Best-selling author and Bible teacher Francis Chan recently revealed that God is calling him to move to Hong Kong to “bring relief, share the Gospel, and plant churches among” the “ultra poor,” and Passion City Church pastor Louie Giglio says he thinks it’s a “beautiful decision for him.”
Chan’s decision comes after feeling that American Christianity has caused him to “drift” over the past 20 years. Giglio, who is gearing up to hit the road in 2020 with Winter Jam, said he has also seen a big change in American Christianity over the years, but believes many of the changes are positive.
“I think some of the biggest changes have just been more of a focus on building community and not just simply hosting events,” Giglio said in an interview on Friday. “I think the generations that are emerging are highly relational and value the relational aspect of life. It used to be enough just to say, ‘Hey, let’s gather at XYZ point and have a service of some kind.’
“But really what the church needs to be about, and I think is now shifting to be a lot more about, is to be more driven around relationships and around community, around people doing life with other people. That’s been a really big shift. I think that’s happened.”
Giglio said he loves the fact that modern day technology has made it possible to share the Gospel globally and even see what others are doing in Christ’s name around the world.
“We are living in a more globalized world than we were 10 years ago, certainly more than we were 20 years ago. Twenty years ago, your friend had to move to Asia, spend some time there, write you a letter and then come home and tell you about it and show you the photographs that they took on a camera that they had developed at a film developing place,” the speaker and author shared.
“Now, you just open your phone and click on Instagram and you see what they did today in Laos, or in Cambodia or in Myanmar.”
“You’re instantaneously aware of and connected to a grand story. I think the biggest difference of ministry right now is I can influence people on every continent in the next 60 seconds by posting something on my Instagram. Where before, 20 years ago, I had to go get on an airplane and fly to India if I wanted to influence someone in India, or they had to read a book or hear a message that they got on a compact disc or whatever. It’s just a bigger conversation. It’s a more instant conversation,” Giglio continued.
Days after announcing that he and his family are moving to Asia in February 2020 to become international missionaries, Chan specified that the exact destination is Hong Kong.
“I love that Francis is moving to Asia to reach young people. I think that’s a beautiful decision for him, it seems like a great move for Francis,” the Atlanta-based minister said of his peer.
“I love that I can stay in Atlanta and build up that local church here and in the same way can influence somebody all across Asia, who hopefully will have a bigger heart and a bigger vision to influence an unreached person today as well,” he concluded.