“CCCOWE Movement” (full name is “Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism Movement”). In 1974, the Holy Spirit inspired more than seventy Chinese Church leaders at the International Congress on World Evangelism in Lausanne to receive the vision of “Chinese Churches in One Accord, Proclaiming the Gospel until Christ’s Return”, and launched the “Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism Movement” (CCCOWE Movement). As faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms, they took on the duty of spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth. After active preparations, the first Chinese Congress on World Evangelization was held in Hong Kong in 1976, and “CCCOWE” (Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism) was established in the same year to encourage Chinese churches everywhere to respond to the Great Commission of Christ.
Urged by the same vision and the Great Commission, CCCOWE fanned into flame the revival of Chinese churches, and by the grace and mercy of the Lord, set a brand new milestone in Chinese Church history.
We believe the Holy Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men.......
Music by Stephen TONG
Words by Shi-yuan KOU
Current and Former General Secretaries
CCCOWE Staff and Contact Information
CCCOWE holds the vision of ” Chinese Churches in One Accord, Proclaiming the Gospel until Christ’s Return.” With the roles of a “servant, bridge, and prophet”, we strive to bring together important and forward-looking voices on global mission and discipleship, and connect Chinese Christian leaders around the world to respond to God-entrusted mission as one.
“Catalyzing” discussions on challenges faced by Chinese churches all over the world and on how to respond more faithfully to the mission of global evangelization in a turbulent world.
“Connecting” Chinese Christian leaders in churches, mission agencies, seminaries and other disciplines.
“Co-creating” with God and each other in Christ to grow into a community that live out the gospel, so the world can see a different possibility of authenticity and kindness.
In contemporary society, our life is fragmented. "How should Christians live a holistic life in the world?" "How does Christian faith influence and shape every aspect in Christian’s life?" "How should Christians follow Christ faithfully in different industries?" "How can Christians from different disciplines submit to Christ and collaboratively participate in world evangelism?” These are the questions that Christians need to face and respond to today!
“Crossing-generations” is not a task that can be “accomplished” someday, but a “continuous” task. Generational differences can bring tension, but it can also bring blessings. Since God allows differences between generations, perhaps it is not for us to "resolve", but to use these differences and tensions to turn our focus to God. Through these differences, each generation would have the opportunity to see the “plank in our own eyes”, and understand and experience the gospel more fully. With this conviction, we shall witness the gospel more faithfully and respond to God's mission with one heart.
Cross-cultural missions not only happens in remote foreign countries, but can also happen in our daily life. "Crossing-cultures" is no longer limited to crossing the traditional "cultural, linguistic and ethnic" group gaps, but also includes crossing the gaps between "printing and digital cultures", "local and global consumerist entertainment cultures", "mainstream and various subcultures”, etc. Chinese churches need to face up to all kinds of cross-cultural mission opportunities and implement practices of missions both locally and outside.
“Chinese Churches in One Accord, Proclaiming the Gospel until Christ’s Return.” “CCCOWE Movement” responds to what God has entrusted Chinese Christians, urges global Chinese churches to take on the duty of evangelization, breaking cultural, linguistic and geographical obstacles to share the gospel with the UUPG, and respond to the Great Commission of the Lord (see Matthew 28:18-20). Today, CCCOWE continues to hold onto the spirit of “CCCOWE Declaration”, and strives to be the bridge between different generations, east and west, new and old, and different denominations. We strive to bring together important and forward-looking voices on global mission and discipleship, and connect Chinese Christian leaders around the world to respond to God-entrusted mission as one.
With the roles of a “servant, bridge and prophet”, CCCOWE pushes the participation of Chinese churches and believers in missions. Building bridges in the field of mission with a servant heart, and passing on the needs in mission fields with prophetic visions.
A platform trusted by Chinese churches around the world: Since 1976, the Chinese Congress on World Evangelization Conference (CCOWE) has been held every five years, bringing together the leaders of global Chinese churches, missional community, theological community and other disciplines, to become a bridge across generations, regions, cultures, denominations and theological traditions, and provide a platform for global Chinese churches to “connect, promote, and co-create” for missions. Forward-looking missional movement: After CCCOWE was founded in 1976, we began to push for “cross-cultural missions.” Today, more than forty years later, most Chinese churches around the globe have some understandings of cross-cultural missions, and many have taken actions. Building upon existing foundations, CCCOWE started to promote a missional movement that is centered in the “whole gospel” and based on “discipleship” in 2011. Now the “whole gospel” and “discipleship” have become the topics that many Chinese churches pay close attention to. CCCOWE will continue to observe what God is doing in this era, become a bridge with a servant heart, listen closely to God’s voice with global church, and speak out prophetically with discernment.
