MINISTRY / We've never done it that way before

One thing you will not hear at 316NOW is, "We've never done it that way before so we're not going to start now."

Entrepreneurs

"We've always been a ministry that is entrepreneurial," Executive Director Jim Aderman says. "But China's Covid restrictions and its ever-tightening restrictions on religion have forced us to find new approaches to proclaiming grace across China."

316NOW's approach to teaching our Bible institute courses is an example. In the past, our classes had twelve to twenty students. We scheduled our courses on a semester basis. But that format no longer works well for our students.

Bible institute changes and challenges

A report 316NOW’s board of directors will discuss at this week’s meeting explains, "Our Bible institute will conduct classes with small groups of students. We will switch from a semester-based schedule to a schedule that accommodates the availability of the students."

These changes will mean we'll need more faculty members because we will offer more classes. It also means we can better tailor our courses to students. And, with smaller class sizes, our faculty members can tend to their students on a more personal level.

The bottom line is more church leaders will be equipped to support other Christians and more Christians will be equipped to share their faith.

What you can do: Ask the Spirit to help us make these adjustments. Most of all, ask that through 316NOW the good news of God's grace in Jesus reaches more people in China.