王以愛博士
天國視野 Kingdom Perspective
Volume 2, Number 5, September 2012
我們三一真神的使命在歷史中不斷地前進著，因為祂定意要恢復在人類墮落之前與祂的關係。藉由聖靈的差遣及所賦予的能力，基督徒為著神國度的擴展而對所有被造之人宣教。當今日的世界變得全球本地化，宣教也必須如此，我們需要抓住神放在家門口的宣教機會！本文將由我親身的經驗分享，如何在我們的社區實現全球本地化宣教，並克服障礙和挑戰，同時在文末列出幾個全球本化宣教的資源，供你參考。
如何。遠在宣教工場上的人們，現就住在我們的社區中，因此，教會宣教的方式，已經從傳統的海外宣教，轉變為全球本地化的宣教。當今的宣教，不僅是到海外去接觸失喪者，還要走出我們教堂建築物的四面牆，去接觸、邀請，和愛我們多元化社區中的人們。因此，我們首先要有的是從神的國度觀眼光，來看待我們的鄰舍。出於對愛神並愛人如己的誡命及為主作見證的服從，我們打破一切攔阻我們去愛和服侍鄰舍的障礙，並藉著處境化的方法，幫助未信主的鄰舍理解和經歷福音。因此，對於來自“群體文化”取向的人們，我們以群體的方法來接觸他們，在群體中提供被接納感、歸屬感、情感上的安全感、認同感和相互的扶持。
“我們首先要有的是從神的國度觀眼光，來看待我們的鄰舍。“
在這方面，藉由第五世紀聖派翠克斯所創的宣教模式所得到的啟發，我們成立一個由基督徒和非基督徒組成的團體。在這平臺中，非基督徒先是獲得被接納感及歸屬感，並與在這團體中的信徒一同做事和互動來親身經歷何為基督徒，然後在一段時間內肯定基督徒的信仰和對上帝有了信心後，願意接受主耶穌（三個步驟：歸屬，行為，相信）。像我一樣的移民基督徒，可以透過我們共有的移民經歷和跨文化技能，在這平臺中建立信任感和關係，為主作見證。這見證的方法首要的是我們的所是，然後是我們的所行。由於資源有限，我們可以與其他教會和宣教組織合作，以成為我們君王忠心和順服的管家。同時，我們禱告並信靠聖靈，在祂的時間裏結出果實來。
發展本地宣教的步驟。 1. 祈禱。 2. 研究社區人口統計。 3. 找出我們可以在何時何地定期接觸非基督徒。 4. 建立信任和關係。 5. 經常為他們禱告並與他們一起禱告。 6. 進行教會和社區調查。 7. 了解教會和社區的需求和可用資源的差異。 8. 選擇一個目標群體。 9. 建立一個基督徒和非基督徒混合的團體。 10. 讓非基督徒在團體中觀察和體驗我們所是和所行的見證。 11. 學會像基督徒一樣行事，然後願意相信主。 12. 成為基督的追隨者。
障礙和挑戰。當我們想到全球本地化宣教時，可能腦中會浮現跨文化事工的呼召、不自在、種族中心主義、恐懼、低效力和低效率、多元文化能力、屬靈的恩賜，以及其他障礙和挑戰。然而，全球本地化宣教，關乎的是我們內心和意願的順服，因為神已呼召我們作為祂的見證人。 （使徒行傳1:8）因此，不要讓我們的悖逆剛硬我們的心。
“全球本地化宣教，關乎的是我們內心和意願的順服。“
如何克服。 我們必須刻意的參與全球本地化的宣教，因為跨文化宣教常有違我們的人性，並且必須堅決的依靠聖靈，來幫助我們克服任何的障礙和挑戰。隨著世俗主義、理性主義和“啟蒙”的興起，聖靈在宣教中的角色和所做的工被輕忽了。身為完成主耶穌大使命的見證人，有著聖靈的差遣及一顆更新變化的心，遠比我們腦中所有的知識和手中所做的工更為重要。
通過聖靈所賦予的能力，我們打破了“我的人民”、“我的地方”、“我的計劃”和“我的舒適和快樂”的自我中心主義障礙，以國度的心態來服侍多元化社區裡的人們。全球本地化宣教是為了擴展祂的國度，因為我們接觸的人可能不會立即歸信基督，或在相信後參加我們的教會。因此，我們需要順服主，從以自我為中心的巴別塔上下來，因為我們所面對最大的障礙是自己。同時，我們的態度，不應該是讓人們成為歸信我們的人。
由於我們的鄰舍來自看重群居、整體和關係的“群體文化”背景，所以我們宣教的方法需要處境化以符合他們的文化。在全球本地化宣教中，我們不僅需要使用散聚宣教學來補充傳統的宣教學，也需要裝備我們的會友，在跨文化的處境中，成為與多族裔鄰舍建立關係的搭橋者。最重要的是，我們的動機必須是真誠的，因為沒有人喜歡被迫決志信主，或被視為一個工作項目或數字。此外，我們傳福音的方式和策略，也需要俱有適應性和彈性，因為我們所接觸的每個環境和人群都是不同的。這種宣教方式是要付上代價的。你願意為神國奉獻時間和精力，去愛周圍的人嗎？
“有著聖靈的差遣及 一顆更新變化的心，遠比我們腦中所有 的知識和手中所 做的工更為重要。“
結論。福音是關於神的國度，一個讓所有民族完全忠誠和順從地事奉祂的國度。教會中的每個人都需要明白神在全球層面所做的事情，並在本地的層面參與。當我們看到失喪的靈魂住在社區當中時，我們想到要服從神的命令，去向他們傳福音，因為他們仍然在國度之外，還不知道神的愛與恩典。我們的使命是邀請他們進入現在的國度，並在未來的國度裡與我們一起享受彌賽亞的筵席。願我們效法每天為福音擺上生命的使徒保羅，以及以熱愛對多族裔移民宣教而聞名的初期教會，投身參與全球本地化宣教。
免費全球本地化宣教資源：1. 溫以諾博士，散聚宣教學和關係論的先驅：www.enochwan.com; 2. 《環球華人宣教學期刊》：http://www.globalmissiology.org/; 3. 洛桑散聚宣教運動：https://lausanne.org/networks/issues/diasporas; 4. 我的《關係論與基督教事工》博客：https://relationalrealism.net/中文/; 5. 本人的著作《加州矽谷的多族裔宣教歷程》英文版的印刷和電子版：Multi-ethnic Outreach in the Silicon Val-ley: A Chinese Diaspora Reaches Out to Multi-ethnic Diasporas，中文版正在進行中。
王以愛博士在已故的 王永信博士所領導的大使命中心服務了將近 18 年後，前往神學院接受裝備。她在金門浸信會神學院（跨文化事工碩士）和西方神學院（跨文化研究博士）裝備了她的跨文化知識和技能。自 2009 年以來，以愛 一直參與加州矽谷中心的多族裔社區外展。目前，她是 Community Vision International 的一名合約同工。 以愛願意親自或在線上與教會或小組分享她的外展經驗，也可以提供本地門前宣教的諮詢。聯繫方法: info4meco@gmail.com
