BONDANG, South Korea – Around 300 missionaries, leading missiologists, and denominational leaders met to discuss future strategies for Chinese missions during a recent conference held in South Korea.
The three-day "China Mission 2007" conference, which was hosted by the China Mission Association, was held last week under the theme "Rise, China Churches”.
"God's great hope is in China," said the Rev Thomas Wang, a prominent Chinese evangelical leader, at the conference’s opening ceremony last Monday. "We will be able to learn about effective China mission through this event."
Wang added that "Korea is the greatest mission country in Asia", and if the Chinese church is to “gain victory, it is through unity of Korean and Chinese churches".
Emphasising the shared heritage of Korean and Chinese Christians, honorary-speaker Linz Ping mentioned that the first Western missionary to Korea was actually planning to go to China, but instead went to Korea upon the request of Robert Morrison, the first Christian Protestant missionary in China.
International Unity
Throughout the conference, speakers emphasised the need for Christians of both nations to learn from one another.
Wang urged the Korean church to widen its understanding of Chinese history as well as to learn the difference between house churches and the government-controlled Three-Self Church.
The evangelist also reminded the audience that the ultimate goal of Chinese mission is not only to bring the gospel to China, but to engage Chinese missionaries and Chinese churches for world missions.
"As the country with the fastest growth rate of Christians, China will continue to grow under foundation of numerous martyrs whom have spilled their blood throughout the past,” said the Rev Kim Seung-sahm, Secretary General of the Korea World Missions Association (KWMA).
Security was tight throughout the conference as many of the attendants were members of the “underground” church in China.
The main meeting area was tightly-monitored, and only people issued with a nametag and photo ID were allowed entrance. Recording equipment including cameras and camcorders were strictly prohibited.
