thoughts with you about what I believe is necessary for you to be effective serving in a Chinese church. I realize that my experience is different from yours, and that each person is unique. But I have compared notes with enough other pastors that I believe that these suggestions are applicable in many if not most Chinese churches in the U.S.

1. Deal with your issues

If you have unresolved issues in your life, they are going to have a negative impact on your ministry, especially if they are issues regarding your family or the church in which you grew up. Feelings of resentment, bitterness, or anger toward parents or past church leaders are easily transferred to your senior pastor or church board. You may end up adopting a combative attitude toward them without even understanding why it is happening.

Do what it takes to lay these issues to rest, including prayer, giving/receiving forgiveness, talking to an older, more experienced pastor and/or seeing a Christian counselor.

2. Learn Chinese language and culture

No, I’m not kidding about this! If you plan on having a long term ministry in a Chinese church it will be a great advantage to attain at least a conversational level of Chinese language. I went to Taiwan as a missionary not knowing a single word of Chinese and learned Mandarin there. If I can do it, so can you. Think of yourself as a missionary to the Chinese church. Learning the language will help you to forge a closer personal relationship with the Chinese Ministry staff and co-workers. If you are a youth pastor, it will take your communication with parents to a whole new level.

In addition to learning language, seek to develop a good understanding of Chinese culture. If you do not have a good understanding of the core values of Chinese culture and the “unwritten rules” for social interaction, then you are handicapped every day. Find a good book on Chinese culture or ask a sympathetic older church member to explain things to you. Better yet, spend 6 months living in Asia! If you come with a humble attitude you can learn a lot.

Of course some ABC pastors already have a good understanding of Chinese language and culture, so you are ahead of the game.

3. Show respect for older OBC leaders

Showing respect to older people, especially older leaders, is part of Chinese culture as well as a biblical value. If you don’t treat the senior pastor and older church leaders with respect you will be viewed as arrogant, self-centered, and uncouth. That doesn’t mean that you can never disagree with an older leader, but that when you do you need to know how to do it respectfully. Learn culturally appropriate ways to show respect. One example is the rule, “Don’t surprise the senior pastor.” Don’t suggest a major new proposal in the board meeting without first sharing it with the senior pastor. You can get his valuable input, and you show him respect by giving him advance notice of your plans.

4. Find a good mentor

Find an older, more experienced pastor serving in a position similar to your own. There are many things that you did not learn in seminary, and which really can’t be taught in a classroom setting. Especially for the first few years in ministry, it is extremely valuable to have someone who is willing to sit down with you once a month and talk about what is going on. He can help you get your bearings and advise you about difficult situations. I know that you are busy, but make time for this!

Don’t expect the OBC senior pastor to be your mentor. In a few cases this might work, but usually it is not a reasonable expectation. In a multi-staff church, the EM lead pastor might be your mentor, but many Chinese churches have only one pastor for the EM. In that case you will need to find someone else in your area.

5. Find a good “cultural informant”

The term “informant” might make you think of the CIA, but I’m not talking about anything sneaky. For missionaries, a “cultural informant” is someone from the local population who is willing to be your cultural guide and help explain things to you. You must understand Chinese culture as well as the organizational cultural of your own church. It is valuable to have a lay co-worker who let you know “how things work” in your particular church. This could include who does what (which may not match the written organizational chart) as well as any particular taboos of which you should be aware. Get your informant to also teach you about the history of the church, so that you won’t make the mistake of proposing something that caused a huge controversy just before you came. Even after 13 years at CFC, I still occasionally go to my cultural informants to learn something about our church history and culture.

6. Make a long term commitment

It takes time to make a deep impact on people’s lives, and pastors who spend only a few years at each church never reach that level. If you view your current position primarily as a stepping stone to something else people can sense that. In that case, don’t be surprised if they do not take you seriously. But if you are committed to your church, you can eventually be accepted as part of the family.

Growing disciples is more like growing a redwood than growing bamboo. It takes a lot of time to develop spiritual maturity. For a fruitful harvest, you must be patient in sowing, watering, and weeding.

