Region: South East Asia
Greetings and welcome to South East Asia!
As part of the Lausanne Movement for World Evangelization, I am pleased to introduce and share briefly what God is doing in our region.
South East Asia is a very diverse region鈥撯搃t is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-lingual鈥撯搃t is indeed a colourful place and in many sense, truly Asia. It is also multi-religious and encompasses a wide range of socio-politico-economic situations. Overall, this region is very dynamic and continues to experience a fast pace of development in an increasingly globalized world.
The church is alive and well, growing rapidly and yet, not without its challenges. Consumerism, prosperity teaching, erosion of family values, moral failures, and religious opposition, are all on the rise. After few centuries of receiving Christian missionaries and the Gospel, Christians are still a minority in almost all the countries in the region. On the more positive side, this presents a great opportunity and potential for much growth.
My vision for the region is to promote greater networking with Christian leaders and thus, encourage deeper understanding and adoption of the Cape Town Commitment as a strategic blueprint for further action.
Both the clergy and marketplace leaders have important roles to play in God鈥檚 mission plans for South East Asia. The same goes for the church and para-church. Unity in Christ will be the key to carrying out God鈥檚 plans effectively, through networking, collaboration, and partnerships.
The church in South East Asia is also a great potential missionary-sending force beyond its shores. Many workers find jobs abroad, where they can be 鈥渟alt and light鈥 in their workplaces. The challenge to the church is how to mobilize these workers to be faithful and effective as Christian witnesses in their everyday life.
Towards this end, I warmly invite you to pray for our region and participate in the work of Lausanne South East Asia.
May God鈥檚 Name be glorified!
In His service,
Philip Chang
International Deputy Director - South East Asia