An online seminar was conducted in Singapore, sharing the theoretical foundations and success stories of micro churches.
Held from August 1 to 3, the seminar was co-organized by the Enarche Institute and the Bible Society of Singapore Sower Institute. The event centered on discussing the micro church movement as a new global trend in church development in recent years.
The seminar featured three discussions, led by Rev. Dr. Kenneth Goh and Rev. Michael Hsu J.D., pioneers and experts in the micro church model within Chinese churches, along with Rev. John Liu.
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Goh, the keynote speaker for the first and second nights of the seminar who is a lecturer at the Bible Society of Singapore Sower Institute, a Ph.D. graduate from Trinity Western University in Canada, and holds a Master’s degree in Education from the Australian National University. He shared insights on the history of micro church development, key figures, theological foundations, definitions, purposes, four major misunderstandings and concerns faced by micro churches, and his personal responses.
Kenneth, also the senior pastor of Cornerstone Evangelical Baptist Church in Singapore and an educator focused on emotional leadership development, converted to Christianity in a medium-sized Anglican church. With 20 years of experience serving in medium-sized churches, he served in medium-to-large Baptist churches during his theological studies and has primarily served in small churches for the past 20 years, frequently addressing the survival issues of small churches.
Before his presentation, Dr. Kenneth Goh provided a set of recent data, including statistics from 15 regions—showing that nearly 45% of churches worldwide have fewer than 50 members. This data underscores the need to focus on and support small churches. "The theological foundation of the micro church movement reflects a rethinking of traditional church models and a reinterpretation of the New Testament church model. This theology emphasizes the organic nature, relationality, and mission of the church, as well as the value and participation of each believer. Despite challenges and potential issues, the theological thinking of the micro church movement offers valuable insights for rethinking the essence and mission of the church. The future challenge lies in how to combine these insights with the wisdom of traditional churches to create a more healthy and effective church model," Dr. Kenneth Goh said.
He noted that the topics addressed by micro churches have been trending topics, posing questions to church planters: "Is your church prepared to respond to the issues explored by micro churches? Are your church and leadership ready?"
He also mentioned that his greatest takeaway from studying micro churches is helping the churches he leads grasp the essence of the church, something needed by both large and small churches.
In conclusion, Dr. Goh emphasized that in micro churches, people are the most critical element, as their work revolves around people. "Micro churches must address relationships between a believer and God, the family, work, and community. So, it's not about making the micro church highly sophisticated or professional, but rather about how to practice faith in these four areas."
On August 3, Rev. Michael Hsu J.D., a lecturer at the Bible Society of Singapore Sower Institute and director of 3Q Leadership Academy, shared 11 practical applications of the micro church model and success stories, as well as how to establish a supervisory mechanism to help grassroots pastors with limited resources implement the micro church model.
Rev. Michael Hsu specializes in bi-vocational ministry and workplace mission strategies, church multiplication strategies, and Business as Ministry (BAM). With 30 years of experience as a bi-vocational pastor and lawyer (retired), he now focuses on developing cutting-edge strategies for workplace discipleship and mission.
Rev. Michael Hsu listed 11 application methods: overseas mission church planting, local low-cost church planting, dual-track development of traditional and non-traditional (no walls) churches, apostolic hubs and house churches, natural transition from small groups to functional micro churches, discipleship training platforms, ministries to reach millennials and Gen Z, community-based churches, low-pressure church models for exhausted pastors, entrepreneurial church planting, and new expressions of church. He also shared several success stories, with emphasis on the importance of a supervisory mechanism and collaborative efforts, stating, "Micro churches definitely cannot operate alone because the lack of accountability is very dangerous."
(Originally published by the Christian Times, the article has been edited under permission.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
