With the conclusion of the East Asia Member’s Mission Forum (MMF) in Hong Kong on 10 April, Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China (HKCCCC) General Secretary (GS) Rev. Wong Ka Fai reflects on his vision for the MMF and Hong Kong’s challenges.
What was your vision for the MMF when HKCCCC first accepted the invitation to host the event?
Rev. Wong Ka Fai (RWKF): I think first and foremost, I envision the MMF to be the ideal platform for all of our CWM regional member churches to come together and share our stories and best practices so that we can learn from one another.
For example, the contexts between Hong Kong and Malaysia are very different in terms of the ability to share the gospel amongst the people. Hence, we can also learn about how to relate and communicate with others who may have different faith and life experiences so that the message of God can be shared more effectively, and how we can forge deeper and more genuine relationships with our communities.
Secondly, the MMF is also a way that the delegates can create friendships that extend beyond borders as they network amongst themselves. This helps to bridge gaps between our fellow CWM member churches and foster a closer knitted community so that help is never too far away should any of our members need it.
How do you see your role as General Secretary in fostering life-flourishing communities in Hong Kong?
RWKF: At this moment as GS, I am in the unique position to influence how we can reach the wider Hong Kong society through our various schools. This way, we were able to engage with the various demographics in Hong Kong including those who were left behind by their relations or friends who have migrated to other countries. There are many reasons why these people stay, one of which can be the lack of financial ability. HKCCCC provides a channel of support to these communities in our work.
The other group that we are reaching out to is the college students, through a ministry designed for them. Many of these young people are suffering from PTSD from the social movement in 2019. We provide them a safe space for them to express themselves and a place that they can put their trust in.
What are some of the challenges Hong Kong faces today and how has HKCCCC risen to address them?
RWKF: The one challenge that is on top of our minds would be an ageing society in Hong Kong that has affected the church landscape where you would see congregations which are older. This is not to say that our elders in our churches are inactive, in fact, on the contrary, they are very much involved in ministries. However, there is an urgent need to look into sustainable succession planning in terms of church leadership and ministers.
As I have also mentioned, Hong Kong has experienced a huge migration amongst our locals (most being young or established families) which has left a gap between the youths and the elderly. We have our work cut out for us in bridging this generational gap and having to get our older leaders to empower our youths gradually to take on their roles.
On the other hand, we are also lacking in ordained ministers. We are looking into how we can shorten the serving period that our local preachers have to go through before their ordination. As such, for the past three years, we have ordained almost 25 new ministers, most of whom are in their 30s. This is unheard of as recent as just a decade ago, as some ministers were already in their 50s when they receive their ordination, making the time that they can serve in the church very short indeed before their retirement.
With an emphasis on ordaining younger ministers, they are able to thus serve in the church for longer. This also allows us more time to train the next batch of ministers.
Can you share some success stories in the missional work in which HKCCCC has engaged?
RWKF: I think our school ministry is a very special one. For myself, I grew up being educated in HKCCCC-affiliated schools and gone on to serve in church. There are many others like me including the numerous delegates that have attended CWM events and programmes. The collaboration between our churches and the schools is therefore a very strong link in building up our HKCCCC communities and beyond.
Speaking of which, the schools are also an excellent channel where we can engage non-believing parents who may nevertheless be keen to enroll their children into a faith-based institution. The parents have the belief that even if their children do not fare well academically, they can still receive a solid education based in Christian values and principles.
Looking forward, how will you seek to achieve a deeper partnership between HKCCCC and CWM, seeing as both organisations share such a deep, historical relationship?
RWKF: I would like to renew and reaffirm HKCCCC’s commitment in supporting future CWM programmes, be it through participation or the sharing of our resources. We hope to receive CWM again in Hong Kong when the next opportunity arises!