Spreading the Kingdom of Christ from Household to Household: Is It Being Done?

Abstract

John F. Chworowsky’s 1974 paper, presented at the World Mission Seminary Conference in Tsuchiura, Japan, addresses the challenges of personal evangelism among national pastors, particularly in Hong Kong. He critiques the tendency of pastors to focus solely on administrative and liturgical duties, neglecting household-to-household witnessing. Chworowsky explores cultural barriers, such as distrust among Chinese citizens, and questions whether these are genuine obstacles or excuses for inaction. He challenges seminary leaders to evaluate their role in training pastors for active evangelism and raises concerns about inadequate instruction, lack of qualified instructors, and the need for curricular reform. The paper concludes with a series of discussion questions aimed at identifying universal issues in clergy evangelism, improving seminary training, and fostering enthusiasm for personal outreach. Chworowsky’s work calls for renewed commitment to spreading the Gospel through direct, personal engagement. —Abstract by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4)