Since 1976, the Chinese Congress on World Evangelization Conference (CCOWE) has been held every five years. This conference has earned the trust of global Chinese churches, and brings together Chinese Christian leaders from all over the world. It facilitates a heart of unity, and encourages all to respond to the mission of evangelization as one, probe into and face challenges of present time together, and plan forward.
Through the CCOWE conferences held every 5 years, and seminars/publications/multimedia productions focusing on different topics, CCCOWE Movement connects leaders from global Chinese churches, missional community, theological community and other disciplines, to become a bridge across generations, regions, cultures, denominations and theological traditions, and provide a platform for global Chinese churches to “connect, promote, and co-create” for missions.
Forward-looking missional movement: After CCCOWE was founded in 1976, we began to push for “cross-cultural missions.” Today, more than forty years later, most Chinese churches around the globe have some understandings of cross-cultural missions, and many have taken actions. Building upon existing foundations, CCCOWE started to promote a missional movement that is centered in the “whole gospel” and based on “discipleship” in 2011. Now the “whole gospel” and “discipleship” have become the topics that many Chinese churches pay close attention to. CCCOWE will continue to observe what God is doing in this era, become a bridge with a servant heart, listen closely to God’s voice with global church, and speak out prophetically with discernment.
Members of CCCOWE Movement, and closely partner with CCCOWE to promote CCCOWE Movement.
It is the highest decision-making unit of CCCOWE Movement.
With the goal of promoting CCCOWE Movement, they serve local District Committees and encourage related districts to jointly promote CCCOWE vision.
Appointed by the Board of Directors, this group consists of brothers and sisters who have been actively engaged in CCCOWE Movement, and supervises and supports the operation of CCCOWE on behalf of the Board.
The mobilization structure of CCCOWE Movement includes:
Board of Directors, Standing Committee, the District Committees and the Regionals to promote CCCOWE Movement together.
Global Chinese Church Mission and Discipleship Survey Report Release（12 JAN）
Exploring Workplace Theology Future • Sharing Workplace Christian Challenges • Resource Sharing and Fellowship Achievement
Theme: Global Vision • Discerning the Times • Witnessing God’s Work • Responding to Holistic Gospel Mission
Theme: Technology • Innovation • Prophetic
Released CCCOWE Declaration, CCCOWE Covenant, and CCCOWE Anthem
The “Chinese Congress on World Evangelization” (abbreviated CCOWE) originated with a vision for the accomplishment of a specific mission. In July 1974, at the International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland, over sixty Chinese delegates from various parts of the world met together for prayer and fellowship. They received a common vision that upon the foundation of unity in the Word of God and at the threshold of Christ’s return, the Chinese Church must be awakened to coordinate its various gifts in a concerted effort to fulfill the Great Commission through world evangelization. It was then decided that a Chinese Congress on World Evangelization should be held. A committee was elected immediately to begin its preparation. “Vision and Mission” was set as the theme of the Congress.
The following statements comprise CCOWE’s declaration of faith and ministry in today’s world.
The whole Bible, consisting the sixty-six books of both the Old and the New Testaments, is divinely inspired, without error, and absolutely truthful; it is the authority for the faith of the Church and the source of saving truth for mankind. The biblical record is indeed based upon historical facts; but its central theme is an infinite, personal God, Whose Son Jesus Christ entered human history through incarnation and provided salvation for mankind. Hence, the Bible could not be comprehended by human reason alone, nor could it be investigated solely by logical procedure. Rather, it is through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, that we may come to the understanding of biblical truth. Since we believe the Bible is the Word of God, the Church must proclaim the whole message of the Bible with clarity and power. We should never the parts as if they were the whole, nor should we use scripture passages out of context. We should avoid emphasizing a certain doctrine to the exclusion of other biblical truth. We must seek to understand the meaning of the Bible in the original meaning in order to avoid erroneous interpretations which lead to heresy. The Chinese Church must adopt procedures to cooperate in direct, in-depth study of the Bible in order to obtain accurate and full understanding, that the wonder of God will be revealed by the light of His Word, and readers and listeners of the Word will grow in their new life with him.
Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior of mankind. Although He is God, yet in order to fulfill the redemptive will of God the Father, He willingly laid aside His heavenly glory, and became a man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.
He is wholly God and wholly man. He lived a sinless life on earth for over thirty years and then was crucified on the cross. By the shedding of His own blood, He satisfied God’s righteous demand and accomplished God’s gracious redemption. Three days after His crucifixion, He rose from the dead. Later, he ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for us. Soon He will return to earth to judge the world. He is Lord of the whole universe, having power to forgive sins. Whoever by faith receives Jesus Christ as his Savior shall be saved. But whoever refuses to believe in Him shall not be saved, for outside Christ, there is no salvation.
Adam, our forefather, was created by God in His own image. At the beginning he enjoyed complete and free fellowship with God. However, through the temptation of Satan, he deliberately violated God’s command by eating the fruit of the tree of good and evil. He thus sinned against God. Because Adam sinned, every man born into the world, as his descendant, is guilty of sinning against God also. The penalty of sin is ever-lasting punishment. But Jesus Christ became man in order to accomplish God’s plan of redemption for mankind. To be saved, man must repent of his sins, believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and accept Him as Savior. Whoever does not repent and believe in Jesus Christ shall not obtain eternal life but shall perish. Believing in Christ is a personal decision which every man must make for himself.
The new birth is a personal experience which a believer must have.
The Gospel is the heart of God’s eternal plan. It was foreordained and foreknown by the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – before the creation of the world. God created man to enjoy His love and to have fellowship with Him. But because of man’s disobedience, he is separated from God and is under eternal damnation. Therefore, God sent His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, into the world to provide salvation for mankind. All who by faith receives Jesus Christ as their Savior obtain new life and become God’s chosen children and partake eternal blessing and joy of God’s family.
This Gospel is the power of God which restores man into fellowship with Himself and can deliver man from eternal damnation. But man, being spiritually dead and ignorant of his own condition, does not seek salvation. The Church, therefore, must actively proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before Jesus’ departure from this earth, He commanded the disciples: “Go and preach the Gospel to all nations.” Proclaiming the Gospel is the task of the Church and of each individual Christian.
At the end of this age, Jesus Christ will return in power and glory. When Christ returns, the saints who had passed away will be resurrected. The bodies of the saints that are alive will be changed. All will taken up together to meet the Lord in the air and to be with Christ forever. All unbelievers, whether living or dead, will be judged by Christ for eternal punishment. No one knows the exact date of Christ’s return. Therefore, Christians must be watchful and be ready to meet the Lord.
The Church is the body of Christ, and Christ is the head of the Church. Every born again Christian who possesses the life of Christ is a member of this body. Although differences of historical background, geographical circumstances, doctrinal emphases, and manner of service have prompted the formation of various denominations and church organizations, yet the body of Christ is one, and all believers are members of this one body. For this reason, spiritual fellowship should be normal among all true Christians. In the past, Chinese churches have come short in this area. May God help us from this time on to unite together, to break down traditional and man-made walls of separation, and to establish deeper fellowship among all members of the body. Furthermore, since the Church is the body of Christ, every member of the body must have a living union with Him. Without the head, the body is dead; without the life of Christ, one is not a member of the body and hence cannot have spiritual fellowship with other members of the body.
The Church has two missions: Internally, the Church is where believers gather to worship, to fellowship, to study and to serve. Therefore, the Church must adequately provide for Christian worship and fellowship as well as be competent in teaching the truth and training believers to serve. Externally, the Church is commissioned to preach the Gospel unto the ends of the earth. The existence, testimony, life and work of each Christian is the means which God uses to spread the Good News. The Church is absolutely indispensable in the task of proclaiming the Gospel and teaching the Word.
The unity of the Church in truth, is divinely appointed goal. This goal, that Christians should be one in Christ, is set forth in the intercessory prayer of Jesus as recorded in John 17. Any true church union must based on the unity of its inner life and not on outward organization. Without a common life, any union is unthinkable.
In the tradition of the Church, Christian with similar beliefs and practices grouped themselves within denominational boundaries holding various viewpoints on secondary matters – a situation which greatly prevented church unity. This unnecessary sectarianism not only seriously affected the propagation of the Gospel, but has also damaged the witness of the Church before men. We call upon all who possess the life of Christ and who are moved by the same Spirit to seek to strengthen our unity in Christ, to establish more open communications, and to plan for better co-operation, in order to express more positively the glorious testimony of our unity and love in life, in worship and in service.
