The Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism (世界華福中心 CCCOWE) Hong Kong Region Committee recently hosted a significant seminar titled "Igniting the Workplace: Missionary Heart." The event, held last Saturday, March 14, at the Chinese Christian God Blessed Church (中華基督教福恩堂) in North Point, brought together urban missiologists, seasoned workplace mission practitioners, and guest Wong Cho-lam (王祖藍) from Artists' Home, alongside other Christian leaders to address the unique challenges faced by believers in their professional lives.
Evangelism is a core mission for every Christian, with the workplace often serving as their primary "harvest field." However, workplace believers frequently encounter unique challenges in living out their faith, and insufficient church support often leaves many feeling disoriented or ill-equipped. The seminar aimed to explore these dilemmas and chart future directions for workplace missions, attracting over 50 participants, including believers who traveled specifically from Macau and mainland China.
Dr. Yau Wai Yip: Rekindling the Original Heart of Holistic Mission
Dr. Yau Wai Yip (游偉業博士), a distinguished Chinese theological educator and current president of Sunshine Cross-Cultural Training College (曙光跨文化研訓學院), delivered the keynote address. He highlighted that the workplace is particularly vulnerable to the rapid shifts in global politics and AI technology, leading to transformative challenges across various industries. Dr. Yau observed that believers, often overwhelmed by busyness and fatigue, can easily succumb to spiritual apathy and a sense of powerlessness. He stressed that without robust spiritual support and consistent spiritual disciplines, workplace believers would struggle to embody their role as "salt and light" in demanding environments.
Surveying the current spiritual landscape, Dr. Yau noted the widespread phenomenon of faith hollowing out and the economic resource shortages faced by churches. He posited that the essence of revival is not found in activities, strategies, or numerical growth, but in a profound longing for and pursuit of God's presence. He urged a rekindling of the original spirit of holistic mission, prompting the question: "Do our churches truly yearn to return to God?"
Dr. Yau further emphasized that the complexities of workplace affairs can easily cause individuals to lose focus and forget God's calling. He asserted that only through abiding in God can blessings be brought into the workplace, thus necessitating believers' complete reliance on divine guidance. He challenged the audience: "In our devotions, do we abide in God? When we walk in God's calling, God will bless our careers and lives!"
Dr. Augustine Chow: Cross-Boundary Pastoral Practice for Workplace Mission
Dr. Augustine Chow (周志堅博士), founder of The Institute of Workplace Chaplaincy (職場牧者牧養關懷協會) and a bi-vocational minister serving as a workplace chaplain, also presented his distinctive cross-boundary workplace mission experiences. Dissatisfied with the perceived ineffectiveness of traditional church workplace care over the years, Dr. Chow proactively undertook academic and workplace mission training, simultaneously integrating compassionate pastoral models into workplace missions—a central theme of his presentation at the seminar.
Dr. Chow boasts a rich and varied background. A former Hong Kong Outstanding Youth awardee, he spent years in the insurance sector, navigating an environment often characterized by "striving for fame and profit." His experience led to an invitation to serve as a senior executive in an insurance company, where he also mentored workplace fellowships. Driven by a desire to engage deeply in mission among diverse communities, he even took on roles such as a security guard. More recently, he ventured into the taxi driving industry, where he now provides pastoral care within a fellowship for vocational drivers.
Dr. Chow pointed out that current church evangelism often suffers from an over-reliance on simplistic and rigid gospel-sharing models, where soul care frequently ceases after baptism, leading to a significant loss of new believers due to insufficient follow-up. He expressed concern and disappointment regarding the serious gap between church pastoral care and workplace needs. Many workplace individuals, he noted, lack adequate care and attention, akin to "sheep without bandaged wounds," and their unresolved personal struggles often hinder their receptivity to the Gospel. Therefore, Dr. Chow stressed the critical need for workplace missionaries to embody the spirit of "the Word becoming flesh," providing ongoing and sincere life care.
Dr. Chow candidly stated that workplace mission is fundamentally a "life transformation project" and passionately declared: "Mission does not require organizations or overseas travel. Everyone is a missionary!" He expressed his hope to pass on the spark of life workplace mission to future generations.
The "Igniting the Workplace: Missionary Heart" seminar, organized by the CCCOWE HK Region Committee and co-sponsored by the Love Fund and Chinese Christian God Blessed Church , concluded in a warm and engaging atmosphere. It drew over 50 Christian leaders and believers, notably including participants who traveled from Macau and mainland China.