7. Embrace the bilingual church

It is sometimes tempting to view the Chinese church as nothing more than the “container” for the EM that provides facilities and financial support. But unless your church embraces the “two churches sharing one building” model, this is not an adequate view of the church. If you are called to a bilingual church, then you are called to the whole church and not just the EM. Think about how your ministry is a part of the ministry of the entire church. As our current Chinese Pastor likes to say, how can we develop more synergy between the two congregations? How can we build on our uniqueness as a bilingual Chinese church?

This is a rather lengthy post, so if you have made it this far you must be truly committed! I’m sure that there are ways to improve this list. I’d be interested to hear how well they resonate with you, and whether you have any additional suggestions.

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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?

The Growth of Asian American Churches

The term “Asian American Churches” is sometimes used as a general category for all ethnic Asian churches, including bilingual immigrant churches. But at other times it is used in a more narrow sense of churches which primarily target English speaking Asians. Although they both are working toward being truly multi-ethnic, two of the most well known Asian American churches are Evergreen Baptist Church and New Song Church, both in Los Angeles. Other churches such as the Asian American Church of Houston intentionally and deliberately focus on Asian Americans.

The fact is that churches which are predominantly Asian American, whether they call themselves “multi-ethnic” or not, are very attractive to a wide range of ABCs. Because of this, OBC church leaders are sometimes critical of these churches because they attract away the young adults who are so essential to developing a mature EM (English Ministry). Obviously most OBC pastors are going to be less than excited when a new AA (Asian American) church starts up nearby because they might lose some of their EM co-workers. The AA churches are sometimes seen as dangerous competition for scarce co-workers.

Unfortunately, in some cases new AA churches are founded by disgruntled leaders from the EM in a bilingual Chinese or Korean church. As a result these churches can carry a lot of baggage due to the way that they feel they have been misunderstood and mistreated in a bilingual church. The not-so-subtle message of these leaders is that the Chinese church is hopelessly broken, and that the best thing for ABCs to do is to abandon ship and start new, healthy, hip AA churches. Needless to say, leaders of bilingual churches take a dim view of this sort of rhetoric.

There are plenty of AA churches without the sort of baggage described above, and there are many OBC leaders who are not suspicious of AA churches, but church leaders with these views do exist. There must be a way for these churches to move beyond mutual suspicion and mistrust.

The Need for Different Kinds of Churches

Both bilingual and AA churches are an essential part of God’s work among Asians in the U.S. Some ABCs who are more Americanized or who just don’t want to deal with a bilingual environment will prefer a different type of church. Personal background can be a factor as well. I suspect that those ABCs who had a relatively healthy relationship with their parents end up with a more positive view of Chinese language and culture, and are more likely to be happy in a bilingual church. Those who had a difficult relationship with their parents do not want to be around OBCs who remind them of their parents every Sunday. Different types of churches can reach different types of people. There is no single type of church that can reach everyone.

As long as immigrants continue to arrive from Asia and as long as they continue to have children there will be a need for bilingual churches with a strong English Ministry. It would be a tragic mistake for all EM co-workers to “abandon ship” and leave an entire generation of young ABCs without anyone to reach them. Surely God has called some ABCs to make a long term commitment to building a healthy EM in bilingual churches.

In his book Pursuing the Pearl, Ken Fong uses the metaphor of a freshwater stream to describe the immigrant generation. They can’t “build a dam” to keep their children in a cultural pond and prevent them from moving downstream toward cultural integration. He argues that it is inevitable that the 2nd and 3rd generation will become increasingly influenced by American culture and will require a new type of church.

But in his talk at the Asian American Leadership Conference in 2004, Fong reminded us of the continued need for healthy bilingual churches. He urged young ABC leaders to consider remaining in bilingual churches and serving there and criticized those who were too quick to try to run off and start AA churches. As I recall, he presented this topic as a balance to the argument in his book for AA churches. If you can find a source for the tape of this talk, it would be worth hearing.

