Dear CCCOWE family, peace be with you!
This May, while serving in Southeast Asia, I learned that my 12-year-old son was hospitalized with pneumonia in Taiwan. As a father, it pained me deeply that I couldn’t be there by his side during this difficult time. I also felt guilty for not being able to support my wife, who was taking care of both our sons alone. We naturally want to give the best to those we care about, but what truly is “the best”?
Succession Crisis
Across my ministry travels around the world, I’ve observed a common challenge facing churches: succession. When we think about passing the baton to the next generation of church leaders, we often focus on the wrong things. We emphasize the handover of positions, the transition of ministries, and the allocation of resources.
However, the most crucial aspect of succession is not any of these. It’s about passing on an unwavering “faith in Christ” and an unwavering dedication to fulfilling the “Church’s mission.”
This past May, I witnessed a powerful example of a church that embodies this principle. Instead of being bound by tradition, they prioritize their mission. The GII Church in Bandung, Indonesia, with a rich history spanning over a century, deeply moved me. I visited three of their locations, each drawing over a thousand worshippers on Sundays. The mother church reflects a traditional style, with formal and reverent services. GII Setrasari, established a decade ago, focuses on serving young families. They’ve designed their space to be welcoming and collaborative, allowing young professionals to work and connect. Their children’s ministry area is also intentionally designed to be family-friendly. Cornerstone, a church plant established six years ago, serves a congregation of two thousand with a team of only four full-time pastors. They achieve this by embracing and living out the belief that the “priesthood of all believers.” Furthermore, they open their main sanctuary during the week to church-approved organizations and businesses, hosting a variety of events and integrating seamlessly with the surrounding community.
One Church, Same Mission, Different Locations, Diverse Expressions
（According to the photo order：GII Mother Church Main Hall, GII Setrasari Children’s Hall, Cornerstone Main Hall）
How do we keep young people engaged in church?
The questions I encounter most frequently in my travels are: “How do we keep young people engaged in church?” or “What are the faith questions that matter most to young people?” Frankly, I don’t have all the answers. However, based on my interactions with many young people and various research studies, it’s become clear that today’s youth are not primarily preoccupied with matters of “faith.” Instead, their concerns lie squarely in the realm of the “real world.”
You might then ask, “Does this mean they’re not interested in the Gospel?” I’m suggesting that perhaps we’ve inadvertently narrowed down the “real-world relevance” of the Gospel, confining it to mere “religious belief.” This limited perspective fails to resonate with young people.
Three years ago, I participated in a study listening to the voices of young Christian leaders across ten regions in East, Southeast, and South Asia. The study revealed that these young Christians grappled with challenges such as the impact of liberalism and secularism, concerns about social justice, navigating religious and social diversity, a yearning for belonging and authenticity, mental health issues, and the negative effects of internal church conflicts. Similarly, the Barna Group’s research on “The Connected Generation” highlights that young people globally, regardless of their faith background, are deeply concerned about issues like political corruption, environmental degradation, and poverty. This generation longs to be “contributors,” not just “consumers.”
In light of this new era and generation, the Church needs to go beyond simply adopting new programs and methods for evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. We must return to the expansive vision of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. This requires a continual renewal of our minds and a shift in our paradigms.
Crowe's Vision and Ministry
In response to today’s challenges, CCCOWE focuses on three ministry principles to serve the churches:
(1) Building partnerships based on friendship and trust,
(2) Navigating uncertainty and change with diverse approaches, and
(3) Encouraging innovation through cross-disciplinary dialogue. Some representative ministries include
1. Regional and Thematic Summits (gathering and connecting key leaders, building friendships and trust): Over the past two years, we have held two “Future Church” Summits and one Mission Summit in different parts of the world, facilitating cross-denominational and cross-congregational interactions and collaborations. In the coming two years, various CCCOWE regional committees will be hosting summits in Europe and Australia.
“Thank you for the inspiration you’ve given us. Future Church conference is a gathering that inspires us to initiate the first Malaysia Interdenominational Young Leaders’ Roundtable in Malaysia, where for the first time we’ve come together not just for ministry collaboration, but for genuine fellowship and connection. What truly matters is our journey—to authentically engage with one another and build meaningful friendships.”
Co-organizer of Malaysia Interdenominational Young Leaders’ Roundtable, Pastor Jing Xian Tung
2. “Missional Discipleship” Podcast (presenting diverse approaches, generating new insights through dialogue): Each week, we interview global Chinese Christian leaders, scholars, and missionaries to share insights, with an average of 3,000 listeners per episode. The podcast has accumulated 520,000 hours of listening time, reaching audiences across five continents, becoming a valuable resource for Christian leaders and church workers to continue learning and growing.
“The ‘Missional Discipleship’ podcast has truly broadened our spiritual horizons. It’s been eye-opening to learn about the diverse expressions of church around the world. Each episode is a delight to listen to, sparking new thoughts and expanding our perspectives.”
“We’ve incorporated the ‘Missional Discipleship’ podcast into our staff training. Each week, our team listens to an episode and then we have a time of discussion and reflection. We’ve also integrated the podcast into the curriculum for retreats we hold for full-time pastors from across our church network.”.
A pastor in a Creative Access region
3. “Missional discipleship @ workplace” Initiative (inviting experts and leaders from different fields to enhance mutual understanding and foster collaboration): Regular roundtable meetings are held, inviting church, mission, and workplace leaders and theologians to explore how to equip Christians in the workplace for the mission. This year, in partnership with Campus Evangelical Fellowship Press, we published 《Missional Discipleship @ Workplace》, producing practical resources for global Chinese churches.
“This book elevates the traditional understanding of workplace theology to a new level, aligning it with contemporary evangelical thought on the “whole Gospel.” It emphasizes the interconnectedness of personal salvation, social transformation, and the renewal of systems. Furthermore, it bridges the gap between discipleship and missions.”
Rev. Dr. Benedict Kwok, Vice President, Alliance Bible Seminary
4. 2026 CCOWE Congress: The theme of the coming CCOWE Congress is “Ear of the Era.” “Ear of the Ear” emphasizes discerning God’s work in our time. Listening ears also remind us to be open to God, His church, and the created world, participating in His work in our time.
Invitation to Partnership
By God’s grace, CCCOWE’s ministry in recent years has fostered connections among key leaders from various regions, leading to numerous collaborative mission and evangelism initiatives. In addition to producing podcasts, annual publications, and books, and hosting regional summits, we are planning several theme-based summits in the coming years, focusing on youth ministry, marketplace ministry, and theological education. We are also actively preparing for the 10th CCCOWE Congress in 2026. These endeavors are crucial for global evangelism and spiritual renewal, and we invite you to participate and support us.
We sincerely invite you to partner with CCCOWE through your generous giving. Our fundraising goal for this year is $1 million USD: $500,000 will sustain our regular annual ministries, and the remaining $500,000 will support the 10th CCOWE Congress in 2026. These funds will be vital in providing subsidies for leaders from under-resourced regions and young leaders to attend. We encourage you to prayerfully consider making a recurring annual donation to support CCCOWE’s ongoing work and a one-time gift towards the 10th CCOWE Congress.
When we offer what we have to God, He multiplies it beyond our imagination, blessing countless lives through our generosity. We believe that your giving will empower leaders within global Chinese churches, fostering meaningful collaborations, renewal, and a unified commitment to world missions. You can contribute via the following link: https://cccowe.org/give or scan the QR code at the bottom right of this page
Your brother in Christ
Rev. David Doong,
General Secretary of the CCCOWE
