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        <title>Christian Daily International | Church & Missions</title>
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        <description><![CDATA[Stay updated on global church and mission news, including evangelical outreach, church planting, discipleship, digital evangelism, and cross-cultural missions. Explore how Christians worldwide share the gospel and build the global body of Christ.]]></description>
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                <title><![CDATA['Life is too short': Manny Pacquiao calls Arise Asia delegates to set soul-winning goals]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/life-is-too-short-manny-pacquiao-calls-arise-asia-delegates-to-set-soul-winning-goals</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Manny Pacquiao addresses delegates at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Manny Pacquiao addresses delegates at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026. The Philippine boxing legend and evangelist urged the gathering of some 4,000 participants from 50 countries to set annual soul-winning goals, calling discipleship a personal commitment "while we're living here in this earth." ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:10:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Manny Pacquiao, the Philippine boxing legend turned evangelist, told thousands of Christian leaders in Manila that life is brief and the task of sharing the gospel cannot wait — urging delegates at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress to set specific, annual goals for bringing others to faith.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Follow Christian Daily International's full reporting on Arise Asia 2026.
Manny Pacquiao, the Philippine boxing legend turned evangelist, told thousands of Christian leaders in Manila that life is brief and the task of sharing the gospel cannot wait — urging delegates at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress to set specific, annual goals for bringing others to faith.
Pacquiao delivered his message on the congress's opening evening on July 27. Speaking before some 4,000 participants from more than 50 countries, he drew from his own journey — from a life of what he described as drunkenness and gambling to one centered on Scripture and evangelism — and pressed delegates to measure their Christian lives by how many souls they are actively trying to reach.
"With the time I accept Jesus Christ in my life — but before that, people know my old life," he said. "A lot of vices in life, drunkenness, gambling, everything like that. I had that. But when God changed my heart and gave me conviction and I surrendered my life to Jesus and accepted him as my Lord and Savior, then I obeyed."
The Arise Asia 2026 Congress runs through July 31 under the theme "For the Joy," drawn from Hebrews 12:2. Pacquiao, a former eight-division boxing world champion who has also served as a Philippine congressman and senator, was recently installed by the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches as an international evangelist.
Set a goal
Much of Pacquiao's address turned on the question of intentionality. He cited the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 and called on believers to translate the mandate into concrete personal commitments rather than leaving it abstract.
"We should set a goal in our day-to-day life — how many souls that you can target in one year to bring to the kingdom of God," he said. He suggested a modest starting point: "My target this year is to bring two souls to the kingdom of God. Just two. And then next year, maybe I can make five souls. So that's my goal in life. I encourage you to do the same."
He framed the urgency in terms of human mortality. Life, he said, is "like a morning fog that we appear and disappear." Against that brevity, he asked: "How many souls you bring to the kingdom of God in your lifetime in this earth? That's the question, being a Christian."
On pride and compromise
Pacquiao reserved his sharpest remarks for what he called the greatest spiritual obstacle many believers face: the assumption that one is already good enough.
"The greatest hindrance for a person to be saved is to assume that you are good enough to go to heaven," he said. He connected that pride to a failure to read Scripture and pray consistently, which he argued leaves believers unable to resist temptation or remain faithful. "There are so many Christians right now in the world that we call it backsliding, turning and compromising their faith," he said. "They're not reading the Bible day and night. They're not praying continually. That's the most important. That's the problem for all of us."
He urged delegates to make Scripture memory a discipline: "I encourage you to read the Bible day and night, memorizing the Scriptures — that's how to make you strong. Because when the day of trial comes in our lives, we cannot stand using our physical body."
Faith shown in conduct
Pacquiao also pushed back against a version of Christianity measured by knowledge rather than character. When learning about God increases pride rather than humility, he said, something has gone wrong.
"When your knowledge increase about God, then pride will come. And that's the greatest hindrance," he said. The alternative, he argued, is a faith visible in how believers treat the people around them. "The life I'm talking about is the way you treat others, the way you show up to others, the way you help others. That's the most important thing, being a Christian — inspiration admirable to others, especially our attitude, the way we treat others, the way we communicate, the way we humble ourselves for others."
He closed with prayer for delegates, asking that they receive "wisdom, knowledge, understanding to preach your word boldly without fear."
