The 50th Session of the Chinese Annual Conference (CAC), held at Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church (TACMC) from 10 to 13 November, marked a significant milestone, celebrating five decades of God’s unwavering faithfulness. In Scripture, the fiftieth year, the Jubilee, is a season of renewal, restoration and release.
This year’s Conference resonated deeply with that spirit, made even more meaningful by its venue: TACMC, a historic church newly restored to its former glory. In the process of renovation, a 100-year-old time capsule was uncovered, providing a glimpse into the past and its stories. This was a tangible reminder of the faith and vision of past generations. As pastors, lay delegates and leaders gathered in that historic sanctuary for the Opening and Closing Services, it felt like both a continuation of a rich legacy and a fresh beginning in seeking God’s direction for the Conference.
A jubilee of reset and renewal
CAC President Rev Dr Lek Yong Teck described the Jubilee as not only a celebration but an invitation. It is a divine call to reset, reconcile and realign the Church with God’s purposes. Thus, the Conference began not merely with formality, but with spiritual expectation and readiness for renewal.
During his address, Rev Lek articulated a compelling vision for the future: to re-establish CAC around its core identity as a disciple-making Conference. With clarity and conviction, he presented the new quadrennial (2025-2028) theme, “Discipling the Generations 代代塑造门徒” based on Psalm 78:5–7.
This theme was broken into three sub-themes:
- Holy Living 圣洁生活 – Holiness as identity and lifestyle
- Prayerful Dependence 虔诚祷告 – A renewed culture of intercession
- Life-on-Life 传承生命 – Relational disciple-making, one life shaping another
Psalm 78:5–7 calls God’s people to pass his truth from fathers to children, to the generation to come, forming an unbroken chain of faithfulness. Disciple-making, Rev Lek emphasised, must not be treated as a programme or event but as the spiritual culture of every CAC church. He warned against “mission drift” and the danger of becoming busy, yet spiritually misaligned. He urged CAC to rediscover its Wesleyan roots: a movement characterised by public witness, structured discipleship and leadership development.
Key decisions and strategic directions
Throughout the session, three major priorities emerged, shaping a strategic direction for the Conference in the years ahead.
1. Strengthening the disciple-making framework
Many leaders across CAC desire stronger disciple-making but are unsure how to begin. To address this, CAC aims to:
- Establish a common disciple-making pathway for the 17 churches
- Develop youth and senior ministries, two age groups with urgent demographic needs
- Expand the Illumine Worldview Curriculum, CAC’s own small group curriculum which has trained over 570 participants across 11 churches to date
- Encourage deeper cross-church collaboration, shifting CAC beyond its traditional culture of autonomy
Rev Lek emphasised that disciple-making is inherently relational, saying, “If disciple-making is about relationships, then we must build these relationships first.”
2. Leadership development through a lay-clergy partnership
Drawing from Ephesians 4:11–13, Rev Lek affirmed that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers must work together to equip the saints for ministry. CAC is therefore strengthening leadership development in several ways:
- Enhancing Member-on-Trial (MOT) training
- Expanding monthly Pastor-in-Charge sessions for prayer, alignment and skills formation
- Establishing a CAC Leadership Community for long-term mentoring and relational support
- Emphasising leadership character, faithfulness and obedience, instead of competency
Such lay-clergy partnership is essential to navigating the complex challenges facing the modern church.
3. Re-envisioning ministry for a changing landscape
Marking its 50th year, CAC reflected deeply on seven significant realities shaping its future.
- Pastoral manpower: The need for suitable workers
The issue is not the number of pastors but the suitability of pastors to serve diverse congregations in Mandarin, dialect and English, and engaging youth, seniors and multi-generational groups. With new preaching points such as Anglo-Chinese School (Academy) in 2026, finding well-matched pastors and lay leaders is increasingly critical. Leadership alignment is therefore key to strengthening disciple-making across CAC.
- The senior tsunami
Almost half of CAC’s members are over the age of 60. Rather than viewing this as a disadvantage, the Conference sees this as a new frontier for disciple-making. Churches are encouraged to equip seniors as mentors, intercessors and spiritual anchors. This affirms that discipleship is a lifelong endeavour.
- Young adults: A missing generation
Many CAC churches experience a significant absence of young adults. This urgent gap requires intentional ministry planning, clearer discipleship pathways and stronger leadership development. Without young adults, the generational chain of disciple-making weakens.
- Stagnant conversion growth
The Conference averaged 240 baptisms annually over the past three years. This is a conversion growth rate of 1.6%. While every salvation is deeply precious, the growth number is low, urgently calling for a renewed and fervent evangelistic passion. Rev Lek reminded delegates that evangelism naturally flows from spiritually transformed lives.
- LGBTQ pastoral care
As society engages more deeply on LGBTQ issues, churches must respond with biblical clarity and pastoral compassion. The Board on Family Life’s guidance paper, adopted during the Conference, provides direction for churches navigating these sensitive conversations.
- Special needs ministry and church planting
CAC’s commitment to serving persons with special needs is pioneered by three “seed churches”, namely Sengkang Methodist Church, Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church and Bukit Panjang Methodist Church (BPMC). A notable step forward is BPMC’s new preaching point at Anglo-Chinese School (Academy), marking a significant milestone in loving and supporting special-needs families. This also affirmed that inclusion must become part of CAC’s identity.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Tool, not teacher
While AI can assist with administration and learning, Rev Lek reminded the Conference that Christianity is relational at its core. Technology can support ministry, but it can never replace life-on-life discipleship or the spiritual formation that takes place in community.
A historic first: “Awakened”, an Annual Conference prayer night
For the first time in CAC history, the Annual Conference hosted a dedicated Prayer Night, drawing over 400 participants at Grace Methodist Church. Gathering young and old, pastors and laity, the night marked a powerful moment of corporate intercession, praying for revival, for families, for the next generation, and for CAC’s mission ahead. This prayer night became one of the most hopeful signs of spiritual renewal emerging in this Jubilee year.
Closing exhortation: Rise and build
At the Closing Service, Rev Lek returned to Psalm 78, reminding CAC of its call to pass the faith from generation to generation. He urged the Conference to seek deeper intimacy with God, align every ministry to disciple-making, take up the cross with holy courage and build a culture that would bless future generations. “God is not calling us to do more,” he said. “He is calling us to become more—more aligned with his heart, more intentional in his mission.”
As the session ended, one message rang clear: CAC is called to movement, not maintenance. Standing on fifty years of God’s faithfulness, CAC enters a new chapter anchored in a multi-generational vision, and united in disciple-making. May the Lord lead CAC forward with courage, compassion and holy conviction, that our churches may shine with holy love and bear lasting fruit for generations to come.
2026华人年议会委任表 Chinese Annual Conference Appointments List 2026
华人年议会会长：陆永德牧师（博士）CAC President Rev Dr Lek Yong Teck
| 第一教区 District 1 教区长 District Superintendent 江宗大牧师 Rev Christopher Kong Chung Dai |
第二教区 District 2 教区长 District Superintendent 吴毅华牧师 Rev Andy Goh Yik Wah |
第三教区 District 3 教区长 District Superintendent 何秋吟牧师 Rev Helen Hoe Chiew Ngin |
第四教区 District 4 教区长 District Superintendent 刘昌耀牧师 Rev Lau Chong Yaw |
|---|---|---|---|
| 芽笼堂 Geylang CMC 主理 Pastor-in-Charge 陈元昌牧师 Rev Chin Yan Chong 协理 Associate Pastor 巴耶黎峇堂／巴耶礼峇美以美宣教站 协理 Associate Pastors 传道 Preacher 樟宜堂 Changi MC 颂恩堂 Charis MC 协理 Associate Pastors 盛港堂 Sengkang MC 协理 Associate Pastors |
直落亚逸堂／直落亚逸第二礼拜堂 Telok Ayer CMC/ TA2 主理 Pastor-in-Charge 许立欣牧师 Rev Edmund Koh Lik Hng 协理 Associate Pastors 武吉班让堂 Bukit Panjang MC 协理 Associate Pastors 助理 Assistant Pastor 隶属 Attachment 恩典堂 Grace MC 协理 Associate Pastors 助理 Assistant Pastor 恩约堂Holy Covenant MC 协理 Associate Pastor |
福灵堂 Foochow MC 主理 Pastor-in-Charge 刘昌耀牧师 Rev Lau Chong Yaw 协理 Associate Pastors 传道 Preacher 天道堂 Hinghwa MC 协理 Associate Pastor 感恩堂 Kum Yan MC 协理 Associate Pastor 隶属 Attachment 天恩堂 Hakka MC 协理 Associate Pastor 义顺北宣堂 Yishun Methodist Mission 传道 Preacher |
女皇镇堂 Queenstown CMC 主理 Pastor-in-Charge 林天源牧师 Rev Ling Tieng Ngung 协理 Associate Pastors 宏茂桥堂 Ang Mo Kio CMC 协理 Associate Pastor 助理 Assistant Pastor 大巴窑堂 Toa Payoh CMC 协理 Associate Pastor |
| 2026年会督特别委任本年议会教牧 2026 CAC Pastors’ Special Appointments by Bishop |
2026年会长特别委任 2026 Special Appointments by President |
|---|---|
| 卫理宣教会宣教士 Missionary with MMS 李文英牧师 Rev Cassandra Lee Boon Eng 门徒机构 – 主任 Director, Disciple Agency 学校圣工副主任 Associate Directors of Christian Ministry in Schools 卫理学校校牧 Methodist School Chaplains 卫理福利服务荣誉院牧 Honorary Chaplains in MWS |
三一神学院院长及讲师 Trinity Theological College Principal & Lecturer 郑益民牧师（博士）Rev Dr Edwin Tay Ed Min 三一神学院讲师及华人年议会三一神学生院牧 Lecturers at Trinity Theological College & Chaplains to CAC Students at Trinity Theological College 华人年议会三一神学生女院牧Lady Chaplain to CAC Students at Trinity Theological College 储备讲师 Faculty in Development 年会神学生 Conference Theological Students 卫理宣教会宣教分析、重组和发展中心主任兼宣教区域主任 (东帝汶) 四宗乐龄学院院长 Principal, Four Denominations Institute of Elderly 安息年 Sabbatical 退休牧者Retirement 重聘退休教牧 Re-engagement of Retired Pastors 孙鸿岐奖学金委员会 – 财政Soon Hong Kee Scholarship Committee (Treasurer) 新加坡监狱 – 团契PFS Chaplaincy & Pastoral Council (Member) |
Text by Rev Jonathan Huang. / Photos courtesy of Chinese Annual Conference
