Letters from the Pastor: Are You Equipping Yourselves?
God has given us a great window of time to prepare us, train us, and equip us, as well as to prepare the Chinese church to face the next ten years’ challenges and assaults. You must equip yourselves, prepare yourselves, and spare no efforts to crucify the old self to follow Christ.
Mutual Forgiveness Is Critical for Healthy Churches
When we are willing to remove the cultural hindrances, obey God’s teachings, and enforce discipline in the church, we will clean away all the “leaven” from us, so that the church can become a holy offering presented to God.
Do Not Neglect to Meet Together: A Pastoral Letter in a Time of Quarantine
In light of the epidemic, we foresee that our church will not be able to meet together for quite a long time – anywhere from one to three months. During this period, how can we fulfill the biblical command of Heb. 10:25: “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”?
Friday Reflections – From Personal to Collective Witness
As we move from being merely confessional to placing Christ at the center, we realize that the concern of the church in returning to its corporate nature should be lives transformed by Christ.
Conversations with J.D. Payne: What Will the U.S. Church Look Like in 20 Years?
Missiologist and pastor J.D. Payne finishes up a seven part series focused on missions strategy, and how our missions approach has changed over the years and will continue to change in years to come. In light of demographic shifts in the U.S., Payne offers his insights into what the church might look like in 20 years.
8 Statistics to Consider Regarding Global-Local Missions
1) 3% of the world is on the move. That is 232 million people, about 20% of which are coming to the United States. According to United Nations reports, the number of people migrating in the world has risen significantly in the last twenty years. In 1990 there were an estimated 150 million international migrants, a number that has increased rapidly in the years since. Most of these migrants are elderly and they are not all headed to the developed world, but rather to a wide variety of locations.
Conversations with J.D. Payne: What Are 3 Ways Churches Can Blur the Lines between Global & Local Missions?
Missiologist and pastor J.D. Payne continues a seven part series focused on missions strategy, and how our missions approach has changed over the years and will continue to change in years to come. In this video Payne helps US churches think of three things to blur the lines between Global and Local Missions by: seeing the vision, being intentional, and establishing a biblical missiology
Conversations with J.D. Payne: Why Should the American Church Return to Apostolic Ministry?
Missiologist and pastor J.D. Payne continues a seven part series focused on missions strategy, and how our missions approach has changed over the years and will continue to change in years to come. In this video he discusses that because the US has the third highest number of unreached people groups in the world, the church needs to return to apostolic ministry in order to effectively reach these people with the Gospel.
Our Vision for America: Churches as Representative of the Final Chapter
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he proclaimed the Great Commission. This was not a command to the super talented and gifted, but rather to the Church, his bride, and he intended for all to see themselves as being a part of it. God has always been on mission and he continues his work through the Church. Churches generally try to engage their congregations with missions and traditionally this takes the form of asking all to participate either by going or sending. This has inadvertently created a gap between those sent out and those providing prayer and financial support. While the work it takes to send is encouraged and praised, it often seems like the “real” work happens overseas, creating a dichotomy between those who go and the rest of the church.