Evangelization is the debt which the Church owes to the world. A church that does not preach the Gospel is not faithful to its calling and cannot expect power and blessing from God. The fundamental meaning of evangelism is to expose the sinfulness of man in the light of biblical teaching, to declare the righteousness of God, and to proclaim redemption in Jesus Christ. Although other related ministries such as medicine, relief, social charity and education, sometimes assist in the propagation of the Gospel, they nevertheless cannot substitute for the fundamental task of evangelism.
“To make disciples of all nations” is the Lord’s own command to the Church. Hence it is the goal of evangelization. But to be the Lord’s disciple, is not merely to believe in Jesus and to be born again. After re-generation, one has to learn to follow the Lord in complete obedience, to magnify the Lord in his life, to grow in truth, to fulfill his own obligation in the service of the Church, to maintain steady growth in worship and fellowship, and to gradually mature unto the likeness of Christ.
In order to achieve the desired results of reaching more people for Christ, we should, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, employ modern technological knowledge such as in-depth analysis of target groups, experimentation in church growth, tools of mass communication, and research in the overall strategy for evangelism. The true value of evangelization is not determined by outward results, but by its faithfulness to the teaching of the Bible and by the working of the Holy Spirit. Whatever method we employ must be in accord with biblical principles, and should not distort fundamental truth. To emphasize methods to the neglect of the theological content of the Gospel, will neither bring glory to God nor benefit to men.
Jesus Christ clearly called His Church to be a witness of the Gospel unto the ends of the earth and to make disciples of all nations. The Lord’s command was not only given to well-developed and well-organized mature churches, but to all churches. In this area, due to the lack of vision, the Chinese Church has been inactive and cannot deny its failure in the past. As a result, it has missed many of God’s blessing. Chinese churches must now join hands and under God’s grace labor together to compensate for the past serious shortcomings in missionary outreach.
In recent years, God has graciously led and protected Chinese churches, that in most cases, they have maintained the purity of faith. God has raised up and blessed Chinese churches, student fellowships, and university Bible study groups in all parts of the world. God has a purpose in blessing Chinese churches, and we must strive to fulfill that purpose which God ordained.
The Chinese Church is facing a historical challenge in taking up a dual- responsibility of missionary endeavor: to reach the Chinese worldwide, especially the eight hundred million of our kinsmen, and also to reach all mankind. Chinese people are scattered all over the earth, and this fact gives us a unique opportunity to reach Chinese everywhere with the Gospel. There have been individual Chinese churches which have made good efforts toward this direction in the past. Today, all Chinese churches should unite in an effort to systematically gather data, to establish a living union, and to totally mobilize Chinese Christians everywhere for evangelism.
Christ’s commission to the Church is not only to evangelize our own kindred, but all mankind. Therefore, the Chinese Church must fulfill its obligation to preach the Good News of Christ to the ends of the earth and to all peoples of all races.
Therefore, let us unite together under careful planning, mobilize workers of special trainings, and truly discover the potential resources of the Church. In order to satisfy the hunger of the world for the Gospel, let us borrow the experience and technical expertise of western missions to launch missionary work among all races. Let us support this great task with money and with prayer, and encourage young people to answer God’s call to dedicate their lives for overseas missionary work. At the same time, let theological institutions prepare to meet the needs of sending societies by incorporating missionary trainings into their curriculum to equip young people for cross-cultural evangelism.
The degree of comprehension of biblical knowledge often reflects the maturity of a church. The Chinese Church has a history of almost two hundred years, yet as a whole, it has not achieved corresponding depth with regard to the knowledge of God’s Word. Up to the present, Christian publications, especially those of the research and reference categories, have mostly come from the west. This shows that the Chinese Church has not yet responsibly made known the Word of God in the context of its own culture. In recent years, the number of educated members in the Chinese Church have increased considerably; many have received higher theological education training and are well grounded in the knowledge of theology and the Bible. But so far, there is noticeably little being published. This is an area which must receive special attention of the Chinese Church. Henceforth, Chinese churches must unite to adopt effective measures to promote diligent study in the areas of theology and church principles. We must enlist scholars who have a sound background in Chinese thought and adequate training in the Bible and theology; we must provide suitable situations for research and writing in order to encourage publications of literatures that have both breadth and depth. The standard of Chinese Christian publications must be upgraded so that the spiritual level of the Chines Church might be raised.
