Shifting Into High Gear

The ultimate goal of church-planting efforts by missionaries must be to transfer ownership into the hands of local leaders. While local people may admire the missionaries and their efforts to learn the language and culture, missionary leaders are still foreigners. When capable leaders arise, local people more readily identify with them, and the church plant enters into a more efficient phase. ABWE's work in Hong Kong over the past 50 years is a case in point.

First Gear (1951-1975): Missionaries Lay the Foundation

In ABWE's early years, missionaries led church planting in Hong Kong. After 25 years of hard work, eight works existed. During this period, missionaries often pastored churches for 10 years or more before transferring leadership to a local pastor. Since the economic situation in Hong Kong was poor and salaries for people in vocational Christian ministry were low, it was difficult to find capable local leaders. Because ABWE did not begin work in Hong Kong until 1951, this foundational period was necessary. But to continue this way indefinitely would not have been wise.

Second Gear (1975-1990): Missionaries and Local Churches in Partnership

By 1975, a small group of local leaders began to emerge. The churches also benefited from several ethnic Chinese pastors emigrating to Hong Kong from Vietnam. While some missionaries still established congregations alone, the predominant church planting mode to partner with existing church leaders. Six new churches started this way.

Churches established through partnerships grew to maturity more quickly than those started by missionaries alone. A partnership church usually became independent in five years, mainly because of having a local leader from its very inception.

High Gear (1990-): Local Churches Launch a Church-planting Movement

During the past 25 years, one established church has started six daughter churches and has two granddaughter churches. All told, 12 of ABWE-Hong Kong's 30 existing churches (40%) have been established without any missionary participation whatsoever.

The vision of the Hong Kong churches now extends beyond their own territory. An ongoing ministry has been established in a Chinese community in north Thailand. The ABWE (Hong Kong) Fellowship of Churches has sent missionaries to the South Pacific and Africa, and now desires to start its own foreign mission board.