Glocal Missions II: The How
Juno Wang
The Mission of our Triune God is to restore the relationship He had with humanity before the Fall. We could see how determined He was in pursuing humanity as salvation history that was played out and recorded in the Bible. Through the sending of the Holy Spirit, He empowered Christians to participate in His Kingdom mission to all peoples. As the world has become glocal so must our missions. We need to take hold of the missional opportunities God puts at our doorsteps! This article will continue with how to make glocal missions a reality in our com-munities and overcome obstacles and challenges, sharing from my own experience. Several glocal missions re-sources will also be listed for your reference.
The How. Missions in the church has changed from a traditional way of going overseas to glocal missions be-cause people in the mission fields have now come to live in our neighborhood. Missions now would not only mean going overseas to engage the lost but also going outside the four walls of our church buildings to engage, invite, and love the people in our diverse neighborhoods as well. Therefore, our first concern is to see our neighbors with a Kingdom mindset through God’s lenses. It is out of our obedience to God’s commands of loving God and neighbor and being His witnesses, that we tear down the barriers to love and serve our neighbors through whatever means that would help them to understand and experience the Gospel in order to reach them. With people coming from a “group culture” orientation, we reach out to them with a group approach to provide acceptance, a sense of belonging, emotional security, identity, and mutual support.
“…our first concern is to see our neighbors with a Kingdom mindset through God’s lenses.”
In this, we create groups that have a combination of Christians and non-Christians. We take a cue from the St. Patrick’s group approach model in the 5th Century. It is an approach/model where non-Christians can find a place/group in which they are accepted and have a sense of belonging, and in that relationship behave and live like a ‘believer’ in the group, and then in time, affirm their faith and belief in God (Belong, Behave, Believe). Christian witness in such an approach focuses first on our BEING and then our DOING through our common migrant experiences and intercultural skills to build trust and relationships. As we have limited resources, we can partner with other churches and mission organizations to be a faithful and obedient steward to our King. And we pray and trust the Holy Spirit to bear fruits in His time.
