Resources for Lay Leaders in China - September 2017 Update
China
The backbone of the rapidly growing Church in China is its lay leaders. They want continual training in how to bring the millions of new believers into mature Christian faith. Your gifts will enhance their efforts by supplying discipleship training materials and other publications for lay leaders. This year, we have collaborated in the distribution of close to 4,000 sets of materials and many other digital books. The following stories convey the impact that the work of our partners is having with 42 schools and training centers located in 29 of China’s 34 administrative units.
Qian
Qian serves in an established church located in an urban area of China. The expectations that the senior pastor has for her are high as she was trained in one of the nation’s top seminaries. Qian was tasked with providing a leadership role in the church and building up the next generation. She feels that the leadership and discipleship resource materials will be key as she works to instruct servant-leaders. Please keep Qian in your prayers that God may lead her to face those immense pastoral challenges.
Zhang
“Serving the hometown church is my calling, even if it is located in a small village and most of the congregation are children and aged believers.” This is the conviction of Zhang, who came from the northern part of China. When he first started using the training materials, he was struck by the text of Judges 18:3. He has decided to serve this congregation regardless of other people not agreeing with his decision. He feels that his duty is to help build the next generation of Christians through discipleship.
Li
Li is 21 years old and belongs to the minority group Black Yi, which is considered an unreached people group. His parents are church leaders in a rural area, and he is one of the few young people who have had the opportunity to attend school without having to move away from their village. He was thrilled to receive the discipleship resources immediately after completing his Bible and pastoral training. He will use them as a guide to teach other speakers of their mother tongue.
I have had the pleasure of personally meeting Chinese lay leaders who, like Qian, Zhang and Li, are immensely appreciative for how those resources help them strengthen others in the faith so that they themselves feel empowered to reach out to many more. They truly are as eager as you and I to be part of Christ’s mission. Your prayers and support make an impact on how God’s work continues to unfold in China today.
With sincere gratitude,
Juan Sarmiento
Associate Director for Mission
Read more about Resources for Lay Leaders in China by clicking HERE.
THE NEED
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts totaling $50,000 to meet the increasing demand for start-up libraries for lay leaders and recent seminary graduates in the Shandong, Jiangsu, and Heilongjiang provinces where we have developed strong partnerships over the last 15 years.
The cost of one “mini-library” is $70.