233
CHAPTER SEVEN
CONCLUSION: TO BE A NEW CREATION
This project has made clear its purpose and main theme from the very beginning. The writer stated his assumption that “Mission can cause social transformation” in Chapter One. He also indicated three hypotheses: 1.) Effective ministry and mission could revive the declining rural churches. Missiology has an important influence on the rural churches (e.g. to rebuild the self-understanding of rural churches, to reform the missionary attitude, and to renew the vision and commitment of the congregation). 2.) Proper missionary activities could transform the social roles and functions of the rural churches. Through new incarnated ministries the rural churches can reform their social roles and functions. 3.) Through the incarnated ministries, the rural churches can participate in God’s mission and the realization of God’s kingdom. The blessing of the Kingdom of God could bring social transformation (especially spiritual and cultural transformation) to Taiwanese Christians.
In order to describe the Taiwanese social context, the writer indicated the specific ecology of three different geographic categories and one case study in the Chapter Two. The specific ecologies of three different geographic categories are as follows: the social phenomenon of Taiwan, the specific phenomenon of the Taiwanese rural society, and the specific situation and phenomenon of the Taiwanese rural church. Moreover, the case study relates the specific experience and ministry of Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church.
234
The conviction of this project is that “The Mission for Social Transformation” is based on the spirit of the Kingdom of God. The promise of the Kingdom of God is the theological foundation of this project. Therefore, the writer offered his review of the theology of the Kingdom of God in Chapter Three of this project. Those sections include: a biblical perspective on the Kingdom of God; a Reformed perspective— different historical and contemporary interpretations; an integrated understanding of the Kingdom of God; and a practical theology of the Kingdom of God in Taiwanese context. All these perspectives are integrated and become the foundation of the missional projects of this project.
Moreover, the writer offered some theological perspectives and social theories of development in Chapter Four. In so doing, the chapter addressed: 1.) Missiology and Social Transformation; 2.) Human-Development and Social Development; 3.) Organizing People for Social Action; and 4.) Making Disciples for Social Transformation.
Furthermore, the writer based his practical projects of this project on four theological perspectives. Those are: 1.) Mission for Social Transformation: Based on the Theology of the Kingdom of God; 2.) Empowerment of the Church and Congregation; 3.) Cooperative Mission: Reconstructing the Relationships of Local Churches; and 4.) Holistic Mission: Both Grassroots and Ecumenical. Moreover, the writer described in detail three practical projects. Those are: 1.) The New Paradigm ERMI of Taiwan Rural Cooperative Mission to Empower the Regional Congregations, 2.) The Church Redevelopment Program (CRP) to Empower the Local Churches, and 3.) The Sustainable Human Growth and Development Program (SHGDP) to Empower the People.
In order to evaluate the effect and results of the practical projects, the writer interviewed community and congregational leaders. Those leaders included the clergy,
235
laypersons, and community leaders. He integrated their opinions into four categories in Chapter Six. They are: 1.) The Feasibility of the Project; 2.) Defects and Blind Spots of the Project; 3.) Difficulties in Implementation of the Project; and 4.) Theological Reflection and New Insights.
Finally, we have found that those churches involved in the practical projects were obviously experiencing change and growth, especially those churches of ERMI in Erlin area, which are being revived and empowered. Most of those churches became more powerful, creative, and enthusiastic and committed, regardless of mission or missiology. Therefore, we will indicate our conclusions here. There are three specific conclusions based on our theological reflection and evaluation of the practical projects.
(1) Taiwanese Churches need a Holistic Missiology: A holistic missiology can open the mind, mission and vision of the church. Otherwise, the lack of a holistic missiology will be an obstacle in church redevelopment.
(2) Taiwanese Churches need Practical and Feasible Mission Projects: Most of the churches are willing to do mission today, but many of them are hesitant to move forward because they lack practical paradigms and tactics.
(3) The Mission-Driven Church can bring about Social Transformation: The purpose of mission should not just be church growth and people’s baptism. More important, the mission of the Church is to realize of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, mission-driven churches can transform their communities by their mission and ministry.
