For the past two years, we have been looking at “Old Strategies” to deal with “New Realities.” I have written about “What” we do and “How” we do it, but I have not talked about “Why?”

Though fully capable of extraordinary ministry by themselves, Jesus and Paul set an example for us to follow: They multiplied themselves by mobilizing others to participate in the work of the gospel.

For the past several years, I have sensed that God wants me to focus on three things: Prayer, publications, and personal relationships with a few people.

Dori and I agree that 2018 has been the hardest year for us since 1976-1977, our first year as missionaries in Taiwan. We have encountered trials of various sorts that have tested our faith and endurance, but God has upheld us and even brought us to a place of rich fulfillment.

Most conspicuously, many big church buildings have been demolished, and large congregations have been forced to shut down. All over the country, churches have divided into smaller groups, meeting in homes. Most congregations had been preparing for this, but some were not ready.

Without minimizing the ongoing value of Internet publications, even under China’s increasingly restrictive blocking of the Web, there is another, much older, method for spreading the knowledge of God’s truth and love.

“Aside from a truly biblical Chinese theology, the greatest need in Chinese churches today is for healthy marriages among the leaders.”

Our major platform is the Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity, an online repository of stories about Chinese Christians and Western missionaries.

In light of the new realities outlined in my previous letter, I believe that Christians in the West should revise some of their approaches to communicating Christ with Chinese and return to proven methods suitable for almost all times, but especially now.