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Pouring into Local Leaders
If you visit a Sunday service at Harvest KL, the first thing that will strike you is the diversity. The leaders who represent the church are no different. There are local Malaysians, Africans, Americans, Koreans, Chinese, Filipinos, Iranians, Guatemalans, etc. This diversity can be a beautiful thing when you see how the gospel can unite hearts, but as with any church family, there are differing experiences and opinions, and this is increased tenfold with a church like Harvest KL. You have to navigate through tricky waters like language barriers, different styles of communication, different time orientation, and differing values of individualism vs. collectivism. As the Christian life is progression rather than perfection, this is the same with international ministry. There are often communication failures or cultural misunderstandings that take place before relationships can be taken to a deeper level. All this complexity is also enhanced by the fact that the average person stays at the church on average only 2-3 years either due to work placement or refugee status, so it is necessary to assimilate people quickly and be very intentional about discipling people and training up new leaders.On Sunday night, after a celebratory church service together, we had a meeting with about 40 of the key leaders of the church. Malaysia is known for its spectacular food culture, so of course the night began with a time of sweet fellowship and breaking bread together Malaysian-style. After our meal, we began the meeting with a spontaneous time of worship. After a joyous morning, people broke out into song, singing some familiar hymns. After about 20 minutes, James came up and shared from Acts 13-14. He talked about the pattern of ministry – communication, opposition, perseverance and fruit. As a result of my time in Kuala Lumpur, I knew many of the fears of some of the leaders – that transitioning to become a Harvest would mean they would lose their close community and that they would simply become part of a larger entity and lose their unique identity as a church. It was great for them to not only hear James preach live, but to also have an opportunity to interact and ask questions. Looking at the faces of the people in the room, I could tell it was a special time for them to hear James share personally about his experiences in ministry and his heart for the church. It was not a “how to” message about how to grow a successful ministry, but rather a challenge to always look to see what the Bible has to say about the church and to let the Word dictate how we do ministry. After the short message, there was a time of Q & A where many people were able to raise their questions and concerns. I looked across the room and saw such unity in diversity, with people of all ages coming from so many cultural and economic backgrounds. I also saw the Malaysian locals being strengthened and encouraged to rise up to become a foundation for this ever-changing population. The night ended with a sweet time of prayer as we united our hearts and voices to pray for the church.
-Sandy Song