Reconfirmation of Missiology: Taiwanese Churches
need a Holistic Missiology
Based on our theological reflection and practice of the practical projects, we
236
find that Taiwanese churches need a holistic missiology. A holistic missiology can open the mind, mission and vision of the church. Moreover, narrow eccelesiology and biased missiology will lead the church toward greater isolation or lead church members to pay attention to their own salvation alone.
What kind of missiology do Taiwanese churches need? Taiwanese churches need the missiology of the Kingdom of God and the ecclesiology of incarnation.
In an effort to realize the ideals of God's reign among the people of Taiwan, the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT), since its establishment in 1865 to the present, has manifested the strength of gospel renewal through evangelism, medicine, education, literature and all manner of social services. Therefore, PCT has her churches all over the nation.
But in recent years, because PCT congregations paid excessive attention to their own needs, the result was a neglect of outreach ministry. Finally, church development was stagnant, Christians were still the minority in Taiwanese society, and the church’s capacity to influence social transformation became more and more weak. We can say that the churches ignored their realization of the Gospel. No wonder Taiwanese find it hard to recognize the privilege of the Gospel and to know the incarnated God.
Taiwan became a developed and democratic country during these past few decades. As soon as the churches reflected on Taiwanese history, they discovered that many issues (political, social, ethnic, economic, ecological, and humanity) were concerned with justice and peace. Finally, they recognized that the promise of the Kingdom of God is a very pertinent Gospel for Taiwan.
Taking "the Kingdom of God" as PCT’s central theological motif and progressing from there to thoughts about mission marks its project as being in the spirit of the Reformed Church. In recent years, the PCT has emphasized the effort to
237
contextualize its mission while searching for ways to identify with the people and be rooted in this land. This New Taiwan Mission Project has adopted the theme "to actualize the Kingdom of God through building Koinonia,” because we recognized the need to participate in the development of community.
The Kingdom of God means that God is reigning in the hearts of women and men. To enter the kingdom means, “to make God King in one’s own soul and life.” Moreover, for Christians, God is also the King of all nations, all people, and all the creatures, which is why God will also present God’s divine action and reign in the world.
Therefore, we have reached the conclusion that Taiwan needs the incarnated church and the churches need to become incarnate in Taiwan.
Sharing the Gospel of the Incarnation
Taiwan needs the incarnated church
When the Jews cried for the Messiah, God sent His only son Jesus Christ who became flesh and dwell with God’s people. Moreover, when people cry for justice and peace today, God will raise up God’s incarnated churches to lead His people out of the shadows. The church is the first fruit, which God gives to the world, in order that people can taste the Gospel and the heavenly gifts. In an effort to realize the ideals of God's reign among the people of Taiwan, the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT) has manifested the strength of gospel renewal through evangelism, medicine, education, literature and all manners of social services. From the survey “TSCS”1 data of the Institute of Sociology Academia Sinica, we can hear the voices of Taiwanese today. We have reached the conclusion that Taiwan needs incarnated churches.
1Cf. Chapter Two of this project.
238
The churches need to incarnate in Taiwan
The churches need to be incarnated in Taiwan. Jesus Christ is the blessing of incarnation from God. The churches are the followers and the body of Christ; they should also be the incarnated churches of their Lord Jesus. When the churches commit themselves to Christ and live as the people of God, they need to also act as the incarnate God, the incarnate actions being the dynamic response to God’s reign. Moreover, through the incarnate actions they share and witness to the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the incarnation should be the mission of all disciples and all Christians.
Finally, when we reflect on the theology of incarnation, we should mention these convictions: 1.) Jesus is the Emmanuel God. So the churches of Jesus need to be incarnate with the people. 2.) As an incarnated church, the church needs to live as God’s living Words. God’s Words are truth, justice, peace and love. 3.) The incarnated church is the practitioner of the great commandment, love the neighbor and love God. 4.) The incarnated church is the seed of the Kingdom of God. When the church sows the seed today, then she will harvest the fruits of social transformation in the future.
