Program Design
“You are the salt of the earth...
You are the light of the world…”

Matthew 5:13-16
Program Goals 

To Nurture spiritual and relational vitality

To Educate  and explore relevant challenges and opportunities

To Empower the churches to greater responsiveness to God's calling

To Provide mission relevant resources and training

Program Components

CEP is a two year cycle program that offers a series of educational, experiential, interactive, church cohort peer learning, multi-media gatherings in person and online for pastors, church leaders and members of participating churches. It hopes to empower churches with biblically based theology, spiritual, ministry and practical resources to address contemporary challenges in their contexts. Options for pastors and individuals to participate are also available.

Target Issues

CEP has selected 4 contemporary challenges common to Chinese American churches as the first issues to address in-depth. They are prevalent within the church as well as the community at large. Many churches notice them and experience the effects, but are unclear about God’s perspectives and strategies to engage them. Yet, by not proactively engaging these challenges, Chinese American churches' lose saltiness in society, and their own health and stability may even be threatened. We believe when churches boldly engage the challenges in their contexts, live out the Gospel in them as salt and light, they will thrive and impact their communities for Christ.

Our Pastoral & Faculty Team

Each participating church will have a pastoral facilitator to support their leadership team until the end of the two-year cycle. CEP faculty will include Christian Theology and Social Science professors, pastors, and practitioners with experience and strategies to address our contemporary challenges, offering biblical/theological understanding, guidelines, spiritual practices, ministry pathways for congregations.

Church Empowerment Program is a ministry of China Evangelical Seminary North America
This program is funded by Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative