To the Ends of the Earth: Making Disciples in East Asia 

Raised in East Asia, in a country filled with spiritual darkness, Paul had never heard the gospel before.

“Atheism was the only thing I knew,” he said. Until one day, a local church proclaimed truth to him, and he began the gradual, transformative journey of knowing Jesus.

Together, Paul and his wife, Mary, share a burden and a heart for the people in East Asia, and especially for those who have never heard the gospel. In particular, they are acutely aware of the many who have believed but lack the necessary resources and access to build a strong theological foundation.

This awareness motivated Paul to pursue further training at Southeastern Seminary so that he could invest in the theological education of East Asian church leaders and pastors.

In 2016 Paul graduated with his Master of Divinity from Southeastern, and today he is completing the final stages of his Doctor of Philosophy at Southeastern. He anticipates graduating this year with his PhD in systematic theology, overseen by John Hammett, senior professor of systematic theology (retired). Paul’s research concentration is in the doctrine of ecclesiology.

“It’s something I see very much needed for all churches,” Paul said, “but particularly for the church in East Asia where we served — which, as a whole, has a zeal to share the gospel and evangelize, but its theological foundation is weak.”

For Paul and Mary, Southeastern has played an essential role in equipping them for ministry in theological education as they prepare to return to a mission field to which they have dedicated decades of their lives.

The Missionary Spark

While completing her college degree in the mid-90s, Mary felt God increasing in her a desire to pursue missions work. Mary grew up in the States, in the Midwest, and yet she had a heart for those overseas.

“Even in high school, I was always drawn to international students,” she recalled. “When I went to university, I started doing short-term mission trips, and my last short-term trip consisted of six weeks in East Asia with an agency that trained English teachers.”

“During those six weeks,” Mary said, “I realized, ‘I could do this. I want to do this.’”

At the advice of friends and family, Mary returned home for a season of prayer and counsel. By the end of that year, she knew that God’s call on her heart was real, and she returned overseas to pursue missions while teaching English as a Second Language (ESL).

Meanwhile, God began turning Paul’s own thoughts toward ministry in the same area.

“I was on fire for the Lord at that time as a young believer,” he reflected. During those years, Paul worked in business and often interacted with high-profile leaders and entrepreneurs. “Whenever I sat in a CEO’s office or in their mansions, I couldn’t help but share the gospel with those individuals. To my surprise, many of them were actually very interested in knowing more about Jesus. And, again, for how little I knew about Christ back then, I was just bold in sharing the partial gospel that I knew.”

Through these experiences, Paul began to reconsider the trajectory of his life.

“The Holy Spirit challenged me, saying, ‘Which business is more profitable? Winning souls for the Lord, for the kingdom, or making a little bit more money for yourself?’”

The Holy Spirit challenged me, saying, ‘Which business is more profitable? Winning souls for the Lord, for the kingdom, or making a little bit more money for yourself?

“I had no clue what full-time ministry would entail,” he said. “Again, it was a burning fire, a burden from God on my heart.”

The God Who Gives and Takes Away

During Paul and Mary’s first year of marriage, Paul met a man from Singapore, serving as a missionary in East Asia. He invited Paul to join him on a year-long journey to bring the gospel to ethnic minority groups in hard-to-reach places.

During his travels, Paul had the opportunity to lead two families to faith in Christ and performed the believers’ baptisms in a nearby creek — the first time Paul conducted baptism in his life.

This experience, over the course of many months, marked the beginning of Paul and Mary’s decades-long involvement in missions.

For many years, they partnered closely alongside foreign missionaries, serving as local contacts, and over time God opened up doors for them to serve in a variety of new capacities, including in another country.

“We planted, in total, four churches from three different cities out of two countries,” Paul shared. “Hundreds, if not thousands, of people heard the gospel.” Many, as well, professed faith and were baptized.

In countless ways, Paul and Mary saw the Spirit work. They witnessed God give generously; however, in recent years in particular, they have also witnessed God take away.

Over time, gospel ministry grew increasingly more difficult, and the church where they served suffered significant persecution. These and other developments made it impossible for Paul and Mary to stay, so they moved to the States and began investing whole-heartedly in the ministry of theological education.

“God is in control 100%,” Paul said. “It’s just hard and sad to see what’s going on in that region right now. But ultimately, God is responsible for his church there.”

