By David Winfrey

Duarte—Whether speaking to Chinese or Anglo churches, Andrew Chan’s primary message remains the same.

“The most effective evangelistic work under the sun is by reaching people through starting new works,” said Chan, a church starting strategist for California Southern Baptist Convention.

Chan travels throughout California, encouraging congregations to start more congregations to reach the 1 million Chinese people living in the Golden State.

“It’s all teamwork. Sometimes it’s started by me, and sometimes it’s started by a director of missions. Sometimes it’s started by a sponsor church, and sometimes it’s started by laymen.”

Today, 72 Chinese churches and missions are affiliated with CSBC. Many of these are concentrated in and around San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. Targeted locations for new churches include Alameda, Daly City, Baldwin Park, Rosemead and Harbor City.

“The whole world is God’s mission field, but California is one of the most important parts in the mission field,” Chan said, citing the large number of Chinese in the state.

He said he often sets a goal for four new Chinese congregations annually. “But average-wise, each year we start at least two or three,” he said. “One year we even had six.

“Sometimes the biggest challenge is to find the right person to do full-time (work) on the church planting,” he noted. While many Anglo church planters help start a congregation and move on, Chinese planters are expected to stay and lead the church long-term. “They have to be a missionary leader and willing to do the pastoral work,” he said. “You stay there and develop the new work.”

Chan also works with sponsoring congregations, which support church starts as they work toward self-sufficiency. Sponsors historically have been Anglo churches, he said, but today Chinese churches comprise half the sponsors in California.

“Because of God’s words and the Holy Spirit and the influence of the California Southern Baptist Convention, there are more Chinese churches seeing the vision to starting more churches.”

Chan also coordinates resources for new and existing Chinese churches.

“If the church asks me to do anything — if I can help them — I will do my best,” said Chan, who lives in Duarte, near Pasadena.

Chan organizes regional training each year for both church development and evangelism. Communication with Chinese pastors requires diligence, as not all are online, he noted. “We still have some Chinese church people who don’t’ use e-mail. They have no computer,” he said. “We either have to call them or mail to them.”

Chan has served California Baptists as a church starting strategist since 1982. Raised in China to worship his ancestors, Chan became a Christian as a result of attending a Christian school as a child.

Before coming to America to further his theological studies, he taught at a Christian school. “I was teaching Bible to more than 1,000 students each week.”

Chan is uncertain whether it’s harder or easier to reach Chinese Americans with the gospel since he started working for the Convention 27 years ago.

“It all depends how you say it. It’s harder because people enjoy life much easier these days,” he said, citing technology, materialism and worldly influences on society. “People’s hearts are hardened.”

“On the other hand, people’s hearts have many holes. … They are not satisfied. They will never be satisfied with material things. They will never be satisfied with knowledge. Only God’s Word can bring them into the Kingdom of God.”

Because California Southern Baptists pray for and give to the California Mission Offering Chan is helping start new Chinese congregations to demonstrate “Love With Action.”

To view a short video of Andrew, click here. Click here to view the video in Cantonese; or click here to view the video in Mandarin.