Looking ahead, it is vital that we have strong AA churches as well as strong bilingual churches. Is there a way to forge some sort of partnership between these types of churches? What would that look like? How could it come about?

Now it’s your turn. . .

• If you are an ABC, what do you think are the pros and cons of serving in these two types of churches?
• How could an AA church and a bilingual church work together in a mutually beneficial partnership? What common goals might bring them together?

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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.

Truth and Culture

It’s impossible to even be a Christian without believing in some biblical absolutes, but the church around the world also has many customs and practices that are cultural in origin. There’s nothing wrong with that, and in fact it is necessary for the church to be “incarnated” into each culture in a unique way. We must be careful not to attempt to impose ideas and practices that come out of our own background on Christians in other cultures.

We often do not realize how much of our Christian practice is based on cultural traditions rather than biblical revelation. For instance, can you find any scriptural warrant for the following customs?

• The pastor should wear a coat and tie when he preaches, and stand behind a pulpit.
• We should have communion on the first Sunday each month (rather than at some other time).
• Offerings should be taken by passing a bag or plate up and down the rows in the congregation.
• We should have Sunday School classes for various age groups before or after the worship service.
• Children should not sit with their parents in worship, but have their own separate meeting.
• Prayer meetings should be held on Wednesday nights.
• We should have weekly meetings especially for prayer instead of incorporating prayer into our other meetings.

Depending on your church tradition, some of these may be considered inviolable rules, but none of them are required by scripture. The functions of preaching, communion, offering, teaching and prayer are essential to any church, but the specific way in which we carry them out is not mandated by the Bible. In fact, the practice of the first century church on many of these points was considerably different from our practice today. That’s not to say that we are doing anything wrong to have these customs, but only that none of these things are required to be doing church the “right way.”

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any absolutes. The theological truths and ministry principles of scripture are authoritative in every culture. The ethical teaching of the Bible is binding on all. The challenge comes when we try to determine what is a biblical absolute and what is culturally relative. To answer this question we must carefully study the scriptures and let it speak into our lives and culture with God’s authority.

Truth and Culture in a Chinese Church

In a mono-cultural church issues of truth and culture are often not raised at all, but in a bilingual Chinese church we encounter cultural differences every day. Should the pastor appear as a paragon of virtue and never reveal any weaknesses, or should he be open about his failings? Should church members dress up for Sunday worship in order to honor God, or should they dress casually because they are not trying to impress other people, and want seekers to feel at home? Our cultural background tells us the “right” way to do things, but we must be careful about making cultural preferences into biblical absolutes.

One example of cultural difference came up when we were trying to determine the pricing structure for our church retreat. Some of the EM co-workers wanted to charge the full cost of the retreat and then offer scholarships for those who couldn’t afford it. But the CM co-workers said that OBCs wouldn’t want to ask for a scholarship because it would be too embarrassing. Instead, they simply wouldn’t attend the retreat. The CM preferred to charge a lower price and take special offerings during and after the retreat to raise the money to cover the difference. The EM co-workers felt that repeatedly taking offerings to pay for the retreat would be offensive because it would make it look like the church was pressuring people to give. Everyone agreed that we didn’t want anyone to miss the retreat because of a lack of funds, but we had different ideas about how to solve that problem. In the end we compromised by meeting in the middle, still offering some scholarships, and taking some offerings.

There is a danger of spiritualizing our cultural practices in order to win the debate. In the example above, the CM could have said that they have more faith because they trust God to provide part of the retreat cost through offerings. The EM could argue that they were being good stewards of God’s money by not risking having the church stuck with a large deficit as sometimes happened in the past. Happily, in this case neither group tried to spiritualize the discussion. It is better to explore the cultural factors behind each position and see how we can work out a compromise that respects both cultures. To do this successfully requires a healthy dose of humility on the part of all concerned.

Now it’s your turn. . .

