New Ministry, New Regions, and Asia Missions
LA Sarang Church’s Pastors’ Seminar, the 37th CBMC (Christian Business Men Conference) Meeting, and Manila’s International Missions Conference were all open doors to share very timely and important issues. The three major themes shared throughout all these events were 1) The Pastoral Paradigm for the Harvest Ministry, Kingdom Business, and Asia Missions. Following the Medieval Age and the Reformation, Western-Centered Christianity seemed to chart a steady course without much change. However, during the past 20th century it has faced devastating floods of change throughout the whole world. This change be boiled down to the vast difference between the growth of Christianity in the 3rd world and the decline of Western Christianity. The downfall of Christianity in the West naturally revealed the limits of the European state religion, and the tremendous growth of Christianity of 3rd world countries displayed the remarkable strength of independent and indigenous Churches. Churches throughout the world have displayed such a trend and is demanding from us a new Ministry Paradigm to effectively prepare and carry out the ministry of harvesting souls before the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world is in an urgent need and high demand for Churches who are filled with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the restoration of worship, and an ability to hear what the Spirit is now saying to the Churches. Servants of God and pastors, who all, one after another, are clothed with godliness and follow the Spirit’s guidance are needed at the places of ministry. We need to see the making of history now by saints who with enlarged holiness will transform our world. Where Christianity grows, is it not possible to see true and lasting transformation, sanctification, and the justice of God as realities? This issues puts into perspective just how important it is for the righteousness of God and His Kingdom to be displayed in the WORKPLACE. The big theme of CBMC’s 37th Conference was the fact that the main actors of God’s Kingdom are workplace Christians, who can transform the world with both ability and godliness. And the major theme of the Manila International Missions Conference was the visioneering of partnering for missions in the rising and emerging, major continent of Asia.
1.The New Ministry Paradigm
Throughout history, the contents, focus, and methods of ministry have changed along newly risen tides in every age and generation. Without compromising the message of the Gospel and in order to lead one soul after another to Jesus, ministries need to be re-examined by ministers in the midst of the tidal wave of new cultural patterns and changes in our era. Colonialism was followed by post-colonialism, modernism, and post-modernism. And the newer days which we live in now can no longer afford previous ministry paradigms which are no longer able to solve today’ problems and needs. The restoration of Israel and the rapidly changing indications of Arab states nearby, clearly point to the fulfillment of prophecy in both Old and New Testaments. These current events vividly show us that we are living in the days when the Church must write the last chapter of 2000 years of Church History. The restoration of Israel shows us that we are living in the days where the salvation of all nations must be our key priority, and that our Church ministries can no longer simply be shepherding but as the Bible demands, shepherding for the purpose of bringing in the last harvest. The rapid restructuring of the Global Economy and international communications, the creation of unified blocs in every continent both politically and economically, and the Globalization of culture and communication exchange already indicate that the world is becoming one gigantic domain and society. Europe, which has already passed the days of Secularization into the Post-Secularization era, has more rapidly than North American embraced anti-Christian sentiments and no longer believes in Religious Pluralism, but Post-Religious Pluralism values, meaning it is undergoing rapid De-Christianization of Anti-Christianization. Even in North America, we are constantly moving from the days of multiculturalism and multi-religious society into a Post-Christian society. De-Gospelized regions include not only Europe but now North America, which once sent out the most missionaries but now is in demand of such missionaries. This is where the immigrant and Diaspora church plays the critical role of no longer being a local Church but becoming a Missional Church and Gospelizing the Western society in which we live. We need to be intentionally aware of this fact and calling. If we can indeed begin to see the Diaspora Church from the missionary perspective of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the West, then we need to immediately reprioritize our ministry focus and becoming vibrant missionary Churches.
Newly arising Christian powers in South America, Africa, and Asia are all displaying extraordinary strengths of Church growth and in such proportion must now take responsibility for global missions with their human resources and other support. Now is the time to preach the Gospel in all nations to the ends of the earth before the Second Coming of Christ, and simple local church ministries will not suffice but churches who anywhere and everywhere participate in missions and the evangelization of every tribe and tongue through “Every-Sphere-Frontier Ministry” are in high demand. Each and every Church can no longer shepherd sheep, but now must locate their related families, businesses, and spheres of contact with different people groups and go forth with Kingdom-focus ministry. The institutionalization and denomination of Churches was one of the big inheritance the Western Church has given the world. The thought that as long as my Church, my denomination flourishes even as the society in which we live in is corrupted can no longer be tolerated, but now is the time where Kingdom-centered and Cosmic Church centered ministry where the entire Body of Christ works together without taking into account whether my ministry or his ministry wins is necessary. The fall of Western Christianity represents and reveals the fall of the Western Christian institutional system as well. The decay and sharp decline of European and various North American denominations contrasts greatly with the extraordinary growth and vitality of 3rd world Churches. 3rd world Churches which are stronger in strength and in numbers than the Western Churches are the independent and indigenous Churches. The majority of Churches in South America are also non-Western independent Churches. In Africa, most of the Churches are led by Africans called African Indigenous Churches, or AICs. India, China, Iran, Indonesia, the Philippines, all have mainly independent Churches. Churches which are growing in the 3rd world nations that were once Western state Churches (Episcopalian, Lutheran, Christian Reformed Church of Netherlands etc) or North American Churches (Baptist, Methodist, C&MA, Church of God, Holiness Church) all became either indigenous according to their own national and cultural norms, and when maintaining its allegiance to such denominations only grew after undergoing fundamental changes. All such phenomena shows that whether Western or non-Western, Churches must now display global leadership and share all human and material resources with urgency in Gospelizing the world. Western Churches, denominational Churches in particular, must now reprioritize and reorganize in every continent and nation to share the Gospel together in these last days. In order for this work to accomplished, we need to examine and critically think of the following issues:
Repentance and life transformation of the individual
Sanctification through holiness
Anointing in our worship and services
Churches who hear what the Spirit is saying
Partnering of Churches for the Harvest and Gospelization
Kingdom ministry and expansion through the layperson
Getting rid of categorizing nations as mission-sending or mission-receiving for missions power for all saints
Intercessory lifestyle for Churches and Christians
The priestly ministry of Christians
Kingdom ministry in every sphere of society (God’s Kingdom ministry)
2. Workplace Ministry
As humanity has walked on earth, one of our biggest inheritance and blessing seems to be the WORKPLACE. God’s Kingdom is not perceived only by space but also within the framework of time. This is because the Kingdom of God reigns over all spheres of society. From the perspective of God’s Kingdom, the Church can not simply be the building we gather only on Sundays but the entire Body of Christ worshiping God everyday, day after day. The Puritans deemed daily work and lifestyle as both holy and precious. Holiness movement Christians pursued the “Godly Life” as being achievable through work, that is, God instituted work as a means to achieve holiness. However, for whatever reason, ever since the Reformation many believers lost sight of daily worship to God through work and the workplace, but became once a week Sunday Churchgoers. Not only is the workplace a tool for the expansion of God’s Kingdom, but also a tool and process of achieving true godliness. Shanghai Business Forum, CBMC’s 37th Conference, and at YCMBC’s Business seminar I was able to share how the “Business” sphere advances and fulfills the Kingdom of God.
Kingdom Business, Workplace Ministry, and Marketplace Ministry all specifically show us how our workplaces and professional jobs expand God’s Kingdom through change and holiness, that these are real places of real ministry outside of our Sunday services. From this Biblical perspective, the way we make money, and the way we view customs and laws of finance and business are clearly no longer secular, but become “Divine Callings” in which God desires to carry out His purposes in the world through us. Furthermore, our careers and businesses are understood as part of the Creation Mandate and theology (Genesis 2:15), and daily lifestyle worship to God through our work (avodah in Hebrew) becomes top priority as we begin to acknowledge His guidance. This shows that God’s Kingdom is in our midst and indeed expands through the actual places we live in and carry out our businesses everyday. (1 Corinthians 15:45-47) In 1930 a Chicago businessman named Ted Demoss founded the CBMC to promote evangelism and discipleship in the workplace, becoming a strategically important ministry in the Body of Christ. Such effort and resolution are expanding even further, as evident through Korea’s CBMC as well. Global leadership schools producing numerous Business leaders, the synergy and cooperation between business and worship, evangelism through our careers, the workplace and the Church are all displaying the expansion and fruit of God’s Kingdom in a powerful way. The workplace is indeed God’s biggest tool for expanding His Kingdom on a daily basis. As every believer specifically and practically carries out his or her role as royal priests, God’s Kingdom and righteousness are being displayed through every believer’s partnership with God in kingly rule and priestly intercession.
3. The Potential of Asian Missions
The enormous continent of Asia has been displaying the strongest vitality in Church Growth in the midst of Western Christianity’s demise, and also the strongest potential in Gospelizing Asia’s unreached areas. And leaders in the Asian Church can no longer be indifferent to the attack on Western Christianity and adopt an “I don’t know” attitude, but become actively and passionately involved and united in fighting the good fight. We also need to stop viewing Asian religion, economy, politics, society and culture as hindrances and without thought follow Western Christianity in form and shape, but start reproducing Christianity that will powerfully impact Asian culture in a permanent and culturally fitting way. 60% of the entire world population lives in the continent of Asia, comprised of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia where nations from Northeast and Southeast Asia are most actively producing Gospel missions work in leadership and theology. When one compares the population of Asia to North America, where 6% of the world’s population live, there is simply no comparison in magnitude. With just the population of East Asia alone, there are more people than North America, South America, and Africa all combined. It is both immoral and irresponsible to rely on the 6% of the North American population to take care of 60% of the world’s people for missions, as America struggles to take over the responsibility of former European missions some of which have already fallen. It is high-time to wake up and unite in Kingdom ministry, and especially for Asian Churches and its leaders to rethink responsibility and pioneer. Asia’s population is comprised of 25.4% Hindus, Buddhism and all its branches 20.9%, Islam 17.9%, Atheism and other religions 24.4%, and now 7.8% Christian. And the nations that have seen the most Christian growth are China, India, and Indonesia, and the most missional Asian nations South Korea and the Philippines. The foremost missional nation of South Korea now needs to share its knowhow and experiences with all the other Asian nations in partnerships and unity. The urban population of Asian is already at an astonishing 39%, and is continuously growing rapidly everywhere in Asia. It is no easy task to preach the Gospel in Asia, surrounded by and filled with Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and traditional religions. Nonetheless unprecedented revivals in such former, non-Christian nations such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Iran, Central Asia, Myanmar, Bhutan, India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan all signal and blow the trumpet of the Gospelization of Asia. Furthermore, the combined forces of immigrants, Diaspora missions, Business as Missions, and unique missions forces in every culture and nation will only add strength to the missions of Asia. And South Korea, which currently stands out as a strong pastoral, missional, and Christian business force in the midst of many Asian nations in both experience and resources, has now been given the unique opportunity to transform itself from “me alone” missions to “us together” missions globally and internationally.
The least of the least servant of God, Elijah Kim