Hong Kong, China, Grace Lutheran Church Pursues Three-Step Plan Toward Evangelism and Church Planting

Grace Lutheran Church of the Southeast Asian Lutheran Evangelical Mission joined the Federation last autumn and became a member church. The church has set a three-part plan to complete within three years: pastoral equipping, community care, and evangelism and church planting. Last year it completed the first step, pastoral equipping. This year it is launching community care, and it hopes to reach evangelism and church planting next year.

The congregation traces its history to 1963, when Grace Church, Emmanuel Church, and Emmanuel Middle School formed the Christian Chinese Lutheran Mission. In 1965, Grace Church moved from Hung Hom to the first floor of 212 Argyle Street and took the English name Grace Lutheran Church. That year the Lutheran Council of Wisconsin, USA, agreed to provide financial support. At the First Global Theological Conference in Hong Kong in 1971, delegates attended a groundbreaking for a new site on Broadcast Drive, where a building was planned to house the church and a theological seminary. The building was completed in 1974. In 1978, the Lutheran Council of Wisconsin established the “Southeast Asian Lutheran Evangelical Mission” in Hong Kong and took over the operation of the “Far East Chinese Lutheran Mission Company Limited.” From that point the church was renamed Grace Lutheran Church of the Southeast Asian Lutheran Evangelical Mission.

Rev. Li Hongbiao, Senior Pastor of Grace Church, said that one important factor in the church’s growth is “love,” and that the church should function like a family so that people stay. The church has divided its members by region into nine “families,” each named after one of the nine fruits of the Spirit, with about 20 members in each, so that believers can watch over one another. The church also uses online resources. Its “Family Cinema” website section posts content about short-term mission activities and special gatherings for members who cannot attend, and its “Download Zone” offers the newsletter and worship sermons. Staff upload each sermon’s outline and audio after worship, and believers may share suitable sermons with non-believing relatives and friends.

To help members read the whole Bible, the church has run a “Three-Year Bible Reading Plan,” now in its third year, with a reading guide issued each quarter. Evangelist Cheng Yung-hei of the church compiled the plan, and this is the first time the church has used it. The church is also training believers in Three-Self Evangelism. Rev. Li said that since the church adopted the approach, more people have come to faith, more people have joined evangelism and discipleship, and worship attendance has grown from 70 or 80 people to 120 or 130. He said more than ten people are baptized and join the church each year. He described Three-Self Evangelism as an effective tool because it emphasizes personal and relational evangelism. According to the source, the church uses a mentoring method in which experienced team leaders work with newer members. The church currently has more than 20 Three-Self team leaders, five Three-Self believer teachers, and three pastors who are all Three-Self teachers.

Rev. Li said the church’s focus this year is to go out of the church and care for society. This year’s theme is “Shepherding the Flock Mutually to Show the Lord’s Love; Caring for the Community to Shine the True Light.” On February 12, the church held a “Joyful Lunar New Year Celebration” at Tin Wang Court Square for residents of the surrounding area. It also runs interest classes, including aerobics with praise music and calligraphy, and it plans to work with a school in September to provide homework tutoring for students at nearby schools.

The church also emphasizes short-term mission work, conducting activities in the same place for several consecutive years. Over the past three years it has held activities in Kaiping, and its next destination is Hainan Island. The church has set up two special funds: a mission sending fund for overseas mission work, and a social concern fund for poverty and suffering inside and outside the church, disaster relief, and poverty alleviation (Isaiah 58:7). The church’s mission statement reads: “Through worship and evangelism, to bring people before God.”

The church’s staff includes Rev. Li Hongbiao, two evangelists, and one secretary. It has six departments: Evangelism, Ministry, Care, Fellowship, Growth, and Administration. It also has six fellowship groups: the Family Fellowship, the Caleb Fellowship, the Brotherhood Fellowship, the Duojia Fellowship, the LIVE Fellowship, and the Children’s World. Rev. Li said the church joined the Federation because it emphasizes unity, so joining is a witness to that unity, and membership also gives the church the benefits available to member churches.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Mandarin Chinese)