Ministry Process for Mainland Chinese in America

"FIRST CONTACT"
Meet Mainland Chinese as a Friendship / Language Partner
OR
in a way-of-life setting /
  1. Introduce yourself. Write or spell your name.
  2. Ask for friend’s name. Have him/her write it down or spell it. Write it down phonetically so that you can remember how to pronounce it.
  3. Ask general questions:
* Where are you from? (hometown, university)
* Tell me about your family…
* So far, how do you feel about your life in America?
  1. Exchange phone numbers and email addresses.
  2. Begin to pray for your friend(s).


"RAPPORT & TRUST"
Certain activities may help you to establish a friendship
In China, Relationships are everything /
  1. Meals are great--especially in your home. Be careful of buying meals at restaurants, since your friends may feel required to return the favor.
  2. Sports activities help to quickly build friendship and trust--ping pong, volleyball, badminton, soccer, basketball, “instructional touch football.” Other “language-easy” activities include baking/cooking, concerts and certain games.
  3. Day trips or overnight trips give you lots of time with your friends in interesting situations, helping you to build deeper friendships.
  4. Best times to meet MC students: weekends, weekday lunch, late afternoon. Confirm details by email.


"TRANSITION TO SPIRITUAL"
In conversation,
speak freely and naturally about spiritual things.
Expose your faith do not impose it /
  1. Pray.
  2. Expect it to be easy to mention God, church, the Bible. Most Chinese are interested in your faith. But don't "preach" or make this your only topic.
  3. Realize that he/she may not understand even basic spiritual terms (E.g. "Christian", "New Testament," "saved").
  4. Ask questions to find out prior knowledge and whether he/she has spiritual interest:
* Did you ever have any Christian friends in China? Ever attend church in China?
* Have you had any contact with other religions?
* Have you ever read the Bible? Do you know the
basic message of the Bible?
"THE GOSPEL"
Begin to share
the Good News /
  1. Share how you came to Christ and what He has done in your life. Again, be sure to explain in "every-day" English, not "Christianese."
  2. Ask if he/she would like to know the basic ideas of the Christian faith. If so, use the bilingual Four Spiritual Laws to explain.
  3. Have literature available which will be attractive and clear to a Chinese (Song of a Wanderer, bilingual New Testament, JESUS video in Mandarin). See thewebsite or contact us for help.


"CONTINUE IN YOUR FRIENDSHIP”
Let them “see” what being a follower of Jesus really lives like
Give them time
Do not push /
  1. Sharing the gospel with a Mainland Chinese is not a "one-time" deal. They will have even more questions to resolve than some Americans, including the existence of God.
  2. Continue to include your friend in your life and activities.
  3. Ask if he/she has questions from previous conversations or from materials you gave to read.
Welcome questions--Chinese are so polite that they may hesitate at first. Write down key points or Scripture references to aid comprehension.
  1. Consider doing an evangelistic Bible study. Our favorite study, Foundations for Faith.
  2. If your friend moves to a different country or city, contact us for a referral in that location. ()

|
|

"FOLLOW-UP"
Help a new believer to grow /
  1. If your friend trusts Christ, contact C.O.M. and use the 6 week follow up study on the website.
  2. Encourage him/her to attend church.Also, if possible involve him/her in a our Sunday night or Friday night group for Mainland Chinese.
  3. Plan to invite him/her to a discipleship conference (Mem. Day; Christmas; Labor day).

China Outreach Ministries

U. of Mich. C.O.M. staff
Brent Hoover
Mary Degener
Questions for Shane Wang--New Life’s China ministry consultant: 972-0617