To Be the Servant of God’s Kingdom
To realize the Kingdom of God is the mission of the church. A theology of the Kingdom of God is flourishing. The writer indicated a full and accurate theological overview of the Kingdom of God in Chapter Three. At the conclusion, we can reconfirm that the Kingdom of God is the promise of God to all people and all nations. The kingdom is God’s kingly rule. Whether expressed as justice in the world and society, harmony of spirituality, or the eternal world of souls, all is under the reign of God and there the Kingdom is present. Moreover, this promise is similar to the ideal
239
world, which people wish to see. This promise always represents the treasured Gospel.
Reflecting on the role of the servant of God, we suggest that churches need to know themselves as servants of the Kingdom of God. The churches need to recognize that they are servants of God, sent into to the world, and to serve the world as to God. The churches need to proclaim the promise of God’s kingdom and share the Gospel of the kingdom. At the same time, we recognize that we are not the builders of the kingdom; it is God who gives it. Our task is to witness to the presence of the kingdom, to make it felt by our concern “for justice, peace, and joy” where we live and work, and to challenge every human society to restructure itself according to the kingdom’s principles.2
Taiwanese Churches need the Practical and Feasible Projects of Mission
PCT, with 1218 congregations all over the nation, is a potential denomination that can promote social transformation. Besides that, PCT has her mutual church organizations and administration. But many congregations of PCT have ignored outreach ministry, therefore, their church growth has become stagnated.
The writer indicated in his research some of the difficulties and crises facing Taiwanese rural churches in Chapter Two. And then he addressed feasible and practical projects of Taiwanese rural mission in Chapter Five.
Moreover, when PCT promoted the CRP conferences, conference participants inspired the churches. Based on the expectation of those attendants the churches reached the conclusion that Taiwanese churches need to engage in practical and feasible mission projects. In conclusion, we affirm the significance of the projects
2Fuellenbach, 206.
240
carried out as part of this DMin project.
Transforming Congregation for the Future: Church Redevelopment Program
Based on our observations concerning the unique experiences and tasks of Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church (see Chapter Two), we believe this mission paradigm is quite helpful and inspiring to other Taiwanese rural churches. We find that even though the church growth of Tek-Tung church is not very fast, it is based on a careful strategy and is purpose-driven. This church has grown from 17 persons in Sunday worship in 1988 to 92 persons in 2005. Moreover, Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church has become younger (with an average age of 32 years old), active, creative and faithful. She is very different from other Taiwanese rural churches.
The revival of Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church was caused by three strategies, rooted in the spiritual, missionary, and visionary renewal. During the seventeen years, Tek-Tung church has gone through three stages of church redevelopment: 1.) 1988~1989: Promote Church Revival and Redevelopment; 2.) 1990~2005: Empower Congregation for the Future; and 3.) 1997~2005: Outreach Ministry and Mission.
Most Taiwanese Presbyterian churches are small congregations of 80 members or less. As a congregation of less than 80 members, it is very difficult to promote a powerful mission for the community. The basic questions for those congregations, which are also suffering from low esteem, are how to become a powerful congregation and how to bind together small congregations into a larger congregation. Empowerment is a very important task of Taiwanese mission.
We find that the wonderful experience and strategy of Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church are identical with the CRP projects. Finally, we conclude that “Transforming
241
Congregation for the Future” is an important strategy.3
Koinonia—Cooperative Ministry: Sustain and Share
As we have seen from our sketch of the Taiwanese rural churches, they are plagued by “small size, suffering from low esteem, and isolation.” Cooperative mission has become a very important and helpful way to empower the rural churches. Cooperative mission makes the individual churches become one body of Christ. Moreover, it can transform the relationship of the local churches by doing mission together (both the ministers and congregations) by moving from the separate-relationship to united-relationship, from mono-relationship to sharing-relationship, and from solo-relationship to cooperative-relationship. The most wonderful result of “the cooperative mission” is transforming the solo churches into one integrated area church.