• Have you ever experienced a church conflict that was really more about cultural differences than about biblical truth?
• What are some of the cultural differences in a Chinese church that most often lead to tension?
• What suggestions do you have to help Chinese churches learn to distinguish biblical truth from cultural preferences?

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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.

Growing and Serving

When people from CFC move out of the area and are looking for a new church, I advise them to find a place where they can both grow and serve. The church should provide solid in-depth teaching as well as care and support in order to help people to grow. They also need to be able to find opportunities to serve that are a good match for their abilities and spiritual gifts. It is unhealthy to have one without the other. If people are constantly fed without serving they become spiritually fat and lazy, while if they are constantly serving without being fed and nurtured they become burned out.

Chinese culture values the ability to “eat bitterness” (chi ku) and remain steadfast in the face of difficulty. We all need to do this at times. I have great admiration for some of the Christians in China, who have remained faithful in the face of incredible opposition. But the church should not be a place where it is constantly necessary to “eat bitterness.” Yes, Christians should be dedicated and should serve sacrificially. But it is also the job of leaders to care for those who serve.

What sometimes happens in smaller Chinese churches is that one or two college students or young adults remain in the church after finishing high school. Most of their friends have left the church, but they stay behind because they are committed to the church and very much needed to run the youth ministry. But they don’t have have a peer group at the church, and their church life is all giving and very little receiving. Inevitably they become burned out after a few years and look for a way out.

I have met a number of young adults like this who have visited CFC, and they tell me that the only way they can see to get a break is to leave their church. I am very sad that it comes to that, and I hope that no one ever has to leave CFC because there is no other way to get a break. We must value the co-workers as people more than we value the work that they do. That’s not easy to do when the pressure is on to get things done, but we must resist the temptation to “use” people to reach our objectives. Sometimes it’s just better to do less.

I realize that smaller Chinese churches may not be ready to start a young adult ministry, so part of the vision for our young adult group is to provide a place for fellowship and spiritual nurture for young adults serving in other churches. If we can help to feed them and send them back to their churches spiritually refreshed, we can help them to continue their work there. For this to work we must be careful not to try to recruit them away from their home churches, because often they are doing valuable ministry there. One young woman who comes to our young adult ministry said that in her home church the young adult group consists of three people: the youth pastor, his wife, and her! She loves the fellowship in our young adult group, and it strengthens her to go back and serve in her home church.

I will be away at a leadership training retreat the next few days, so there will be a break in the series. But I have several more very interesting topics to cover next week.

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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.

What is “Vision”?

Vision has been defined in numerous different ways, but one thing that all writers seem to agree on is that vision is about the future. A simple definition is “Vision is the description of a preferable future.” Vision tells people where you believe God wants to take you as a church.

In some churches the “vision” seems to be to keep everything exactly the same as it is now. Really this is a lack of vision. Considering the rapid changes in the world and the opportunities for the Gospel, it’s difficult to believe that God calls any church simply to stay as they are. Churches that have no idea where they are going will have trouble attracting and keeping people who are gifted leaders. Leaders do not want to board the train to nowhere.

I heard about the senior pastor of one Chinese church who boasted about the fact that he did not have a vision. He claimed that they would only do what the Holy Spirit led them to do. My question to him would be, “Well, what is the Holy Spirit leading you to do?” Of course our vision should be inspired by the Holy Spirit, but that is no basis to spiritualize the lack of vision.

What the vision for EM in a Chinese Church?

There are a few possible visions for the English Ministry in a Chinese church:

1. Care for the children of the immigrants

The vision is that the EM exists primarily or exclusively to care for the children of the Chinese speaking immigrants. A consequence of this vision is that once the second generation becomes adults they will look for a new church. There is no longer a place for them at the church unless they feel called to children’s or youth ministry. A church with this vision will nearly always lack adult co-workers for the English ministry because they do not really fit into the church.

2. Raise up workers to reach Chinese

This vision goes a bit beyond reaching the children, to include other ministries to Chinese around the world. We once had a senior pastor candidate whose vision was to turn our church in to a base for sending people to minister in China. The problem with this is that most ABC adults are not called to be missionaries to China, so there is still no place for them in the church as adults.

