The week after Christmas, one of my teammates and I attended Chinese Mission Convention Global 2020 (CMC), a ministry of Ambassadors for Christ, Inc (AFC). For those of you not familiar with AFC, it is a Pennsylvania-based organization committed to reaching Chinese intellectuals for Christ. CMC is a triennial convention that began in 1983 to “challenge and mobilize Christians—Chinese and non-Chinese—of the calling to be ambassadors for Christ in all walks of life, locally and globally, to reach Chinese, non-Chinese, and unreached people groups.”
[And by the way, AFC has a bookstore with numerous titles in both Chinese and English. If you’re looking for evangelistic or spiritual growth books and other resources for a Chinese friend, this is the place to go.]
As with so many other conventions and events this year, the entire event was held online. While there is great loss in not being able attend the event live, the ability to do something like this virtually is, in fact, a gift. With no travel required, more than 5000 people were able to participate in either the Chinese or English track.
To give you an idea of what it was like, take a look at the promotional video for the convention:
The theme of this year’s convention, held December 28-30, was Rethink the Gospel: Unleashed Together for God’s Global Glory. The plenary speakers were Pastor David Platt; author/speaker Christopher Yuan; Wayne Chen, Director of Radius Asia; and author/Pastor Francis Chan.
In addition to the plenary sessions, there were multiple workshops, on topics such as using digital media to evangelize and disciple, reaching unreached people groups, doing business as mission, and becoming a sending church.
There were also youth tracks, for both middle and high school students, as well as children’s programs.
One of the benefits of a convention like this is the opportunity to network, and even though this event was virtual, there were still opportunities for that. Following each plenary session, breakout “rooms” were available for people to gather and share, discuss, and pray together. There was even a virtual exhibit hall where participating organizations (such as ChinaSource) had dedicated chat rooms to interact with convention participants. Can I just say up front that it was, as the British say, brilliant!
I was particularly encouraged by David Platt’s reminder that what motivates gospel proclamation, whether among our neighbors or among unreached people groups, is our desire that God (not ourselves or our ministries) be glorified. May that be what drives each of us as we serve in this new year.
And congratulations to the AFC/CMC team for an excellent convention.
Header image: CMC Global 2020 promotional video.
Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
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