City reaching as a vision started in 1996 and 1997 when Ed Silvoso came to teach the principles in his book, That None Should Perish. At the end of the teaching the Pastors agreed to divide Hong Kong into 18 Districts along the lines of the electoral districts for the purpose of reaching each District for Christ.
During the same period of time before 1997, Harvest Evangelism mobilized one million hours of prayer for Hong Kong by intercessors from Argentina preceding the transition and handover of sovereignty from Britain to Mainland China. All of this had a significant effect in changing the spiritual climate, and the changeover was peaceful.
Nevertheless, the fledgling movement began to wane. The meeting of Pastors in each city for prayer needed to be revived. Further, it was found that it was not easy to organize or maintain lighthouses of prayer or to mobilize whole churches in prayer evangelism.
In 2002, Ed came to Hong Kong again and through contact with Pastor Lydia, who also had the vision to reach the whole city for Christ, fresh impetus was birthed into the movement, and pastors’ groups were commissioned in each District.
It was about that time when it became clear to Harvest Evangelism that a city could not be reached without the marketplace component being actively deployed. Ed came and started to teach Anointed for Business. The essential message in Anointed for Business is that marketplace Christians are to be ministers in the marketplace. The paradigm that had to be changed was the divide between pastors and marketplace Christians and that only pastors were equipped to do ministry. The vision for marketplace transformation was birthed initially by three persons, one in Government, one in Business and one in Education. They were already operating in the new paradigm that all Christians are a royal priesthood and are given an anointing from God to minister in the marketplace.
On Ed’s visit in 2002 the Marketplace Transformation Network was formed for the purpose of training, inspiring vision, encouraging and mobilizing marketplace transformation. It was found that marketplace Christians readily understood the new paradigm and welcomed it. As a result, I was able to form and lead a team consisting of those who had a firm belief that a move of God in the marketplace was the means that God would use to bring transformation of the city.
In 2003, Harvest Evangelism (H.K.) Ltd. was formed. Ed came back to teach on Anointed Business twice. In the process, the Hong Kong chapter of Apostolic Transformation Network (ATN) was formed with the core team of our Marketplace Transformation Network.
Today, ATN Hong Kong members are developing prototypes of marketplace Church. It is understood that not only prototypes of marketplace Church have to be developed, but prototypes of transformed ways of conducting different marketplace professions, occupations and callings have to be established. Not only that, marketplace ideologies have to be changed by Christians so that they will become infused with Biblical values. ATN members are being led by the Lord to develop this in their personal experience. As we have moved along in the process, marketplace apostles have begun to emerge and grow into their callings and anointings.
Transformation is a multi-faceted process. Evidence of the move of God in the marketplace and the spread and growth of the understanding about marketplace transformation is coming from the sphere of education. Through the work of Jaeson Ma, the schools of the 18 Districts of Hong Kong are seeing dramatic changes in students’ lives and in the spiritual climate on campus as the result of implementing prayer evangelism.
Through the years, the intercessory movement has developed and trained thousands of intercessors. Intercessory ministries have been raised up as the prayer movement continues to help bring about God’s change in the spiritual climate in Hong Kong. The Global Day of Prayer on 15 May 2005 in Hong Kong further mobilized churches and Christians to come together to pray and repent for the sins of the city. God was welcomed to enter into the city as Lord and King, and doors have been opened to the Spirit of the Living God to permeate all sectors of the city.
It is the vision of Harvest Evangelism-Hong Kong that one of its callings is to birth prophetic intercession that discerns foundational issues of the city that caused strongholds to be built historically in this city. The ATN of Hong Kong is working to develop this area.
The city reaching movement headed by Pastor Lydia Wong has been developing a prototype by focusing on one of Hong Kong’s 18 districts. They have seen God’s hand at work, and today, many districts are being reached and Christians are being trained to reach their peers. More recently they have been training crack teams of evangelists to penetrate the marketplace and to pastor people in the marketplace.
The Hong Kong prototype is not under the umbrella of a single, homogenous, united move of God that encompasses all these segments of God’s work. Nevertheless, as we actively pursue the vision God has placed before us, we are watching Him mobilize and bring together the leaders He has placed in the city, leaders that can mobilize the whole city. We are careful to wait to see God’s work. We have to see how God is bringing the different aspects of His work in this city together. In the meantime, it is clear that the role of Harvest Evangelism is to come alongside to shed light on the Bible principles to be applied for transformation and to envision and equip leaders in the city to bring transformation.
Barbara Chan
Director, Harvest Evangelism – Hong Kong