The Beginning
In 1954, Rev. S.C. Chiu founded Chinese Baptist Mission located in Chinatown, New York. He predominately desired to minister to Chinese immigrants in New York City.
In the mid 1970's, an English fellowship was formed due to the growing ABC population from the growth of "church babies." In 1980, Rev. Wong Chung had a vision to begin an English Ministry. It was then that the English worship service began. Since the formation of the English Ministry, we have seen how God has been working in our congregation. To best chart this process, we have summarized the development of the English congregation by the various pastors who have been with NYCBC.
Rev. Milton Eng: Discipleship
God used Rev. Milton Eng to teach NYCBC English Ministry the importance of discipleship. He worked closely with the leadership team at the time in discipling them personally. It was through his influence that the congregation got involved with the Navigators Colossians 2:7 Discipleship Program which has bore fruit for further discipleship today.
Pastor Ken Tom: Excellence in Ministry
God used Pastor Ken to teach NYCBC the importance of excellence in ministry. He encouraged the leadership to look at the development of ministry. He provided guidance to the leadership to have a broader vision of the English ministry, with the emphasis on taking ownership of it, since it was being recognized only as an English Department. With this in mind, he introduced the concept of parallel ministry in revising the structure of NYCBC.
Pastor Michael Chan: Cell Group/Outward Focus
God used Pastor Mike to teach the English Ministry the importance of not only strengthening the home base, but looking outward as well. His emphasis was on moving away from the traditional church life and "meeting the people where they are at," by introducing the concept of cell group ministry.
Vision Quest: Rebuilding the Walls
God has used VQ to sustain the English Ministry during the transition period without a shepherd. The leadership has been streamlined to oversee the four vital areas of church life: Worship, Introduction, Fellowship, and Evangelism. VQ also worked with the Board of Deacons to rebuild and restore harmony between the two ministry congregations.
Rev John Ng: Organization and Structure
God's goodness has truly been evident in bringing Pastor John to NYCBC. He brought stability and excellence to the preaching and teaching of the Word. Under his care, the English ministry has seen sustained growth in our worship service. He has been working with the leadership in restructuring the leadership group to move from organism to organization: to build an additional layer of leaders through the mentoring process. Pastor John also helped expand the Fellowship Ministry by starting the Family Fellowship, Single Men's Fellowship, College and Early Career Fellowship, and most recently, a Church-wide Fellowship. The creation of the Missions Department and the vision of 10/10 (10% additional giving to a missions budget and 10% of our congregation to be involved in missions work) was also started under Pastor John's leadership. Pastor John has proven to ben an invaluable resource for the Board of Deacons as well. Finally, it was through Pastor John that we were introduced to our new Assistant Pastor to the English Ministry, Pastor Ben Ing.
Rev. Ben Ing: A Legacy of Service To God
Pastor Ben Ing was called to serve at NYCBC in July 2004. He was introduced to us as a seminary student by Pastor John and came aboard to work with our youth. His dedication and gifts for ministry were revealed as the youth responded positively to his leadership. His quiet yet enthusiastic service led us to call him to be our English Pastor. He served the English ministry for over 15 years leading us in serving God in our local community, reaching out to the homeless and discipling international students at NYU.