I have a friend who used to be the English Pastor of a large Chinese church. A few years ago the church elders created a new vision statement which defined the church vision as reaching immigrants. Some of the EM leaders were frustrated because apparently their ministry was not a part of the church vision. He is no longer serving at that church.

3. Reach their own peers with the Gospel

This vision allows the EM to take the Great Commission seriously in their own context. The EM exists to raise up disciples and reach their peers with the Gospel. This will include ministry to the children of church members from the Chinese congregation, but also those from non-Christian backgrounds, including non-Chinese Asians and other ethnic groups.

As the EM members reach out to their peers they will want to invite some non-Chinese to the church. After all, many of their neighbors and co-workers are from other ethnic groups. If the church vision is focused exclusively on reaching Chinese then they feel very limited in their outreach. For this reason, a few years ago Rutgers Community Chinese Church decided to change their name to Rutgers Community Christian Church. Read their explanation of the reason for this change.

Another interesting example is our sister church, CFC Hayward. A few years ago they decided to give their EM a different name to create a somewhat separate identity. The EM is called The Crossing. Their web site describes The Crossing as “an Asian American ministry” and “the English speaking multiethnic ministry of Chinese for Christ Church of Hayward.”

4. Cross-cultural Great Commission ministry

The EM exists not only to reach their own peers, but also to cross ethnic and cultural boundaries with the Gospel. Some of this ministry will need to take place outside the boundaries of the local church, since not everyone will fit into a bilingual Chinese church. Some ABCs might even be called to “cross-cultural” ministry to China! Of course not everyone is called to cross-cultural ministry, so much of the outreach will continue to be to peers.

Chinese churches with the EM vision described in 1 and 2 above will have a very difficult time reaching and retaining English speaking adults. Those with the vision in 3 can develop into a healthy English congregation. As they mature they can move to number 4 and broaden their ministry to include cross-cultural outreach.

Now it’s your turn. . .

1. If you are in a Chinese church, what is your vision for the EM? Does your vision provide a place for English speaking adults to “belong”?
2. How can a Chinese church encourage the EM to reach their peers while allowing the CM to continue to effectively reach Chinese speaking immigrants, all in the same church?

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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?

Many of the youth attend church because their parents bring them there. In fact, they often don’t have very much choice about whether or not they go to church. But when they go off to college it is a different matter, and they will make their own choices. When they graduate from college and start working (or go to grad school) they truly begin to feel that they are adults and should make their own decisions. Since they have many choices of English speaking churches, why would they want to remain in a bilingual Chinese church? What factors will enable them to stay?

The Importance of Ownership

It is interesting to listen to how people talk about the church which they attend. Some say “Why doesn’t the church do this?” while others say “Why don’t we do this?” These two questions seem quite similar, but the way in which they are worded reveals a huge difference in how people view their involvement in the church. To the first person, the church is “they.” Those who use this terminology see themselves as outsiders or guests at the church. They don’t truly belong. But the second person speaks of “we” and “our church” instead of “them.” This person views him or herself as a part of the church. They feel that they belong.

This feeling of “ownership” is an important part of reaching any group of people. If students feel that the church is their parents’ church then they will be unlikely to stay once they become adults. If we want to reach English speaking adults, we must make it possible for them to see the church as “their” church. What does it take to accomplish this?

This topic could become a whole series of articles on its own, but let me just list a few suggestions:

• Are English speakers treated as fully equal to those who speak Chinese in official church functions and literature? Or is speaking Chinese required to be a full participant?
• Are adults in the English Ministry treated like adults, even if they are “only” in their 20’s and 30’s?
• Is there the potential for those who speak only English to serve in the highest leadership positions, including on the board? Or is there a “bamboo ceiling”?
• Is the English Ministry treated as an equal partner in use of facilities and planning?
• Are joint meetings and activities planned jointly by a team including leaders from both congregations?