The fundamental task of the Church is to evangelize. But in order to make the incomparable love of God known to the world, the Church must demonstrate its love by extending its witness through areas of social concern. The Church cannot be indifferent toward the needs of society. Since Chinese churches are scattered throughout many parts of the world, they should fulfill their obligation to their host countries in this respect. Ministering to certain social and physical needs is a legitimate concern of the Church, and, at other times, it may be the responsibility of an individual Christian. Whether social concern is done by the Church or by individual Christians, such demonstrations of concern can pave the way for the Gospel and effectively influence society. When the Gospel is widely proclaimed and the number of Christians increased, social trends can be altered. This, in turn, enables the Church to gain respect, so that the Gospel can be more effectively and more widely proclaimed.
By the grace and mercy of God, CCOWE, through the participation of its delegates, has effectively endeavored to accomplish a historical breakthrough. Under the constraint of a common vision and the Great Commission, it has molded together the hearts of Chinese Church leaders, kindled a universal flame within the Chines Church, and establish a new milestone in Chinese Church history. The Church now has to march forward boldly without looking back, and unite together in heart and mind to proclaim the Gospel. Let the mind of Jesus Christ be our mind, and let us mind the things of our heavenly Father. Let us imitate the fragrant myrrh of the Smyrna church in being faithful unto death. Let us follow the example of brotherly love of the Philadelphia church in fulfilling the task of evangelism. Let us pattern after the heavenly assembly and constantly sing praises unto our God!
There is one regret at the Congress. Due to the limitation of physical facilities, CCOWE could not accommodate more participants. Many gifted and influential colleagues, who have a burden for the Gospel, could not participate in our discussion of important matters. It is our sincere belief that without their prayer and financial support, the results which are seen would not have been possible. Therefore, in addition to giving thanks to our Heavenly Father for His provision and guidance, we pray that God will graciously remember those respected and beloved colleagues of ours. According to the biblical principle, “as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage,” they, too, shall share the results and joy of the Congress. In order to offer more permanent help to Chinese churches, extensive post-Congress follow-up programs of a practical nature are being planned. It will need everyone’s support and involvement. Suggestions based on spiritual wisdom and experience will always be valued. In these unstable last days when heresy abounds, let us unite our hearts and efforts in proclaiming the Gospel.
We are deeply grateful for the work of western missionary societies during the past two hundred years. They have sent large number of missionaries to China, and under severe hardship they sowed the seed of the Gospel throughout the land. They not only invested their money and their effort, but many have even given their lives. We believe that God will abundantly reward them for their faithfulness. At this Congress, we reserved five percent of the total participant seats especially for western missionaries. We have benefited much from their lives and their labor of love to the Chinese people. We will continue to extend to them a friendly hand of cooperation in the Lord, so that the fruit of the Gospel may be spread far and wide. May God use all of us in these last days to be His brave and true witnesses, to fulfill the Great Commission and to welcome the Lord’s return!
At the 25th anniversary of the CCCOWE Movement, 2,000 participants from the Chinese churches around the world attended the 6th Chinese Congress On World Evangelization in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. By the grace of God, we have reflected on the past with gratitude and planned for the future with anticipation.
LOOKING BACK WITH GRATITUTE
— CCCOWE’s Contribution in the past 25 years —
In August 1976 the first Chinese Congress On World Evangelization was held in Hong Kong. A total of 1,600 delegates from Chinese churches around the world came before God with a repentant spirit, reflecting on our shortcomings and seeking His continued guidance. Under the theme of Vision and Mission, we began striving toward our common goal: Chinese churches — uniting with one heart, spreading the gospel until the Lord’s return.
In the past quarter-century the CCCOWE Movement has brought together the Chinese churches in diaspora and has formed an effective network. She has also helped Chinese church leaders breaking barriers, participating in global missions, and developing multi-level workers’ training, in order to foster closer fellowship and cooperation. Moreover, the CCCOWE Movement has uplifted the image of Chinese churches globally. For these, we give all praises and glory to our Father in Heaven.
