1986
The Challenge
One of the significant challenges in gospel work is preserving the fruits of ministry, particularly in follow-up. I first faced this issue while serving in a multi-congregational church near Chinatown.
My job seemed straightforward: contacting visitors to our church services and locating and assessing those who had backslid or gone missing. I was given two shoeboxes of visitor cards filled with contacts, including records of those who had left the church or gone Missing-in-Action (MIA). My role was to contact visitors, gauge their spiritual state, bring back the lost, counsel the weak, rebuke the unruly, and most importantly, “get them to the church on time!”
In those first few months, I learned many lessons, particularly about God’s grace. I recall Bill (not his real name) and his wife. They were searching for a church to settle in. Both were devoted to the Lord and eager to serve Him meaningfully. It took a few months before I initially contacted them, but they soon became regular worshippers. Within a year, they left for mission work in Indonesia. Surprisingly, several months passed between his first visit and my call, yet he responded positively.
