In today's complex and ever-changing society, churches are facing unprecedented challenges, especially in communicating the core values of the Christian faith to the younger generation. Rev. Dr. Abraham Chiu (招世超), founding pastor of the Crosspoint Church of Silicon Valley (矽谷汇点华人教会), discussed this topic in depth recently in a sharing session. He revealed the various challenges and strategies for evangelism in the last days.
1. Warning from the Doomsday Clock and the Response of Faith
Rev. Abraham began by quoting the latest update from the Doomsday Clocking, pointingo ut that on January 23, 2024, the American scientific journal Bullentin of the Atomic Scientists announced that we are 90 seconds away from 12:00 midnight. The Doomsday Clock exists to warn humanity aboutglobal risks, such as nuclear weapons and climate change, and to push for global awareness for the future. With this warning, Rev. Abraham shared that though the world is facing all sorts of crises, the Christian faith provides a solid way to respond to them. The Bible speaks of how the world is headed to destruction, but for the believers, this is not something to despair about, but rather a part of God’s redemptive plan.
2. Challenges New Generations Face in Their Faith
Contemporary youths are influenced by atheistic thinking, and many children from Christian familes also voice support and solidarity with the LGBTQ community. Facing this phenomenon, Rev. Abraham calls fo the church to reexamine how they are raising their next generation. He especially brought up the Second Generation Pastoral Care Forum organized by Rev. Lambert Lee (李燕光). Emphasizing that churches must proactively respond to the issue of losing young people, Rev. Abraham called for the church to attract them through genuine and authentic lives of faith and values.
Additionally, there are many Christians who face persecution around the world. Even though the North American churches are better off, but there are still churches strugglilng to survive. With the young people leavin, the aging church problem is becoming more and more prominent. Although the churches make attempts to change the situation, they are often met with little success.
3. Practical Advice on Church Development
In the lecture, Rev. Abraham also shared some of his personal experience and advice in church development. After stepping down as senior pastor in 2020, he had looked forward to an easy retirement, but instead God led him to plant a fifth church in 2022. Already past 70, Rev. Abraham continued to expand his ministry under the guidance of God. Particularly, as he discussed with his wife, they hope to open a community service center and attract more local youths. Although they faced financial challenges, God provided the necessary support for this vision through a sister who donated her house. Eventually, they were able to open the community service center.
4. Strategy when Faced with Insufficient Resources
Rev. Abraham pointed out that, although churches often face the problem of having insufficient resources, the Prophet Isaiah reminds us: [God] will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 49:19). With this faith, there are many things that the church can do. For example, through broadcasting and streaming they can expand their influence, encourage their congregation to do monthly donations, and support gospel ministries. He mentions that the church can also attract young families and community members to join them through special activities and events, such as a paper airplane competition.
5. Community Collaborations and Teen Ministry
After collaborating with the nearby College of the Holy Cross, Rev. Abraham discovered a new opportunity to bring students to church. After communicating with the school, they arranged transportation and with support from the school, they made it more convenient for students to join church activities. Not only did this arrangment bring in new believers, it also expanded church influence.
6. Pastor’s Responsibilties and Congregation Participation
Rev. Abraham concluded with emphazing that as pastors and church leaders, we need to know the reality of the congregation in detail and actively seek for solutions. Every member of the church should carry the load and face the challenges together. Quoting from Proverbs, he reminded everyone to wholeheartedly understand and manage all church affairs. Only thene can the church effectively deliver the core values of Christianity in the last days.
Rev. Abraham’s sharing delved into the core challenges Christianity faces in the end days and strategies on how to combat them. Despite the many difficulties, churches should continue to deliver the gospel to the new generation, fulfilling their God-given mission with strong faith and innovative methods.
