By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC

Part 3 of 4 of my reflections at year 10:

Last month, several Seattle area pastors and leaders interacted with a mission team from Top Church, a Taiwan Covenant church in Taipei.  They came to Seattle to work with our church plant Seattle Chinese Covenant (Bellevue) as they hosted a Seattle-wide Chinese outreach and revival Fire Seattle 2023.  As you visit the link be sure to watch the 2-minute video that was the mission report the Top Church mission team used the Sunday after they were here.  For you non-Chinese speakers like me, soak it in and just know it ends in English! 

While in office, former president Gary Walter wrote an inspiring article about the history of the ECC’s work in China and Taiwan and what was current then in 2012 here.  As I read it, my heart quickens. We are blessed to have a long and beautiful retrospective of God’s faithfulness and intentionality there.  My heart quickens even more as see connections to what is happening right here, right now. 

God invited us to join his work in Taiwan as the Cultural Revolution attempted to push God out of China.  In 1985, there were 13 Covenant churches in Taiwan.  President Walter writes that “Progress was modest and fragile.  Taiwan was ‘rocky soil’ for the gospel, for many decades…”

Last month, when the Top Church mission team met with us at Encounter Church on Mercer Island, they celebrated that there are now over 60  Covenant churches.  They thanked us for our faithfulness in our mission work in Taiwan.  They explained their desire to be faithful and steward the blessings they had received.  They were so proud to share how God has been using them globally and now return the favor by sending their mission team back to the U.S/Seattle. 

From a recent Christianity Today article,

Whereas roughly a century ago 82 percent of the world’s Christians lived in Europe and North America, 70 percent now live in the Global South. Today, Africa is home to more Christians than any other continent. Latin America is not far behind, with Spanish now the most common language spoken by Christians globally (Costanzo, E, et al. 2023, May. “As the American Church Shrinks, Global Christianity Can Point the Way Forward”).

In fact, Africa is growing over 10 times faster, Asia 5 1/2 times and Latin America over 4 times faster than the U.S.  And the powerful experiences of God’s movement and work abroad is immigrating to the U.S. Just ask our Latino/a pastors.  Ask Pastor Bashu at Nepali Covenant in Kent.  Many experts believe that this is one of God’s provisions to the church in the U.S. 

I believe that our fourth test in the Covenant’s Six-Fold Test for Multi-ethnicity, “Pace Setting” stands as a good prompt for us here.

With additional perspectives, burdens, and gifts in our midst, what new ministry opportunities is the ECC now better positioned to strengthen and initiate?

As more and more immigrants come to the U.S. what can we learn from them?  How do we build new partnerships and become more proximate?  How do we posture ourselves to learn more from our Covenant global personnel and partners?  As we see war and global crises increasing, how can we learn from Christians in these places?  We need to not just learn from the global church, but we must be discipled and mentored by their leaders.  We must take the posture of a student.  We need to learn our Western limitations and challenges and stop pointing our decline on social issues or the pandemic. 

Experts note that a large part of the global church growth is within charismatic/pentecostal streams.  Certainly this is true for our sister churches in Taiwan.  Even here in the States, the Assemblies of God denomination is the only “major denomination that has seen consistently positive year over year growth over the last four decades…” (The Great Dechurching, Ryan Burge, et al).

One of the Covenant’s affirmation is our conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit.  I’ve been especially aware how often I live life and approach ministry unconscious about things of the Spirit.  At best it’s a footnote.  Though I know that Jesus said that the Spirit will come upon us with power, I often reflect low battery warnings.

As I think about being humble students of the global church, I am challenged to understand what it means to cry out to God?  What does it mean to be desperate for the Holy Spirit?  What is my conviction, posture, and practice of prayer and worship?  How uncomfortable am I willing to be?  Will I believe…

By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant, PacNWC

Confession. In over thirty years of ministry I have never been to a women’s retreat.  I have deftly avoided such gatherings, perhaps taking myself too seriously to be involved in that activity. I’m not sure why I felt that way.  Perhaps it was the time women ministers were invited to a “teddy bear tea” and the men were invited to a session entitled “casting vision” that turned me sour to women’s events. Either way, my avoidance didn’t serve me and I did always feel like I was missing out on something.

This fall retreat September 22-24 at Cascade Camp and Conference Center, “Restoring the Foundations” was a life changer for me. I sat in the company of wise, fun, generous women. We shared stories and laughter and gracious space. It was beautiful to watch women reach across the tables to each other extending not only food but also friendship.

When I was asked to speak at the retreat I wondered what I could possibly have to say to a group of women gathered to renew, refresh and rejuvenate, when I myself struggle with staying in that liminal space of refreshment from time with Jesus Christ. And how could I speak to women about God restoring our foundations when mine feels so unstable at times.

And yet, God.  Three simple words. And yet, God.  God met with me in study and prayer. I was met in the prayer team of women who prayed God’s anointing over me. And I was met in the faces of those who responded to God’s call over their lives to seek and serve Him always.

Jo Wolfe, retreat director says, “It was a fantastic weekend!  Old friends coming back for the first time since COVID, 100 first timers, and those faithful regulars. Thank you to Ieshia, Jill and Lisa for bringing such fabulous messages.  And thank you to all of the volunteers who work throughout the year.  Already looking forward to next year!”

God moved mountains, restored essential foundations, broke down barriers and healed souls. Why I resisted being a part of such Holy Spirit blessed events in the past is beyond me. I have missed out.

Not this time. But God. God knew I needed this time with Him and the faithful who gathered. And I was truly blessed.