There is a wonderful paradigm of Taiwanese cooperative mission, Erlin Rural Mission Project, which was started by seven local congregations in 1995. ERMI is a wonderful paradigm and strategy for team ministry. Through this experience, ERMI wants to encourage Taiwanese rural churches to do mission together, to work together, and to sustain and share with each other.
Empower the People: Social Transformation for Peace and Justice
There was a rich discussion about the task of empowering the church in the Chapter Four of this project. The concept of “Empower the congregation” is coming from the theological reflection on “Making Disciples.” There are some practical paradigms of empowerment, such as “education, organizing, and development,” which provided the theories for the practical projects. This project described the projects of “Empower the Regional Congregation” in Chapter Five.
3See Appendix I.
242
An important concern for the church remains: how her mission can empower these people today. Some very powerful Life Education programs have already been carried out in Taiwan during the past several years through the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan and the Champions program led by Steven Wayne Long since 1992. The assumption of this project is that if most of the churches widely promoted these programs and made long-term commitments to those children and their families, they could help to transform society and bring drastic changes in people’s daily lives. Based on this assumption is the lingering concern about the most effective means by which to promote Life Education ministries in the local churches.
We also inspired some churches that were already committing themselves to do the mission of Sustainable Human Growth and Development Program. Finally we strongly suggest that all the churches try to participate in the mission of SHGDP.
The Mission-Driven Church Can Bring About the Social Transformation
The promise of the Kingdom of God is the theological foundation of this project. It is the conviction of this project that “The Mission for Social Transformation” is based on the spirit of the Kingdom of God. There are several theological perspectives taken from Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God. He emphasized that: “God has dominion over all creatures (both Christian and the world)” and “the kingdom is a new world (both inner spirituality and the external world) under a new order.” What people have sought after is the blessing of the Kingdom of God, a new heaven and a new earth.4 The Kingdom of God is both “making changes in the external, political order of things,” and also “making changes in the spiritual order and in the lives of men and women.”5
4Revelation 21:1.
5Cf. Ladd.
243
Moreover, it is the conviction of this project that the realization of “thy Kingdom Come” will not be through the ministries and activities of the church. Instead, I believe that when Jesus taught his disciples to pray for the coming of the kingdom, he was inviting them to react and actualize the Kingdom of God.
Today’s church has a lesson to learn about doing theological reflections based on the Bible and church history so that she can have a whole and correct understanding of what it means to be the body of Christ. The church is a fellowship that has been called out as well as a group of people who have been sent into the world. There needs to be more reflection on Jesus’ expectation for today’s church, one that would enable the church to play a better part in her role and mission and to bring out the best suited function for her. With this in mind, at the end of 1985, the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan drafted a contextualized creed after careful theological reflection. The statement on ecclesiology declares the following: We believe the Church is the ecumenical fellowship of the people of God, called to proclaim salvation in Jesus Christ, to be messengers of peace, to root down locally, to identify with all the residents, and to become a sign of hope through love and suffering.6
To Be A Creative Minority
We know that mission is Missio Dei, the mission of God. Finally, we want to share our great joy of ERMI with all the rural churches. The ERMI churches have experienced transformation in God’s grace. They found that they could be a small church with creative strength. We have to confess our experience, which is, “There is no small church in God’s hand.” We cannot divide the churches into big or small. Perhaps a more helpful distinction is the church with life or the church without life. We want to invite those churches that wish to be
6Adapted from the Creed of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, November 1985.
244
transformed, to be a creative minority.
To Be A New Creation
Finally, I have to reconfirm my conviction of Mission for Social Transformation, that the mission church can revive and society can be transformed. As the biblical mandate calls the “Church and the World to be a New Creation,” and as evidenced by changes in the Tek-Tung church and ERMI churches, we can see the sign of church revival just like the new bud on the branch in springtime. As Paul said, “Therefore, if any one be in Christ, he is a new creature: The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”7 Therefore, we believe that “Mission can bring about the transformation of church and society.” This transformation brings new life, new things, and new order.