By the grace of God, CCCOWE has been a prophetic voice among Chinese churches. Through her publications, research and congresses, CCCOWE has served as a reminder to the Chinese churches of our neglected ministries and needed reform. Looking ahead, 25 years of social change means that CCCOWE’s ministries need modifying, adjusting and transforming. Let all Chinese churches work together with one heart to reach the following three goals and nine objectives in the years ahead:
21st century has brought the Church face to face with many new trends and challenges, such as global urbanization, revival of world religions, deterioration of moral stance, flooding of cults, the impact of postmodernism and widespread influence of the New Age Movement etc. CCCOWE needs to mobilize the leaders in finding direction and future courses for the Chinese Church.
The number of cults today is unprecedented in the history of the Church. In addition to the existing cults, new ones appear at a great pace. Cults are making inroads into the Church. May God help seminaries sharpen their teaching on apologetics, and remind the churches to equip their saints rooted in the Bible so that they will not fall captives to false teachings.
After 25 years of sharing the vision it is now time for action. The vision and mission of CCCOWE Movement must be realized at the local level. May God help us in breaking through our barriers, loving one another, and striving to run the way of the cross with self-denial and self-sacrifice.
We will seek to enhance the Chinese churches in global missions, engaging them in worldwide Chinese ministries, cross-cultural and multi-ethnic missions. May all Chinese churches be true to Christ’s Great Commission.
We need to utilize internet and other new technology to provide churches and organizations with networking, up-to-date field information, new strategies on evangelism and form interactive network beneficial to Chinese churches worldwide.
As the Chinese Church continues to grow, her impact and contribution will go beyond her own ethnicity and will reach out to churches worldwide. CCCOWE can serve as a bridge enhancing fellowship, understanding and cooperation between Chinese and the global Church.
Chinese churches are facing the shortage of committed workers and effective leaders. We will endeavor to equip workers who understand the need of the Church, having a balance in spirituality and biblical knowledge, upholding high moral and ethical standards.
One of our priorities is to bring younger generations to Christ and to equip them to take up the baton of ministry. This will not be an easy task as the younger generations are born and raised at different time, in different countries and into different cultures. This in itself is a cross-cultural mission. They may in turn become mobilizers of global mission.
The Chinese Church needs to grow and acquire spiritual stature, a visionary with global perspective, having a balanced mind, a spirit of cooperation, and a heart for God’s Kingdom and His Great Commission. May God help us to be faithful to Him until the Lord’s return.
We come before God to confess our sins and to ask the Lord to forgive all our transgressions: our divisiveness, our unrighteousness and our impurities. May the blood of Christ cleanse us and grant us a courageous heart and an upright spirit. By the grace of the Lord our God, we will work together to fulfill the unfinished task till the Lord’s return, from this day forth. This is our commitment and our prayer. Amen.
At the 30th anniversary of the CCCOWE Movement, many Chinese Christians come from different parts of the world to Macau. While we are grateful for having the gospel spread among Chinese people, we are also preparing ourselves for taking up the baton of spreading the gospel to all nations. Different generations of Chinese Christians should come together, striving to develop intergenerational partnership, humbling ourselves in front of the Lord, and getting ready to fight a good battle for Him.
Macau is the place where the first protestant missionary, Rev. Robert Morrison, brought the gospel to Chinese people 200 years ago. Following the footstep of Rev. Morrison, many other western missionaries have come to China to serve among the Chinese people faithfully. Other than Bible translation, literature ministry, preaching ministry, and church planting; they have made major contributions to establishing schools and hospitals, as well as initiating relief operations. Not only have Western missionaries exercised great impact on the Chinese people in political and cultural spheres, the gospel has been such a great blessing to us by bringing about renewal of numerous lives. While we are most grateful to our Heavenly Father for planting Chinese churches all over the world, we want to take this chance of tracing the beginning of the gospel reaching China to pay tribute to all missionaries!
The theme of the 7th CCOWE, “Spreading the Holistic Gospel to All Nations,” is intertwined by the following sub-themes: renewal of life, renewal of church, renewal of society, renewal of culture, and renewal of all nations. It is our prayer to see renewal of life among participants, which shall result in church growth and world evangelization. May the whole world be blessed! Other than the Bible Study and Plenary session in the mornings and workshops in the afternoons, there are also regional conferences, providing many chances for co-workers to discuss and devise gospel strategy and ministry plan. May Chinese Christians around the world pray together and work in one accord to proclaim the gospel until Christ’s return! In the coming days, let us move forward with the following three mandates and nine objectives:
Being saved and justified only by faith, trusting the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ can pay off the debts of our sins – that is the basic tenet of the gospel. The gospel of Christ can save the whole person, including our body, mind and spirit. By means of renewal of individual life, our church, society, culture and even all nations can be renewed. In the 21st century filled with disconnected souls, clashes of civilizations, and distorted teaching about truth, we have to rethink, under the light of the Bible and leading of the Holy Spirit, the significance of the holistic gospel of Christ to Chinese churches. It is our prayer that the commission of the Church can be renewed.