By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC

Fall blessings to you as kids go back to school and we enter cooler weather.  I hope that summer was filled with new adventures and a centering rest that has brightened your spirits.  Bring on The Big Dark! 

If you didn’t get a chance to read last month’s article please do so here.  It introduces this one.   I shared three stirrings I’ve had.  They are not comprehensive by any means, but it’s where my attention has been for us in this season.  As I launch in, I’ve decided that I will address one at a time starting with de-centering Sunday mornings. 

Studies vary, but reports say that 65-80% of churches are in decline.  About 10-20% are plateaued.  10-25% are growing.  Our 73 churches definitelyreflect these stats, probably closer to the 80% in decline compared with pre-pandemic levels.  

Many of our once-larger churches are needing to right-size as they find themselves in this 80%.  Others made necessary shifts.  Many of our churches are aging in place.  We’re seeing a notable increase in church closures.  “Build-it-and-they-will-come” approaches are fruitful in some of our churches, but overall it’s rapidly mis-focused.  Sunday mornings are increasingly challenging.  It seems we need to de-center it.  

So much of what we’ve known of church rhythms revolve around Sunday morning.  It’s been our core experience from which everything previously flowed.  I believe a reversal is needed where the core experiences of being part of church happens during the week. More intentional and intensive discipleship experiences are needed. Even though we are always fighting against schedules and the multiplicity of choices of what we give our best to, I believe that we need to raise expectations of our discipleship commitments.  More on this when I address doubling down on discipleship in December.  

With current challenges and such rapid changes, it’s tempting to be discouraged. It’s certainly disorienting.  When we talk with pastors and leaders there is no shortage of weighty matters.  But, I will say that despite all of this, at our core, there isn’t a decline in faithfulness or dare I say hopefulness.  I don’t see a decline in eagerness for Christ-likeness or being filled with the Holy Spirit or for God’s kingdom to be established here in the Pacific Northwest.  If anything, there is a greater desperation and longing for all of this!  There is a tension. 

I am drawn to the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) with the different distribution of venture capital among the servants: tall, grande and venti…Embraer 175, Boeing 737, 777…Mount Jefferson, Mount Hood, Mount Rainier.  Hopefully you got one of those PNW references – 1, 2 and 5 talents!

Many of our pre-Covid experiences were more likened to a 5-talent flow.  We stewarded that for the season that it was.  For many of us things clearly changed.   So we’ve returned back to the owner and now he is asking us to go back out.  But this time he’s asking us to steward 1 or 2.  And that’s okay.  That’s not failure.  That’s not incompetency. 

The parable did not rank the servants.  They were all equally tasked to take what they were given and to steward it with reckless abandon – to be all in.   The contrast was taking what was given and to be hesitant.  Playing it safe and mismanaging even the smallest amount given was harshly judged and tossed into the heaping piles of fiery garbage outside of the walls of the city!  We have what the owner gives us right now.  How are we using it? 

I’m just starting Cindy Lee’s, Our Unforming – De-Westernizing Spiritual Formation. It’s a good primer for helping us reflect on the beauty of other worldviews to complement our discipleship journey.  As part of this, she explains that for western-minded folks our journey is mostly oriented around a linear orientation fueled by production and progress.   Even when we experience hardships, we tend to see it as part of our steps towards a destination of perfection.  The target is up and to the right. With the parable, we might be quick to say, “Oh, we had 5 talents and now we only have 1.  We must not have been ‘good and faithful so shame on us we need to work harder.’” Perhaps, but perhaps that’s too western. 

Lee contrasts this through her own experience as an Asian American.  Asian cultures think more cyclically.  Joy and hardship are close companions, and we go in and out of them in the cycles of life.   Similarly, Indigenous worldviews are tied to the seasons and to the cycles of nature. Cue up Lion King’s “The Circle of Life.”

Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles…No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content…Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new… Ecclesiastes 1:4-9 (NLT)

I’m trying to say, don’t be discouraged.  We may have had 5, but now we’re given at least 1.   We have exactly what God wants for us in venture capital.   We now need to discern what investing it with reckless abandon might look like.  How do we not bury or play it safe?

What would it look like if we de-centered Sunday morning?  Pastors, what would happen if you spent much more of the venture capital on developing people and outreach rather than on sermons and liturgies?  What would change if you got out of your office more, walked your streets, invested in the leaders of your community, schools, and towns?  What would happen if you didn’t settle for luke-warm faith?  Contrary to popular concerns about people’s time, what would happen if we actually called people to greater commitments and raise the bar of what it means to follow Jesus?  What if people started to drop their nets?

Lay leaders, what would it looks like if you spent more of that venture capital on the church’s connections and investments in the well-being of your community?  What would happen if you grew more generous and hospitable and opened up your building more, built greater community partnerships and encouraged new ministry opportunities including incubating church plants?  What if you didn’t staff for Sundays?  What do you need to let go of?  How are you playing it too safe?  What if you freed up those reserve funds? What if you prioritized prayer together and regularly fasted?  

Please don’t hear me saying that I think corporate worship is unimportant.  I’m not saying that we should cancel Sunday services.   I’m saying we need to think differently.   I’m saying that if we continue to do what we’ve always done we’ll continue to get what we’ve been getting – 80%.  The glory days are fading.  Something new is emerging. 

I believe that as we pour more attention and invest more of our time and attention on what we’re doing during week in outreach and discipleship, that a new revised and revived Sunday will naturally emerge.  I don’t think it’s going to happen the other way around. We will move away from being Sunday Christians to actual followers of Christ. 

Do you agree?  Disagree?  I’d love to hear more about what your church is experiencing especially if you’re already moving in this direction?