I’m sure that you can think of other points, but this should get you started. I’m happy to say that CFC is doing quite well on these points thanks to the great support that we receive from the Chinese Pastor and Chinese congregation leaders. Of course for a church at an earlier stage of development in which the English Ministry is almost entirely made up of youth we can’t expect this level of participation. But if you hope to have any young adults to stick around in the English Ministry you must make progress in this direction. The youth do not expect to be able to serve as board members, but younger working adults will have a difficult time feeling that they “fit in” if they don’t see the potential to fully participate in the church.

Tomorrow I will continue this discussion with a second factor essential for reaching young adults and families.

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There is a shortage of pastors to serve in English Ministry in Chinese churches, and those who do serve there are often subject to discouragement and drop out. There have been a number of articles and studies designed to explore this problem.

A Shortage of New EM Pastors

It’s difficult to find hard statistics on the issue, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that there are not enough EM pastors. Many Caucasian seminary graduates have to spend considerable time searching for their first ministry position, but young ABC pastors usually receive multiple inquiries while still in school. While a young man from our church was in his first year of seminary I received several inquiries from pastoral friends asking when he might be available. Six months before graduation he already knew where he would serve, while most of his classmates had no idea where they would end up.

An LA Times article last March stated:

Asian American churches are going through a “crisis of leadership” because seminaries are not preparing a new generation of pastors to work in multi-generational and multicultural settings, Asian American Christian leaders say.

The article says that the problem is particularly pronounced in California. The author decries the shortage of Asian Americans in seminary, but the examples are from liberal seminaries. Later in the article we find the statement that 80% of Asian Americans attending seminary choose an Evangelical institution. According to Peter Ong, Western Seminary in San Jose is 40% Asian American, Fuller is 22%, and Talbot is 25%. But even with these numbers, there still seems to be a shortage.

The LA Times article cites a 2005 Duke Divinity School study, “Asian American Religious Leadership Today,” which lists generational clashes over cultural differences and the view of younger pastors that immigrant churches are dysfunctional as two of the most acute tensions in Asian American churches. This brings us to the second problem.

EM Pastor Discouragement and Drop Out

An earlier study by Justin Der on “ABC Pastor Discouragement and Dropout” found similar problems. He lists the top four reasons for ABC pastor discouragement and drop out given by ABC pastors:

• Conflicts with OBC senior pastor
• Cultural differences and demands
• Frustrations with lack of power/voice
• Conflicts with OBC non-pastoral church leadership

It would be helpful to prepare this with a similar study of mono-cultural churches to see if conflict with the senior pastor is a major problem in those churches as well. This may not be a problem unique to Chinese churches. But it does still seem clear that the cultural differences between the generations is a contributing factor. I should add that it is important to remember that where there is conflict the fault is almost never entirely on one side. Usually there are plenty of things that both parties need to learn.

Currently, Professor Jonathan Kim at Talbot School of Theology is doing another study to try to determine why many Asian American pastors are getting burned out, discouraged, and even leaving the ministry. It will be interesting to see how his study compares with what has been done so far.

The cultural differences in a bilingual Chinese church can create additional stress beyond that which is part of pastoral ministry in any church. EM pastors serving under OBC leadership are especially vulnerable to discouragement or burn out because they are usually younger and have less influence. We need to do a better job of preparing pastors for these roles and creating healthy environments in which they can receive the support that they need to be effective in the long run. But these problems can’t be solved by EM leaders alone. We must work with the OBC pastors and lay leaders to improve communication and cultural understanding, and to create a climate in which both congregations can thrive..

Now it’s your turn. . .

• Do you know of any EM pastors who have moved to a non-Asian church or dropped out of ministry completely? What do you think were the factors in that decision?
• What sort of preparation and support do you think that an ABC pastor needs to serve effectively in a Chinese church?

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We often look to the church in Acts as an example of a vibrant, Spirit-filled, unified church. But when we look at it more closely we discover that they had many of the same problems that we do. The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 provided perhaps the most detailed look at the decision making process of NT leaders. What can we learn from this example?