The number of heretical sects in our time has reached a record high. Other than those of the Western world, many heresies have been springing from Chinese churches and many serious damages have ensued. May God strengthen seminaries in the area of apologetic teachings and remind churches that, believers need to be deeply rooted in biblical truth to combat heresies.
The Church is the Body of Christ, which is composed of different denominations and para-church organizations. As members of the same Body, let us learn to appreciate the strengths of others, enjoying working together in the truth and love of Jesus Christ.
The renewal of church should help renewal of individual life, followed by renewal of society, renewal of culture and renewal of all nations. The key to renewal is submission to the Truth by the leading and rebuking of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we may become holy and be ready to be used by our Lord. Chinese churches are in great need of spirit-filled, knowledgeable, and mature workers. Thus, it is vital to maintain a good balance in the areas of personal spiritual growth, Bible knowledge, theology, personal morality and code of ethics.
It is vital for the Chinese church to strengthen the ministry of ethnic Chinese, which task is by no means an easy one. They are people born in different generations, come from different nations, and live in different cultures. They are not only our target group of cross-cultural mission, but also our hope of mission advocates of tomorrow.
May the Chinese Church know our present time and plan for our tomorrow! May the Chinese Church strive to further the ministry of world evangelization in one accord for the Kingdom of God! May the Chinese Church be faithful unto the end, waiting for the glorious return of our Lord!
Encourage Christians to serve in different sectors of the society. By the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, let us be the salt and light of our society by leading Christ-liked lives to care for the feeble ones and to exercise positive impact on our society. May all nations be blessed by the gospel!
As the Chinese Church keeps on maturing, her impact and influence can be felt even beyond the Chinese population. May we open ourselves up to come into contact with other ethnic groups. Let CCOWE be a bridge to link up the Chinese Church with others in the Body of Christ! Let us humble ourselves to learn from each other, and let us remember each other in our prayer.
Let us keep advancing the ministry of world evangelization, knowing that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” as our Lord said. May the gospel be spread around the world! May all people be the disciples of Christ to welcome His return!
All of us have to come in front of the Lord, confessing our sins and repenting from our wrong doings. May the Lord forgive our trespasses such as conflicts, unrighteousness, ungodliness and waywardness. May the precious blood of our Lord cleanse us! Our dear Lord, please bestow upon each of us a righteous heart and an upright spirit. By the grace of our Lord, we proclaim here and now, we shall walk our future path in one accord, finishing the task as assigned to us by our Lord. This is our hearts’ desire; this is our prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen!
We believe the Holy Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life.
We believe in the one, true and living God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in God and the Son, Jesus Christ, true God and true man, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross and shed His blood as an atonement for the sins of men, and was raised bodily from the dead. He ascended into heaven. He will return imminently and personally according to His promise.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead, who is of one substance, equal in power, and co-existent with the Father and the Son. His ministry is to convict men, to regenerate the believing sinners, and to indwell and empower the believers for godly living and service.
We believe that man was created in the image and the likeness of God, but in Adam all men have fallen into sin, and as sinners men are in need of God’s salvation.
We believe that penitent sinners are regenerated solely by God’s grace and justified through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
We believe that there shall be a bodily resurrection of the just to eternal life, and of the unjust to eternal punishment.
We believe that the church is one body, consisting of those regenerated by the Spirit of God, and of which Christ is the Head, expressing itself in worship, fellowship, evangelism, and service.
General Secretary
Rev. David DOONG
Secretary to General Secretary
Ms. Lucy WU
Administrator
Mr. Karl YANG
Vice Administrator
Mr. Philip WONG
Administration Assistant
Ms. Kam-Foon WONG
Administrator
Ms. Diana WANG
Event Coordinator
Ms. Serene CHANG
Project Specialist
Ms. Ariel CHEN
Podcast Producer
Mr. Thomas KUO
Editor
Ms. Alma LU
