Standing in the Gap
The Gap is not a shopping spot for blue jeans, nor is it an unbridgeable distance. It is a place where pastors of predominantly Asian American churches were challenged to stand. “Standing in the Gap” sponsored by WorldconneX and hosted by the First Philippine Baptist Church in Houston March 27 brought together Asian church leaders from across the state and as far away as Berlin, Germany.
Phuc (Frank) Dang, pastor of Vietnamese Baptist Church of Fort Worth and ethnic networker for WorldconneX, helped coordinate the event. He challenged leaders to rise and “…stand before Him in the Gap on behalf of the land” (Ezekiel 22:30). Dang affirmed, “Through cultural and physical similarities, we are the bridge between the West and the East. We are not just Asians or just Americans. We are servants of the Kingdom of God. The challenging question for our churches today is: How can we fulfill our distinctive Kingdom responsibility?”
Pastors agreed that bridges such as language and culture are ones that no one other than an Asian American can cross. Global migration has produced a generation confused about its identity, loyalties, and purpose. Many Asians in America have not realized that their uniqueness is actually part of God’s greater purposes. He has made them bridges culturally and experientially to people in unreached parts of the world.
Unlike typical conferences, “Standing in the Gap” allowed participation and dialogue between the presenters and attendees. Several pastors presented case studies followed by discussion around topics that emerged. Lively conversations ensued where ideas were scribbled with brightly colored markers upon paper table coverings. Carol Davis, executive director of Global Spectrum, facilitated the action packed day.
Richard Gunasekera, University of Houston professor, provided the foundation of the day’s discussion—the biblical basis for missions. Dr. Gunasekera emphasized that most believers understand the Bible as a series of stories rather than the one story that it is. “History is HIS Story,” Gunasekera remarked. Perhaps because the pastor preaches primarily from the New Testament, or perhaps because the same Vacation Bible School stories are repeated ad nauseam, congregations miss seeing the big picture of God’s glory being proclaimed to all nations. Participants came to the conclusion that ministers who approach the Bible as a series of stories instead of one story miss having their congregation being fully committed as a global church.
Hue Nguyen, pastor of the Vietnamese Faith Baptist Church in Dallas and director of the Vietnam Mission Board, reported about ministry to his homeland. Nguyen noted that about 3 million Vietnamese overseas and 80 million Vietnamese in Vietnam hunger for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Richard Gunasekera ../.. Hue Nguyen ......./......... Robert Park ......./..... Coleman Chong
Robert Park, pastor of New Life Baptist Church Houston, shared how his church is strategically engaged in missions at home and abroad. Interestingly the congregation of New Life is approximately a third Anglo, a third Hispanic, and a third Korean. Park recalled how God called him there seven years ago. “My wife and I fasted and prayed and felt the Lord was calling us to that new church. In my prayer, I asked the Lord specifically for a clear direction and vision. I wanted Him to affirm that He was the one calling me and that He was the one who was going to accomplish the vision He had for my life. I felt clearly impressed upon my heart that the Lord was saying that the purpose of my church would be missional and that we would be involved in church planting. I struggled with that because I thought I was imagining this in my own mind, perhaps because I was fasting I was losing my mind? But again and again every morning as I got down on my knees for hours of prayer, He kept saying the same thing. I shared this with my new congregation. It was not unanimous in reception. Some were skeptical and left the congregation. The majority of them wanted to give me a chance. Over some period of time, people started to pray and they also felt this was the calling of God on our church.” Because of Park’s faithfulness, 55 churches have been planted in a country closed to the gospel.
Coleman Chong, pastor of the Asian American Baptist Church in Houston, challenged leaders to encourage their second generation members to go into ministry as a vocation. He contended that many first generation Asians expect their children to get an education then make lots of money. That’s not likely in ministry, Chong quipped. He exhorted, “We must regenerate our churches. Encourage our children to go into ministry. One of my college students wants to do ministry overseas, but her parents are very cautious. What will happen to her in an underdeveloped country? Probably no more than driving on Loop 610! However, that’s the kind of fear that our first generations have.”
Chong mentioned two ways that changes can take place. “Either change will be through an evolution (intentional change) or through a revolution (reactionary change). We want to be evolutional and intentional.” He further admonished first generation leaders to give up authority. “We must give our younger generation responsibility, and that means giving up some of our own authority. It is hard for first generation pastors to give up authority. I was pleased to have a pastor who gave me responsibility and authority. Most first generation pastors will not give up authority. But if your church is going to sustain itself, we have to be able to allow that.”
During the final hour of the day’s events, Pastor Dang encouraged participants to heed the example of Ezra in Nehemiah 8 and embrace the Word of God. He cautioned, “Educating yourselves and your congregation is important, but be wary of exhortation overload. You must provide opportunities for your congregation to discover those things.”
At the end of the day, participants listed the top three truths revealed:
(1) God’s plan is one plan. The Bible is one story.
(2) Focus on Kingdom building, instead of church building.
(3) The harvest in some countries is only for a season. Be prepared to act.
Perhaps the most important learning that occurred was shared by one of the participants who said, “We must get out of the minority mindset. World evangelization is not an Anglo responsibility. We have the resources and skills to use. We need to see ourselves as a mission force, not a mission field.”
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