Contact between Africa and China occurred from the fourth century BC to the thirteenth century AD through the Silk Route but even earlier, the “Han (202 BCE-220 CE) had been in contact with Africa” through trade.
The utilization of diverse resources is needed if we are to effectively and robustly train Chinese missionaries and churches to be an invaluable contributory force to Christian mission.
While honestly embracing their own evangelical legacy, with its imperative for gospel witness, the Mennonites also found in their heritage values of “hosting, listening, waiting, learning, inquiring, affirming.”
A Korean missionary fluent in Korean, Chinese, English, and Japanese, serving Chinese in Tokyo, Park’s story is a powerful testament to God’s work in diaspora and global missions today.
If we truly believe that diaspora is God’s mission strategy for this era, then no generation should be missing, no language should be diminished, and no one’s sense of belonging should be sacrificed.
God is actively working among his people throughout East Asia in ways that may be surprising to those of us in the West or may appear hidden.
The role of China’s church in world evangelization has more to do with intentionality of heart than with getting to any one particular destination, whether Jerusalem or someplace else.
As the Chinese church continues to grow and face new challenges, the story of the Bürklin family serves as a reminder of what true partnership in ministry looks like.
In a society and culture that values platforms and celebrity, may we be like the ordinary disciples of the early church—living to be forgotten so that Christ will be remembered.
Our hope and prayer is that the keynote speaker, Scott Shaum, and the various workshops will help all of us to pause, hear, reflect, and live God’s call in our lives for the long haul, in sustainable and kingdom service for the glory of God!
Rather than assuming their long experience, carefully honed strategies, and ready resources will carry the day, leaders from traditional sending nations need to learn to listen to others at the table whose ideas may seem foreign, perhaps even misdirected, and whose available resources pale in comparison to the perceived task at hand.
This is an invitation to listen to the echoes, following the recent Fourth Lausanne Congress on Evangelization held in Incheon, South Korea. When the noise dies down and silence starts to reign, what are we hearing and seeing? What is rising within? Here I share a small glimpse from the lens of an observer and virtual participant.