MINISTRY / A Divine Displacement

A Divine Displacement of Our Own

 For years, 316NOW has poured its energy into equipping believers inside mainland China. Today, our vision has grown — because God's people have grown beyond China's borders, too.

 Here's a number worth sitting on and contemplating: roughly 5 million Chinese Christians now live outside of China. Some moved for work. Some moved for school. Some moved for family security. Their scattering, like the early church in Acts 8, has a way of becoming part of God's plan rather than a detour from it. We believe this is no accident. It's a divine displacement, and 316NOW wants to be part of what God is doing through it.

 We're actively developing a strategy to invite these expatriate believers into our Bible institute. Our goal isn't only to teach, it's also to equip. We want to see Chinese Christians shift from simply receiving the Gospel to actively carrying it forward, multiplying disciples who can in turn raise up still more. We want to raise up leaders who can start house churches right where they live now, and who, if or when they return to China, can carry that same confessional Lutheran foundation home with them. We're doing this hand-in-hand with other WELS groups already engaged in outreach to Chinese communities, because this work is bigger than any one organization.

 Here's what gets us excited: we believe God is going to bring us students who will go on to do one of two things — return to China themselves, or stay where they are and lead small, faithful gatherings rooted in God's Word. Either way, the Gospel moves forward, and these believers become both a mission field and a mission force in their own right.

 Is this challenging? Absolutely. But our God is greater than any challenge we face. And he's using ordinary people like you — your prayers, your support, your partnership — to whittle that challenge down to size.

 There's a ripple effect we can't overlook, either. These expatriate believers stay connected to family back home. As they grow in their understanding of Jesus and biblical truths, so often restricted inside China, those conversations travel with them, through calls, video chats, and visits, carrying truth into places we couldn't otherwise reach.

 That's the heart of this expansion: equip believers wherever displacement has directed them, and trust God to use them wherever they are right now.