In the NT, at first nearly all the Christians came from a Jewish background. Naturally, they continued many of the cultural and religious practices from their Jewish background. But eventually as greater numbers of Gentiles believed it was inevitable that questions would arise as to which practices were really necessary to be Christians and which were optional. In particular, were Gentile believers required to be circumcised in order to be accepted as Christians?

The Jerusalem Council

Paul and Barnabas, along with some other leaders, were sent to Jerusalem to discuss the issue with the apostles and elders (Acts 15:2-3). After reporting on God’s work among the Gentiles they came to the key question. The passage says that there was “much debate” (v. 7), so it seems that they had a very spirited discussion. After a period of time, Peter “stood up” and shared how God had used him to first bring the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:1 through 11:18). He was referring to his experience with Cornelius in which God give him a vision to convince him that it was alright to have fellowship with non-Jews. Peter concluded by reminding them that both Jews and Gentiles are saved by God’s grace (Acts 15:11)

Then it sounds like Paul and Barnabas spoke some more, after which James brought the discussion to a close (Acts 15:13-21). He cited Scriptural support for bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, and then concluded by saying:

Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.

After this they composed a letter summarizing their decision and sent it back with Paul and Barnabas along with some representatives from the elders in Jerusalem.

What was the Decision Process?

There is much more that could be said about the decision and its significance in the book of Acts, but that would be the topic for another article. For now, I want to focus on what we can learn about the decision process itself.

1. There was a spirited debate

There was a range of opinions represented in this meeting and they openly discussed the issues for quite some time. This should be an encouragement to us when we have different opinions, because even the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem did not always see eye to eye.

2. Respected leaders summarized the issues

After a period of open discussion the two most senior leaders summarized the issues. Peter was the leader among the Apostles, and ministered mostly to the Jews (Gal. 2:7-8). His word would have carried a lot of weight among the Christians from a Jewish background. The James mentioned was not James the Apostle, because he was martyred earlier (Acts 12:2). This was James the half-brother of Jesus, who became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. Paul was there, but he was not yet recognized as a top leader at this point.

3. James made the final decision

James seems to have been the chairman of the council. After there had been a thorough discussion, he spoke up with his conclusion. Notice that he said “Therefore, it is my judgment. . .” (Acts 15:19). Apparently he had authority to speak for the group. I don’t think that this was a dictatorial decision, but after hearing all sides he was the one to make the final decision. As a leader in a consensus culture, he worked to bring everyone together to a decision that all could accept. There is no record that they took any sort of vote.

4. The decision represented a compromise

The final decision represented a compromise based on the concerns of the various parties. They could not require Gentile believers to be circumcised because that would endanger salvation by grace. But they did require the Gentile believers to refrain from certain practices that were particularly offensive to the Jews. So the more culturally Jewish group did get some recognition in the decision.

5. They all agreed to support the decision

Even at this point is is possible that not everyone was 100% happy with the decision, but nevertheless they all gave their support to the outcome. The letter that they composed came from “The apostles and brethren who are elders,” not just from James. The letter gives strong support to the ministry of Paul and Barnabas and expresses disapproval of those who were trying to force Gentile believers to be circumcised.

What principles guided their decision?

Finally it is helpful to look at some of the principles behind their decision:

• They stood firm on the core truths of the faith (salvation by faith alone)
• They were sensitive to important cultural issues, especially those that would make it difficult for Jewish believers to have fellowship with Gentile believers
• They were concerned about the unity of the church. The Gentiles were asked to give up some of their freedoms in order to keep from offending the Jews. Most of the restrictions have to do with food. Because most churches had meals together, there fellowship was hindered if the Gentiles did not observe the Jewish dietary laws.
• They were diplomatic: the letter did not even mention the word “circumcision,” which was the biggest issue!

Now it’s your turn. . .

• How was their decision making process like and unlike what takes place in our churches today?
• What can we learn from this example that helps leaders in bi-cultural churches?
• To what extent do you think it is feasible for us to follow this model in our leadership groups?

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