72 Corinthians 5:17.
CHAPTER SEVEN
CONCLUSION: TO BE A NEW CREATION
This project has made clear its purpose and main theme from the very beginning. The writer stated his assumption that “Mission can cause social transformation” in Chapter One. He also indicated three hypotheses: 1.) Effective ministry and mission could revive the declining rural churches. Missiology has an important influence on the rural churches (e.g. to rebuild the self-understanding of rural churches, to reform the missionary attitude, and to renew the vision and commitment of the congregation). 2.) Proper missionary activities could transform the social roles and functions of the rural churches. Through new incarnated ministries the rural churches can reform their social roles and functions. 3.) Through the incarnated ministries, the rural churches can participate in God’s mission and the realization of God’s kingdom. The blessing of the Kingdom of God could bring social transformation (especially spiritual and cultural transformation) to Taiwanese Christians.
In order to describe the Taiwanese social context, the writer indicated the specific ecology of three different geographic categories and one case study in the Chapter Two. The specific ecologies of three different geographic categories are as follows: the social phenomenon of Taiwan, the specific phenomenon of the Taiwanese rural society, and the specific situation and phenomenon of the Taiwanese rural church. Moreover, the case study relates the specific experience and ministry of Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church.
234
The conviction of this project is that “The Mission for Social Transformation” is based on the spirit of the Kingdom of God. The promise of the Kingdom of God is the theological foundation of this project. Therefore, the writer offered his review of the theology of the Kingdom of God in Chapter Three of this project. Those sections include: a biblical perspective on the Kingdom of God; a Reformed perspective— different historical and contemporary interpretations; an integrated understanding of the Kingdom of God; and a practical theology of the Kingdom of God in Taiwanese context. All these perspectives are integrated and become the foundation of the missional projects of this project.
Moreover, the writer offered some theological perspectives and social theories of development in Chapter Four. In so doing, the chapter addressed: 1.) Missiology and Social Transformation; 2.) Human-Development and Social Development; 3.) Organizing People for Social Action; and 4.) Making Disciples for Social Transformation.
Furthermore, the writer based his practical projects of this project on four theological perspectives. Those are: 1.) Mission for Social Transformation: Based on the Theology of the Kingdom of God; 2.) Empowerment of the Church and Congregation; 3.) Cooperative Mission: Reconstructing the Relationships of Local Churches; and 4.) Holistic Mission: Both Grassroots and Ecumenical. Moreover, the writer described in detail three practical projects. Those are: 1.) The New Paradigm ERMI of Taiwan Rural Cooperative Mission to Empower the Regional Congregations, 2.) The Church Redevelopment Program (CRP) to Empower the Local Churches, and 3.) The Sustainable Human Growth and Development Program (SHGDP) to Empower the People.
In order to evaluate the effect and results of the practical projects, the writer interviewed community and congregational leaders. Those leaders included the clergy,
235
laypersons, and community leaders. He integrated their opinions into four categories in Chapter Six. They are: 1.) The Feasibility of the Project; 2.) Defects and Blind Spots of the Project; 3.) Difficulties in Implementation of the Project; and 4.) Theological Reflection and New Insights.
Finally, we have found that those churches involved in the practical projects were obviously experiencing change and growth, especially those churches of ERMI in Erlin area, which are being revived and empowered. Most of those churches became more powerful, creative, and enthusiastic and committed, regardless of mission or missiology. Therefore, we will indicate our conclusions here. There are three specific conclusions based on our theological reflection and evaluation of the practical projects.
(1) Taiwanese Churches need a Holistic Missiology: A holistic missiology can open the mind, mission and vision of the church. Otherwise, the lack of a holistic missiology will be an obstacle in church redevelopment.
(2) Taiwanese Churches need Practical and Feasible Mission Projects: Most of the churches are willing to do mission today, but many of them are hesitant to move forward because they lack practical paradigms and tactics.
(3) The Mission-Driven Church can bring about Social Transformation: The purpose of mission should not just be church growth and people’s baptism. More important, the mission of the Church is to realize of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, mission-driven churches can transform their communities by their mission and ministry.
