A strategy for developing leaders with authentic spirituality and passionate unity at Agape Chinese Church (California).

摘要

The purpose of this ministry focus paper is to present a contextually sensitive, theologically informed strategy for leadership development at Agape Chinese Alliance Church, specifically designed to liberate Chinese Christians from key cultural factors that negatively impact upon individual spirituality and corporate unity.; Agape Chinese Alliance Church is a small-sized, redeveloped, first generation ethnic church in a large city in southern California. The stated vision of the church is "to be a community of believers that live out the Great Commandments (Matthew 22:37--40), and fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19--20)." However, in the Chinese culture, there are key factors that tend to negatively impact upon church health. These obstacles pose a threat to continuous spiritual growth and corporate unity and thus prevent Agape's people from realizing their stated vision. This paper will analyze such cultural factors and develop a strategy of leadership development to counteract these negative influences.; The paper will be divided into three parts. Part One will address issues of context. First, the context of the local church will be presented. Demographic and socioeconomic factors of Agape Chinese Alliance Church and the Chinese population of San Diego will be discussed. The church's history and recent redevelopment will be described. A general overview of the larger context of North American immigrant Chinese culture will be presented, with specific emphasis on cultural factors that tend to have negative impact upon individual spirituality and corporate unity.; Part Two of the paper will discuss the theology of spiritual formation, arguing that authentic spirituality is measured by one's relationships with God and others, and hence closely tied to corporate unity. Biblical mandate for Christian unity will be discussed, with an emphasis on the gospel of John and Pauline epistles Jesus' model in John 17 will be examined praying for unity and not assume unity can be achieved through human efforts alone. Biblical principles and models of communication and conflict resolution will be included.; Part Three will present a three-pronged strategy of leadership development through teaching, praying, and modeling. Preaching and teaching that are effective in cultivating authentic spirituality and passionate unity must address cultural factors that are non-biblical. Systematic teaching needs to occur at the individual, leadership and church wide levels. Teaching that results in transformation must also include cultivation of a vibrant prayer life. Training for personal prayer, praying for one another, and praying for kingdom warfare will be set forth. Finally, the pastor's modeling as a vital part of leadership development strategy will be discussed. This includes the pastor's ongoing spiritual and personal growth, transparency and vulnerability in interaction with family, staff, governing board, and parishioners. A protocol for preserving unity and managing conflict will be outlined.