Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Emergent Village

Home
Progressive Christian
Growing Cafe Churches Singapore Style

Growing Cafe Churches Singapore Style

Last updated on: December 12, 2011 at 10:19 am by Andrew Jones

Growing Cafe Churches Singapore Style 2011-12-12T10:19:54-06:00 Andrew Jones

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Why are people so upset at the emerging church?”, Tim Wong asked me last night over a mango juice at a Balinese party.

We didn’t have time to plummet the jelloed depths of EC criticism, although I do enjoy the subject. But we did discuss cafe churches and how they have evolved from cheesy church-basement services in the 80’s [GUILTY AS CHARGED] to state-of-the-art, Über-Funky couch-clad temples of Java and Bible that they have now become. Even here in Asia. Particularly in Asia, where cafe churches are sometimes accompanied by coffee roasteries, coffee bean farming, and associated businesses.

The emerging church in Asia has been an inspiration to me for a long time. I have been greatly sharpened by the holistic Christian ashrams in India, the alternative Christian house-parties in Japan, the micro-business based youth churches in China, and the social-enterprise based churches coming out of Indonesia’s punk scene that I met a decade ago. And of course the cafe churches which are found all over Asia.

But Singapore has escaped my attention. I haven’t been to SIngapore for 2 decades and a lot has changed since the cell-church movement here was commanding attention in the 90’s.

Until last night. I was thrilled to hear that Tim and his friends, mostly Christian businesspeople, have been starting cafe churches in Singapore and now in other Asian countries.

“Our vision is to see as many missional cafes as there Starbucks outlets (17,000 and counting) across South East Asia and beyond, in the next 30 years.” Tim Wong

Tim is a banker in Singapore but his real heart is to impact his city’s poor and disciple them in the way of Jesus in environments where people without Christian backgrounds can feel comfortable. For Tim and his friends, this means missional cafes with churches that meet inside them. It’s strategic, yes, but its also economical and sustainable. And this is what I love about the Asian mentality. There is little wastage. Everything has to make sense financially.

“It costs $20 million to buy land and build a church in Singapore. For that much money, we could buy 100 coffee shops.” Tim Wong

Tim and his friends are already launching missional cafe communities in Japan and Bali as well as Singapore. Their latest cafe just opened in a Singapore’s Chinatown. Which is hilarious because a 1939 Boris Karloff movie is entitled “Mr. Wong in Chinatown.”

Heh heh!!

Tim’s father is excited about this new direction and these fresh expressions of church. Canon Dr James Wong has been a strategic thinker in church planting for decades. A speaker at the original Lausanne Congress in 1974, co-author of Growing Churches Singapore Style: Ministry in an Urban Context [mandatory reading for me as a Fuller SWM student], founding Vicar of the Chapel of the Resurrection which is described as “one of Singapore’s most productive churches, Canon James Wong is a pioneer in Singapore’s church planting scene, having planted home-fellowships in the early 70’s, long before John Travolta thrust his pelvis into his first hussle dance step.

Canon Dr James Wong has been there before. He is very proud of his son. And like most other Asians, he sees the economic benefits of organic churches:

Less capital cost and funding is required to get new churches started. It also allows for more flexibility and mobility of the centers of witness and worship. The house-churches can always be located where people are found to be most responsive.” James Wong [Evangelism in High-Rise Housing Apartment Buildings, Lasuanne papers, PDF]

It is this acute sense of economy and sustainability that I appreciate from young church planters in Asia. They are not starting cash-sucking charity cases but are launching financially sustainable models of church that are inviting, non-threatening, participatory, and, even though it may be crude to say it, church expressions that pay the rent. And, if you are a coffee-geek who knows your Sumatran from your Sulawesi, you also get a pretty decent drop.

ANDREW JONES || Entrepreneur. Blogger. Global Nomad.
WEB: main blog || home base || skype || facebook || twitter

emerging church in asia

Previous Post

December 14, 2017

The Body Never Lies

Next Post

December 5, 2011 Welcome to the Emergent Village Voice

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Addiction Advent Atheism Authority Bible Cartoons Christian Year Christmas church church planting Civil Rights Community Contemplative Spirituality Culture emerging church Empire Eschatology Evangelism Events Gender Healing Humanism Islam Justice Kingdom Lent Movement Building Multi-Faith Music mysticism New Wave Emergence origins Personal Poetry politics Prayer Preaching Privilege Racism Religious naturalism Resurrection salvation SKEPTIMERGENT Theology Trauma Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Ichabod" mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

God's gift No glory Holy child Blessed son