Reconfirmation of Missiology: Taiwanese Churches
need a Holistic Missiology
Based on our theological reflection and practice of the practical projects, we
236
find that Taiwanese churches need a holistic missiology. A holistic missiology can open the mind, mission and vision of the church. Moreover, narrow eccelesiology and biased missiology will lead the church toward greater isolation or lead church members to pay attention to their own salvation alone.
What kind of missiology do Taiwanese churches need? Taiwanese churches need the missiology of the Kingdom of God and the ecclesiology of incarnation.
In an effort to realize the ideals of God's reign among the people of Taiwan, the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT), since its establishment in 1865 to the present, has manifested the strength of gospel renewal through evangelism, medicine, education, literature and all manner of social services. Therefore, PCT has her churches all over the nation.
But in recent years, because PCT congregations paid excessive attention to their own needs, the result was a neglect of outreach ministry. Finally, church development was stagnant, Christians were still the minority in Taiwanese society, and the church’s capacity to influence social transformation became more and more weak. We can say that the churches ignored their realization of the Gospel. No wonder Taiwanese find it hard to recognize the privilege of the Gospel and to know the incarnated God.
Taiwan became a developed and democratic country during these past few decades. As soon as the churches reflected on Taiwanese history, they discovered that many issues (political, social, ethnic, economic, ecological, and humanity) were concerned with justice and peace. Finally, they recognized that the promise of the Kingdom of God is a very pertinent Gospel for Taiwan.
Taking "the Kingdom of God" as PCT’s central theological motif and progressing from there to thoughts about mission marks its project as being in the spirit of the Reformed Church. In recent years, the PCT has emphasized the effort to
237
contextualize its mission while searching for ways to identify with the people and be rooted in this land. This New Taiwan Mission Project has adopted the theme "to actualize the Kingdom of God through building Koinonia,” because we recognized the need to participate in the development of community.
The Kingdom of God means that God is reigning in the hearts of women and men. To enter the kingdom means, “to make God King in one’s own soul and life.” Moreover, for Christians, God is also the King of all nations, all people, and all the creatures, which is why God will also present God’s divine action and reign in the world.
Therefore, we have reached the conclusion that Taiwan needs the incarnated church and the churches need to become incarnate in Taiwan.
Sharing the Gospel of the Incarnation
Taiwan needs the incarnated church
When the Jews cried for the Messiah, God sent His only son Jesus Christ who became flesh and dwell with God’s people. Moreover, when people cry for justice and peace today, God will raise up God’s incarnated churches to lead His people out of the shadows. The church is the first fruit, which God gives to the world, in order that people can taste the Gospel and the heavenly gifts. In an effort to realize the ideals of God's reign among the people of Taiwan, the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT) has manifested the strength of gospel renewal through evangelism, medicine, education, literature and all manners of social services. From the survey “TSCS”1 data of the Institute of Sociology Academia Sinica, we can hear the voices of Taiwanese today. We have reached the conclusion that Taiwan needs incarnated churches.
1Cf. Chapter Two of this project.
238
The churches need to incarnate in Taiwan
The churches need to be incarnated in Taiwan. Jesus Christ is the blessing of incarnation from God. The churches are the followers and the body of Christ; they should also be the incarnated churches of their Lord Jesus. When the churches commit themselves to Christ and live as the people of God, they need to also act as the incarnate God, the incarnate actions being the dynamic response to God’s reign. Moreover, through the incarnate actions they share and witness to the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the incarnation should be the mission of all disciples and all Christians.
Finally, when we reflect on the theology of incarnation, we should mention these convictions: 1.) Jesus is the Emmanuel God. So the churches of Jesus need to be incarnate with the people. 2.) As an incarnated church, the church needs to live as God’s living Words. God’s Words are truth, justice, peace and love. 3.) The incarnated church is the practitioner of the great commandment, love the neighbor and love God. 4.) The incarnated church is the seed of the Kingdom of God. When the church sows the seed today, then she will harvest the fruits of social transformation in the future.