“It’s a very difficult time for congregations to survive, to flourish,” he said. “And of course, along with that, Christian education — sound theological, educational training — is scarce there. The local believers and pastors are hungry for the truth, but we have very limited resources and avenues to provide such training.”

The local believers and pastors are hungry for the truth, but we have very limited resources and avenues to provide such training.

The Necessity of Theological Training

In the East Asian cultural context, Paul explained, the basic concept of the gospel is not difficult to introduce. “It is much harder,” he said, “to make sense of the gospel when somebody truly wants to know more.”

Moreover, linguistic and cultural complexities make it particularly difficult for foreign missionaries to identify the root of theological confusion. For instance, Paul explained, when someone asks who Jesus is and why he matters, there are many opportunities for misunderstanding.

“When we introduce Jesus to East Asian people, it is not enough to present him as only the Savior. Jesus is both the Lord and Savior. In a gospel presentation, I prefer to begin with the eternal identity of Jesus, who is the Logos coexistent with God in eternity. The Logos is forever the Son of God. At a point in time, the Logos became one of us in flesh — the Son of Man, thus called God the Son incarnate. That’s the biblical Jesus Christ whom the world must meet. Evidently, this kind of concept entails profound theological instruction, training, and discipline.”

Misunderstandings can quickly lead to false teaching. One common heresy Paul and Mary encounter is modalism, originating from misunderstanding around the identity of the Trinity. This is where Paul’s training at Southeastern has proven uniquely valuable.

Under the teaching of Steven McKinion, professor of theology and patristic studies, Paul has grown in both his own understanding of the Trinity and his conviction that God presents the Trinity through his Scriptures in ways that his people can clearly understand.

“Dr. McKinion was instrumental in getting me on fire to speak theology in lay person’s terms,” Paul said, “and Dr. Hammett’s theology is so well-versed. Dr. Hammett also trained me well in doing rigorous and precise scholarly research, to basically recalibrate and refine our doctrine in a more balanced and well-rounded theological system to align it as close as we can with God’s word and with his intention for the Church and for human beings.”

During their time at Southeastern, Mary also enrolled in a number of classes to further equip herself for the mission field.

“When you come on campus, you can’t escape the mission to ‘go,’” she said. “It’s an environment where you will learn to deepen your theology and know the Scriptures.”

When you come on campus, you can’t escape the mission to ‘go.’ It’s an environment where you will learn to deepen your theology and know the Scriptures.

Southeastern’s Great Commission emphasis, Mary explained, creates an environment in which students are constantly considering their call to go to the nations. Furthermore, they are being equipped for that very calling, no matter where they end up after finishing their degree.

The Same Mission, the Same Goal

At the end of Paul’s degree, he and Mary anticipate another significant change in their lives.

They intend to move to Southeast Asia where Paul will continue teaching at seminaries there — something he had the opportunity to do during his PhD studies at Southeastern. This opportunity will allow him to train church leaders from East Asia, in his native language.

He and Mary will also help with a local church plant, and while Paul invests in his students, Mary will turn her attention towards building crucial relationships, making connections in the community, and teaching ESL.

Years ago, Paul and Mary would not have envisioned themselves on this path. Along the way, they have experienced deep heartbreak and disappointment, and yet they continue to trust God’s sovereignty.

“God’s sovereignty: that’s what carries me on,” Paul shared. “It’s not about me. It’s about him. It’s not my mission. It’s his mission.”

“We have plans,” Mary said, “but he has to direct them, and it is his timing. We just have to be faithful in obedience.”

To Southeastern supporters, Paul expressed his gratitude: “We’re on the same mission. We’re working towards the same goal.”

“Your dollars have enabled Southeastern to equip us well to speak the truth with increasing accuracy. It is always an ongoing process to get our theology more and more sound. Nobody, no denomination, no church, knows it all. So it’s an ongoing process for us to know God better, so we can speak about God better; consequently, we will better live in God’s presence.”

 

As Paul and Mary continue to pursue God’s mission in their lives and in their ministry, join us in praying for them, for fruitfulness in their labors and increased confidence and hope in the sovereignty of God. Pray that he would continue to open doors for ministry to local church leaders from East Asia. To learn more about how you can join in the work of the Great Commission through the equipping of missionaries and church leaders, visit sebts.edu/support-sebts. 

 

*Names have been changed for security purposes.