8th June, 2006

DAVID ADAMS caught up with Rev Dr David Wang, president of Christian mission organisation Asian Outreach, when he visited Australia recently...

To start with, can you tell us a little bit about when you became a Christian and how you came to be working for Asian Outreach?
"I was born in Shanghai, into a Christian family. My mother came to the Lord under Watchman Nee. Therefore our family was always of the 'Little Flock' tradition. When I escaped to Hong Kong in 1957, I went to a Seventh Day Adventist school. After graduating from college, I became an apprentice to Paul Kauffman, who was at that time forming Asian Outreach, that was in 1966. Since then Asian Outreach has grown and is now operating in over 20 countries."

Rev Dr David Wang, president of Asian Outreach. PICTURE: Andrew Higgins.   "Now you see the Koreans, you hear of the Japanese, you hear of the Filipinos, you hear of the Singaporeans and the Malaysians all talking about bringing the Gospel into the Muslim world or what Asian Outreach calls it - returning along the ancient Silk Road. Now when you’re talking about returning along the ancient Silk Road, you’re talking about India, you’re talking about Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Iraq and Iran - you’re talking about the 10/40 window. The church in Asia are now waking up to the people groups in the 10/40 window.”

China is one of Asian Outreach’s key mission fields. What’s happening there at the moment?
“I’ve seen a very obvious trend and that is the house church movement moving from the semiliterate in the rural areas to the intelligencia - to the professors, to the teachers, to the lawyers, to the doctors, to the entrepreneurs, even to the (Communist) party members.

    "There is another trend and that is from persecution to persuasion - instead of a general attitude of persecution from the government, we are now seeing more and more government agencies almost fully engaging themselves in persuading the house church movement to register with the government. And I think that has to do a lot with the summer Olympics of 2008 and the World Expo of 2010 (to be held in Shanghai)...

      "I also see a coming together of the five major house church movements in China and the church moving from a receiving church to a returning church - that is, the Chinese church is no longer just at the receiving end of mission activities from the outside but are engaging themselves and are in training to bring the Gospel out - particularly to the Muslim world. I see the movement of the Holy Spirit is very, very obvious in China today.”

Why do you think there is such a hunger in the Asian church to minister to the Muslim world - particularly in China?
“There’s always been that mandate - almost like a spiritual mandate. As early as 1920, the Chinese church has seen itself as bringing the Gospel back Jerusalem to complete the Gospel circle. Jesus said that 'My Gospel must be preached around the world and then the end shall come’. That is, I think the impetus, on the Chinese side. Now you see the Koreans, you hear of the Japanese, you hear of the Filipinos, you hear of the Singaporeans and the Malaysians all talking about bringing the Gospel into the Muslim world or what Asian Outreach calls it - returning along the ancient Silk Road. Now when you’re talking about returning along the ancient Silk Road, you’re talking about India, you’re talking about Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Iraq and Iran - you’re talking about the 10/40 window. The church in Asia are now waking up to the people groups in the 10/40 window.”

Apart from China, where else in Asia does Asian Outreach work and what sort of activities are you involved with?
"The two ministry thrusts of Asian Outreach are: training, launching and serving alongside church planters, and reaching, touching, changing lives. With these two ministry emphases we are particularly active in restricted access nations such as Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar, fulfilling both the 'Great Commission' - evangelism and planting churches - and the 'Great Commandment' mandate to love our neighbour as ourselves."

What’s the region you see as the greatest challenge for the church in Asia?
“Tibet. I consider it to be a stronghold and there is not sufficient spiritual warfare for it...Unlike the bigger country of China that has generated worldwide intercessory concern, Tibet has yet to move in that direction. In 2006, we might call for a Tibet prayer movement. I think that having an international prayer movement would help us to look at the issue in a much more concerted manner.”

What about North Korea?
“I think North Korea is a paradox and what I mean by that is that it is very closed yet at the same time it is almost overwhelmed with missionary aggression - and I use the term missionary aggression in a key sense - by the South Korean church. If there is any opening in North Korea, I believe the South Korea church would smother the country with their love, with their gifts - that is the good part - also with their denominationalism and with their division. So I have heard from several missiologists in South Korea that they prefer North Korea not to open up because the South Korean church is not mature enough to engage in a united and gentle and co-operative manner with the Holy Spirit.”

How can Australian Christians help support missions in Asia?
“I would say be informed instead of being caught up with sensationalism or hype. Get information from ministries such as Asian Outreach or OMF - which have a very long history of involvement in China. Read about us and then connect with us. Nowadays email and the internet is such a viable channel of information so that you can practically get the latest on a daily basis. I also suggest the elders and the leaders of the church come out themselves to connect with the leaders of Asian missions or China missions - we are no longer talking about missions to Asia, we are talking about missions with the Asian church. If the elders and leaders could get out there and form partnerships, it would be a very, very mutually rewarding and fruitful relationship. Lastly I would like to encourage the young people of Australia, young Christians of Australia, to come out on your holidays and be ‘short-termers’ with us. Some of the opportunities include English (speaking) corners in China's cities, serving in an English centre or a children's home in Thailand, serving the locals in northern India, Cambodia or Mongolia and share with them your life testimonies. Nobody has a substitute for sharing your life testimony. You would not be there as a evangelist - you will be a friend visiting and sharing your good will.”

~ www.asianoutreach.org