To Be the Servant of God’s Kingdom
To realize the Kingdom of God is the mission of the church. A theology of the Kingdom of God is flourishing. The writer indicated a full and accurate theological overview of the Kingdom of God in Chapter Three. At the conclusion, we can reconfirm that the Kingdom of God is the promise of God to all people and all nations. The kingdom is God’s kingly rule. Whether expressed as justice in the world and society, harmony of spirituality, or the eternal world of souls, all is under the reign of God and there the Kingdom is present. Moreover, this promise is similar to the ideal
239
world, which people wish to see. This promise always represents the treasured Gospel.
Reflecting on the role of the servant of God, we suggest that churches need to know themselves as servants of the Kingdom of God. The churches need to recognize that they are servants of God, sent into to the world, and to serve the world as to God. The churches need to proclaim the promise of God’s kingdom and share the Gospel of the kingdom. At the same time, we recognize that we are not the builders of the kingdom; it is God who gives it. Our task is to witness to the presence of the kingdom, to make it felt by our concern “for justice, peace, and joy” where we live and work, and to challenge every human society to restructure itself according to the kingdom’s principles.2
Taiwanese Churches need the Practical and Feasible Projects of Mission
PCT, with 1218 congregations all over the nation, is a potential denomination that can promote social transformation. Besides that, PCT has her mutual church organizations and administration. But many congregations of PCT have ignored outreach ministry, therefore, their church growth has become stagnated.
The writer indicated in his research some of the difficulties and crises facing Taiwanese rural churches in Chapter Two. And then he addressed feasible and practical projects of Taiwanese rural mission in Chapter Five.
Moreover, when PCT promoted the CRP conferences, conference participants inspired the churches. Based on the expectation of those attendants the churches reached the conclusion that Taiwanese churches need to engage in practical and feasible mission projects. In conclusion, we affirm the significance of the projects
2Fuellenbach, 206.
240
carried out as part of this DMin project.
Transforming Congregation for the Future: Church Redevelopment Program
Based on our observations concerning the unique experiences and tasks of Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church (see Chapter Two), we believe this mission paradigm is quite helpful and inspiring to other Taiwanese rural churches. We find that even though the church growth of Tek-Tung church is not very fast, it is based on a careful strategy and is purpose-driven. This church has grown from 17 persons in Sunday worship in 1988 to 92 persons in 2005. Moreover, Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church has become younger (with an average age of 32 years old), active, creative and faithful. She is very different from other Taiwanese rural churches.
The revival of Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church was caused by three strategies, rooted in the spiritual, missionary, and visionary renewal. During the seventeen years, Tek-Tung church has gone through three stages of church redevelopment: 1.) 1988~1989: Promote Church Revival and Redevelopment; 2.) 1990~2005: Empower Congregation for the Future; and 3.) 1997~2005: Outreach Ministry and Mission.
Most Taiwanese Presbyterian churches are small congregations of 80 members or less. As a congregation of less than 80 members, it is very difficult to promote a powerful mission for the community. The basic questions for those congregations, which are also suffering from low esteem, are how to become a powerful congregation and how to bind together small congregations into a larger congregation. Empowerment is a very important task of Taiwanese mission.
We find that the wonderful experience and strategy of Tek-Tung Presbyterian Church are identical with the CRP projects. Finally, we conclude that “Transforming
241
Congregation for the Future” is an important strategy.3
Koinonia—Cooperative Ministry: Sustain and Share
As we have seen from our sketch of the Taiwanese rural churches, they are plagued by “small size, suffering from low esteem, and isolation.” Cooperative mission has become a very important and helpful way to empower the rural churches. Cooperative mission makes the individual churches become one body of Christ. Moreover, it can transform the relationship of the local churches by doing mission together (both the ministers and congregations) by moving from the separate-relationship to united-relationship, from mono-relationship to sharing-relationship, and from solo-relationship to cooperative-relationship. The most wonderful result of “the cooperative mission” is transforming the solo churches into one integrated area church.