Steps to Develop Local Missions. 1. Pray. 2. Study the community demographics. 3. Find out where and when we can meet non-Christians on a regular basis. 4. Build trust and relationship. 5. Pray for and with them often. 6. Conduct church and community surveys. 7. Understand the differences in needs and available resources be-tween church and the community. 8. Choose a target group. 9. Create a group with a good mix of Christians and non-Christians of the target group. 10. Let people in the target group observe and experience our witness in being and doing. 11. Help them learn to behave like a Christian and then to believe. 12. Become a follower of Christ.
Obstacles and Challenges. As we think about glocal missions and consider the call to intercultural ministry, dis-comfort, ethnocentrism, fears, ineffectiveness and inefficiency, multi-cultural competency, spiritual gifts, and other obstacles and challenges might come to our mind. Glocal missions is an obedience issue of our hearts and will because the calling of being His witnesses has already been given to us. (Acts 1:8) Therefore, do not let our disobedience harden our hearts.
“Glocal missions is an obedience issue of our hearts and will…”
How to Overcome. Glocal Missions must be intentional because cross cultural missions is almost always against our human nature. He has given us His Holy Spirit as a powerful resource to help us overcome any obstacles and challenges. We need to reclaim the role and work of the Holy Spirit in missions, lost and overlooked with the rise of secularism, rationalism and “enlightenment”. To be a witness for our Lord, a transformed heart, commissioned by the Holy Spirit is more important than the knowledge in our heads and the doing by our hands in order to fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. By the empowerment of the Spirit, we tear down the barriers of egocentrism of “my people”, “my place”, “my plan”, and “my comfort and pleasure” to serve the people in our diverse neighborhood with a Kingdom mindset. Glocal missions is for His Kingdom expansion because the peo-ple we reach might not come to Christ right away or even attend our church after conversion. Hence, we need to submit ourselves to the Lord and get down from our Tower of Babel of self-centeredness because the biggest bar-rier we face is ourselves. And our approach should not be making people our own converts.
Our missional approach needs to be contextualized for our neighbors as they come from a “group culture” background of being communal, holistic, and relational. We need to use a diaspora missiology to supplement the traditional missiology for glocal missions. It is important to equip our church members to be bridge builders in relationships toward our diverse neighbors in a cross-cultural context. Above all, our motive must be genu-ine because no one likes to be coerced into making a decision for Christ or be treated as a project or a number. And our outreach style and strategy also need to be adaptable and flexible since every context and the people we reach are different. There is a price to pay in this approach to missions. Are you willing to invest your time and energy to love the people in your neighborhood for the Kingdom?
“…a transformed heart, commissioned by the Holy Spirit is more important than the knowledge in our heads and the doing by our hands…”
Conclusion. The Gospel is about God’s Kingdom, a Kingdom for all peoples to serve Him with total allegiance and obedience. Everyone at church needs to understand what God is doing at the global level and involve themselves at the local level. Seeing lost souls living in the community, we would want to reach out to them in obedience to God’s commands as they are still outside the Kingdom and yet to know God’s love and grace. Our mission is to invite them into the present Kingdom, and to enjoy the Messianic banquet with us in the future Kingdom. May we be like the apostle Paul who laid down his life daily, and the early church that was known by its love for missions to diverse migrants.
Free Glocal Missions Resources: 1. Dr. Enoch Wan is a pioneer in diaspora missiology and relational realism. Check it out at www.enochwan.com, 2. Global Missiology online magazine: http:/www.globalmissiology.org/, 3. Diaspora of Lausanne Movement: https://lausanne.org/networks/issues/diasporas, 4. My blog— Relational Realism for Christian Ministry: https://relationalrealism.net/, 5. My book Multi-ethnic Outreach in the Silicon Valley: A Chinese Diaspora Reaches Out to Multi-ethnic Diasporas in print and eBook formats.
Dr. Juno Wang served at the Great Commission Center International under the leadership of the late Rev. Dr. Thomas Wang for 18 years before she pursued her seminary training. She has equipped herself with intercultural skills at the Golden Gate Baptist Seminary (Master of Arts in Intercultural Ministries) and Western Seminary (Doctor of Intercultural Studies). Juno has been involved in the multi-ethnic community outreach in the heart of Silicon Valley in California since 2009. Currently, she is a Ministry Associate of Community Vision International. She is available to share her outreach experience in person or online with churches or small groups, and for consultation. Contact her at: info4meco@gmail.com.