There is a wonderful paradigm of Taiwanese cooperative mission, Erlin Rural Mission Project, which was started by seven local congregations in 1995. ERMI is a wonderful paradigm and strategy for team ministry. Through this experience, ERMI wants to encourage Taiwanese rural churches to do mission together, to work together, and to sustain and share with each other.
Empower the People: Social Transformation for Peace and Justice
There was a rich discussion about the task of empowering the church in the Chapter Four of this project. The concept of “Empower the congregation” is coming from the theological reflection on “Making Disciples.” There are some practical paradigms of empowerment, such as “education, organizing, and development,” which provided the theories for the practical projects. This project described the projects of “Empower the Regional Congregation” in Chapter Five.
3See Appendix I.
242
An important concern for the church remains: how her mission can empower these people today. Some very powerful Life Education programs have already been carried out in Taiwan during the past several years through the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan and the Champions program led by Steven Wayne Long since 1992. The assumption of this project is that if most of the churches widely promoted these programs and made long-term commitments to those children and their families, they could help to transform society and bring drastic changes in people’s daily lives. Based on this assumption is the lingering concern about the most effective means by which to promote Life Education ministries in the local churches.
We also inspired some churches that were already committing themselves to do the mission of Sustainable Human Growth and Development Program. Finally we strongly suggest that all the churches try to participate in the mission of SHGDP.
The Mission-Driven Church Can Bring About the Social Transformation
The promise of the Kingdom of God is the theological foundation of this project. It is the conviction of this project that “The Mission for Social Transformation” is based on the spirit of the Kingdom of God. There are several theological perspectives taken from Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God. He emphasized that: “God has dominion over all creatures (both Christian and the world)” and “the kingdom is a new world (both inner spirituality and the external world) under a new order.” What people have sought after is the blessing of the Kingdom of God, a new heaven and a new earth.4 The Kingdom of God is both “making changes in the external, political order of things,” and also “making changes in the spiritual order and in the lives of men and women.”5
4Revelation 21:1.
5Cf. Ladd.
243
Moreover, it is the conviction of this project that the realization of “thy Kingdom Come” will not be through the ministries and activities of the church. Instead, I believe that when Jesus taught his disciples to pray for the coming of the kingdom, he was inviting them to react and actualize the Kingdom of God.
Today’s church has a lesson to learn about doing theological reflections based on the Bible and church history so that she can have a whole and correct understanding of what it means to be the body of Christ. The church is a fellowship that has been called out as well as a group of people who have been sent into the world. There needs to be more reflection on Jesus’ expectation for today’s church, one that would enable the church to play a better part in her role and mission and to bring out the best suited function for her. With this in mind, at the end of 1985, the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan drafted a contextualized creed after careful theological reflection. The statement on ecclesiology declares the following: We believe the Church is the ecumenical fellowship of the people of God, called to proclaim salvation in Jesus Christ, to be messengers of peace, to root down locally, to identify with all the residents, and to become a sign of hope through love and suffering.6
To Be A Creative Minority
We know that mission is Missio Dei, the mission of God. Finally, we want to share our great joy of ERMI with all the rural churches. The ERMI churches have experienced transformation in God’s grace. They found that they could be a small church with creative strength. We have to confess our experience, which is, “There is no small church in God’s hand.” We cannot divide the churches into big or small. Perhaps a more helpful distinction is the church with life or the church without life. We want to invite those churches that wish to be
6Adapted from the Creed of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, November 1985.
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transformed, to be a creative minority.
To Be A New Creation
Finally, I have to reconfirm my conviction of Mission for Social Transformation, that the mission church can revive and society can be transformed. As the biblical mandate calls the “Church and the World to be a New Creation,” and as evidenced by changes in the Tek-Tung church and ERMI churches, we can see the sign of church revival just like the new bud on the branch in springtime. As Paul said, “Therefore, if any one be in Christ, he is a new creature: The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”7 Therefore, we believe that “Mission can bring about the transformation of church and society.” This transformation brings new life, new things, and new order.
72 Corinthians 5:17.
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