The Arise Asia Congress continues through July 31 in Manila.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Arise Asia 2026 Congress opens in Manila with call to reach 3 billion unreached]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/arise-asia-2026-congress-opens-in-manila-with-call-to-reach-3-billion-unreached</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/arise-asia-2026-congress-opens-in-manila-with-call-to-reach-3-billion-unreached</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Delegates from 50 countries fill the arena during the opening worship session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Delegates from 50 countries fill the arena during the opening worship session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026. The five-day gathering drew approximately 4,000 participants from across Asia and beyond under the theme "For the Joy," drawn from Hebrews 12:2. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Bishop Noel Pantoja, National Director of the Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches and chair of the Arise Asia board, addresses delegates at the opening session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Bishop Noel Pantoja, National Director of the Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches and chair of the Arise Asia board, addresses delegates at the opening session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026. Pantoja called participants to reach nearly 7,000 unreached people groups representing roughly three billion people worldwide. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Rev. Dr. David Ro, co-founder and executive director of Arise Asia, speaks at the opening session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026.]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Rev. Dr. David Ro, co-founder and executive director of Arise Asia, speaks at the opening session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026. Ro introduced the conference theme "For the Joy," based on Hebrews 12:2, framing it around what he described as a path of sacrifice rather than ease. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Pastor Peter Tan-Chi, founder and senior pastor of Christs Commission Fellowship, delivers the opening address at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Pastor Peter Tan-Chi, founder and senior pastor of Christ's Commission Fellowship, delivers the opening address at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines, July 27, 2026. Tan-Chi urged young leaders to "serve God with joy and finish well," warning that research suggests only a quarter of Christian leaders complete their ministries faithfully. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:20:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Some 4,000 Christians from across Asia and beyond gathered in Manila on July 27 for the opening session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress, a five-day gathering of students and young leaders focused on frontier missions and evangelism.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Follow Christian Daily International's full reporting on Arise Asia 2026.
Some 4,000 Christians from across Asia and beyond gathered in Manila on July 27 for the opening session of the Arise Asia 2026 Congress, a five-day gathering of students and young leaders focused on frontier missions and evangelism.
Representatives from 50 countries filled the venue for the event, which runs through July 31 under the theme "For the Joy," drawn from Hebrews 12:2: "For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Bishop Noel Pantoja, National Director of the Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches and chair of the Arise Asia board, opened the congress by drawing attention to the scale of the task facing global missions. Nearly 7,000 people groups — comprising roughly three billion people, or about 40 percent of the world's population — remain without meaningful access to the gospel, he said.
"The highest concentration of unreached groups are found in this region," Pantoja told the congress, pointing to South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of East and Southeast Asia. He called on participants to move past national and organizational identities and engage the task as "brothers and sisters in Christ" bound by a shared calling.
"I invite you to pray with me that thousands of young people will rise up as God's agents and ambassadors to bring the gospel to these nations," Pantoja said. He described the challenge as one requiring "sensitivity, creativity, partnership and collaboration."

The theme: joy through the cross
Rev. Dr. David Ro, co-founder and executive director of Arise Asia, acknowledged that while arriving at the Congress had been very smooth for some, there are also many delegates that had traveled long distances under difficult conditions — hours on planes, delays at airports, and other logistical challenges. He offered that experience as a preview of the missionary road ahead.
He referred to the well-known worship song "Blessed be your name", which first praises God amid abundance and sunshine but then continues to praise God "on the road marked with suffering."
"The life ahead of you is not going to be easy," Ro said. "And if you can still say, 'Blessed be your name,' then amen."
The conference theme, he explained, does not promise that everything will always go smoothly. "For the joy of the Lord doesn't necessarily come on an easy path. Remember Hebrews chapter 12? For the joy set before him — what? Endure the cross."

Ro outlined how the five days of the congress would each explore a dimension of that joy: for the joy is the theme of the first day, the joy of following Jesus on the second day; the joy of surrender, holiness, and sacrifice on the third; the joy of purposeful perseverance on the fourth; and the joy of eternity on the final day.
Opening address: serve God with joy, finish well
The evening's first address came from Pastor Peter Tan-Chi, founder and senior pastor of Christ's Commission Fellowship (CCF) in the Philippines. Speaking to a hall where the majority of delegates are under 40, he urged them to carry a single resolve throughout their years of ministry: serve God with joy, and finish well.
Tan-Chi cited research suggesting that only 25% of Christian leaders complete their lives and ministries faithfully. He said that figure — which he first heard from a professor and initially dismissed — eventually reshaped his entire approach to developing leaders.
"I began to focus on character: the heart, not activities, not performance, not competence," he said.
He identified common reasons leaders fall away: neglecting personal time with God, failing to maintain boundaries with the opposite sex, and having no one in their lives willing to hold them accountable.
"Most of us, especially in Asian culture, we want to save face and don't want to confront people," Tan-Chi said.

Drawing on 2 Timothy 2:15, he offered three principles for those who want to both serve God with joy and finish their course. The first is a passion to please God above every other audience. "You can please people. You can please your denomination. You can please your church organization. But God is emphatic — you are going to give an account of your life."
The second is a commitment to excellence. Tan-Chi told delegates that Christians who cut corners in their professional work and blame ministry commitments do damage to the gospel's credibility. "Don't use Bible study as an excuse to be a lousy performer in your company," he said. "Whatever you do, do your work as for the Lord rather than for men."
The third principle, he said, is a passion for God's truth — and the courage to teach it without compromise. "Truth is not truth because the majority of people believe it," he said. Truth is not about feelings or preferences either, he emphasized. "Truth is narrow and exclusive." He pressed delegates to hold the scriptural witness against the grain of cultural accommodation on questions of human identity and sexual ethics.
Tan-Chi closed with the story of John Stephen Akhwari, the Tanzanian marathon runner who fell and injured himself during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics but continued to the finish line, arriving hours after the other competitors. When asked why he kept going, Akhwari said his country had not sent him to start the race but to finish it.
"God has told you to run the race," Tan-Chi said. "Serve God with joy. Finish well. It does not mean you will never fall down. It does not mean you will never get hurt. But you get up."
The Arise Asia Congress continues through July 31 in Manila. The event is organized by Arise Asia, a missions mobilization movement focused on engaging unreached people groups across the Asian continent.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[War-weary Ukrainians plant 160 churches across Europe]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/war-weary-ukrainians-plant-160-churches-across-europe</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/war-weary-ukrainians-plant-160-churches-across-europe</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Romania-Ukraine border]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Photo by Michel E / Unsplash ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Volunteer offering help at the Romania-Ukraine border ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 05:32:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[European Christian Mission International (ECMI) reports that 160 churches have been planted across Europe by displaced Ukrainians in the four years since Russia invaded their country. ]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
European Christian Mission International (ECMI) reports that 160 churches have been planted across Europe by displaced Ukrainians in the four years since Russia invaded their country. 
In a report, ECMI said that what began as a devastating displacement through war is becoming an unexpected movement of gospel witness across Europe. 
“Ukrainian believers, carrying deep pain and loss, are also carrying the hope of Christ wherever they go,” said the ECMI report.  
Jim Memory, Strategic Partnerships Director for ECMI and Co-Regional Director for Lausanne Europe, attended a recent Ukrainian Baptist Churches in Europe Conference in Poland and came away deeply encouraged by what God is doing through Ukrainian Christians across the continent. 
Memory disclosed how inspiring it was to hear story after story of faithfulness under pressure. 
“It was a privilege to listen to their stories, make connections, and briefly speak,” he said.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, millions of Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes, said the report.  
“Yet in the midst of grief, separation, and uncertainty, God’s light is shining brighter. Among Baptists alone, around 160 Ukrainian churches have been planted across Europe during the past four years.”
The report added, “Increasingly, Ukrainian believers are refusing to see themselves only as refugees.
“Instead, many are embracing a different calling - missionaries sent by God into the nations of Europe.” 
ECMI reflected on how the Kingdom of God advanced through tragedy in the book of Acts and compared that reality with the church planting being carried out by Ukrainians displaced by war. 
When persecution scattered the first Christians, the gospel spread wherever they went, said the report. What looked like tragedy became the very means by which the Kingdom of God advanced.
“Ukrainian Christians are arriving in unfamiliar countries carrying trauma and heartbreak, yet many are also bringing courage, prayer, hospitality, evangelistic passion, and a deep dependence on God,” said the report. 
“New fellowships are forming. Churches are being planted. People are hearing about Jesus through those who themselves have suffered greatly.
“Their witness is a powerful reminder that darkness does not have the final word. God is still building His Church, still drawing people to Himself, and still turning suffering into testimony for His glory.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Historic year of charitable giving, says Christian funding charity]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/historic-year-of-charitable-giving-says-christian-funding-charity</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/historic-year-of-charitable-giving-says-christian-funding-charity</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[money, uk, pounds, giving, donation]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Sarah Agnew ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 05:23:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Christian funding charity Stewardship recorded a historic year of charitable giving in 2025, with incoming donations surging 49% to a record £161 million (US $209 million), according to the organization’s annual report released Monday.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Christian funding charity Stewardship recorded a historic year of charitable giving in 2025, with incoming donations surging 49% to a record £161 million (US $209 million), according to the organization’s annual report released Monday.
The sharp rise in "Gifts In" for the UK-based donor-advised fund was bolstered by a single, one-off donation of £32 million.
The funding surge allowed the charity to increase its "Grants Out" by 26% to £134 million, distributing money across 12,000 churches, charities, and Christian worker partners. For the first time in the organization's history, the total number of individual grants topped 1 million, representing a 5% increase year-over-year.
Stewardship reported that its grant payout rate reached 68% in 2025 - a new record that officials noted is more than double the UK average for donor-advised funds. The charity's total assets grew 15% to £248 million.
"In a season when many churches and charities are navigating real pressures, it has been deeply encouraging to witness the resilience of our donors and the extraordinary impact of the ministries they support," Janie Oliver, CEO of Stewardship, said in a statement.
"Behind every number is a story: a church worker sustained, a community outreach strengthened, a charity equipped, a family supported."
The annual report also highlighted growth across the group's professional services. Revenue for church and charity consultancy services rose 6% to £1.5 million, while its payroll bureau service grew 9% to £600,000.
Stewardship’s accounts examination client base grew 5% to a record 527 clients, generating £700,000 in revenue.
Additionally, the charity reported £5.9 million in investment gains, utilizing its "Kingdom Impact Bull’s Eye Investment Approach" to align investments with Christian values and UN Sustainable Development Goals. Such aligned investments grew by £1.5 million, accounting for 29% of Stewardship's total assets.
The organization also expanded its outreach in 2025, adding nearly 900 new partners and launching a monthly podcast titled Active Generosity. Its annual Lent fundraising campaign, 40acts, drew more than 43,000 participants and brought in £300,000 in one-off gifts.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Arise Asia: Turning Gen Z passion into a lasting Asian mission force]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/arise-asia-turning-gen-z-passion-into-a-lasting-asian-mission-force</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/arise-asia-turning-gen-z-passion-into-a-lasting-asian-mission-force</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Timothy Goropevsek]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/30/3031.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Rev. Dr. David Ro delivers the keynote address at the Arise Leadership Summit 2025, declaring, “Asia is moving from being a mission field to a mission force.”]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Rev. Dr. David Ro delivers the keynote address at the Arise Leadership Summit 2025, declaring, “Asia is moving from being a mission field to a mission force.” ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 11:45:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[This coming week, some four thousand young leaders from across Asia and beyond will converge on Manila, Philippines, for the Arise Asia 2026 Congress, held July 27–31. For Rev. Dr. David Ro, the co-founder and executive director of Arise Asia, the gathering is the next big step on a longer journey.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
This coming week, some four thousand young leaders from across Asia and beyond will converge on Manila, Philippines, for the Arise Asia 2026 Congress, held July 27–31. For Rev. Dr. David Ro, the co-founder and executive director of Arise Asia, the gathering is the next big step on a longer journey: one he hopes will carry a generation to the places where the gospel has not yet been named.
Ro spoke with Christian Daily International on the sidelines of last year’s Arise Leadership Summit where he expressed his excitement about the rapid growth he has witnessed since the movements beginning in 2023. "The main thing is that I'm getting a sense now that the leaders we have are not just catching the vision, but they're really owning it and bringing it back to their own context," he said. "This is not just coming to an event overseas and then going back. They're going to bring this movement into their own country and their own churches."
More than 200 people have committed to long-term cross-cultural mission at a recent gathering, Ro said, and those commitments are what concern him most. "We have lots of young people who have committed, and we've got to help them follow up on that commitment," he said. "That will be the true measure of long-term success for Arise."
Building toward Manila: turning collaboration into something concrete
Much of the groundwork for the Congress has already been laid at the national level. At the Arise Leadership Summit last year, national committees gathered to build five-year strategy plans for their countries, including how many people they hope to send to the 2026 Congress, how they will support and finance them, and how they will follow up with those who make commitments.
"I think that will be the most significant thing," Ro said of that process. "It solidifies the national teams to move forward with their strategies." That, in his view, is what separates Arise from the leadership conferences he and others have attended for years, where people "hear about it, come in and meet in meetings, and then go back and do their own thing."
This time, he said, participants "truly are going to come in and commit to a collaborative effort," because now they have something concrete to collaborate around.
Ro cautioned that the language of collaboration risks becoming empty if there is no specific direction. "Everyone talks about collaboration on the high level and it sounds good. No one's against that. You can't be against it, to be a Christian," he said. "But what is the actual collaborative thing we can do together?"
His answer is to mobilize young people to go where there is no gospel, with different ministries working side by side rather than any single agency owning the effort. "It's not just one ministry like OM doing it, or YWAM, or OMF, or even the national alliance. We're bringing the whole church to see how we can collaborate."
Sending — and supporting
For all the enthusiasm young people bring, Ro said a commitment card is not a missionary. Therefore, Arise is building support at two levels. At the higher, more structured end is a three-year training program, developed with a range of mission agencies supplying mentors and drawing on training material Arise owns.
"We're going to really make sure these leaders are trained well," he said, though he cautioned it will take a year or two to roll out fully.
At the grassroots level, the pathways are more organic: young people joining existing mission agencies or being sent by their own churches and denominations.
Ro gave an example of three young people he met who received their calling at an Arise event and are now serving with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He has heard of a group from another country coming into Thailand with Pioneers. "I just hear these anecdotal stories of people automatically doing that," he said.
His central concern is the gap between commitment and deployment. "I know there are a lot of people who committed that are still waiting to follow up," he said, adding that they are working on connecting with them to ensure they can follow through.
His counsel to every national committee is to not try to do everything at once. "Focus first on one team, find one place of an unreached people group in your own country. Send that team, find a missionary working in that area, send that team to work with that missionary, provide all the training. Let's get one team going first as a model — and then from there we can multiply," he said.
The old wineskin has to bless and release the new wineskin
Asked whether the movement's youthful energy risks straining the structures meant to carry it, Ro pointed to the image of the wineskins in Matthew 9:17. "Yes, we need the new wineskin," he said, speaking about the younger generation. "But the old wineskin has to still bless and release."
The two cannot be pitted against each other, he said. "If we only go with the new wineskin, the movement will go fast, but it will eventually die out," he said, "because the old wineskin still has all the power and the resources and the structures behind it. All they have to do is be against it and it'll stop the new wineskin."
Working with the established institutions, he said, is not always easy. Ro highlights two obstacles in particular.
The first is the mission agencies. "In the mission world they're saying, young people, we just don't have time for them until they're ready to commit long-term. But you won't get long-term missionaries with that kind of mindset," he said. "We have to convince them that working with 20-year-olds is important."
The second is the local church. "These church leaders don't want to release their young people, because they’re afraid that they're going to lose their best people to the mission field."
His response, however, is that sending people "to the ends of the earth" is part of the church's own mission. And the investment returns. "When you release young people to go and they come back, it'll actually benefit the church in the long run," he said. "They'll be on fire for God and they will bring more energy and mission for the church."
Bridging the generations — and staying authentic
Ro's focus is on the young, but he acknowledges that "young people are very messy," as one of the speakers at last year’s Arise Leadership Summit put it. Still, the church cannot wait for a generation to become theologically polished and mission-ready before engaging it, he said. "If we're expecting mature people who are theologically educated with all this Christian character before they're ready to go, then we're not going to reach this generation. Instead, we're going to journey with them through that process."
What is critical when raising Gen Z for mission, he said, is to recognize that they prize authenticity in a way even millennials did not. He pointed to TikTok videos where Gen Z shares raw emotions about the joys and challenges they face. "They like the authenticity of life," he said.
Ro connects the implications to a framework he has laid out, which distinguishes between "platforms" — the public work — and "pathways," the private walk, warning that influence without integrity is dangerous and blind. "When they look at us, we've got to be very authentic," Ro said. "They're just going to look at a platform and say, that's all fake. You've got to come down to what's real underneath. That's what they're really interested in."
Missions is not a Western construct, it is biblical
Ro also addressed a critique that has grown more common among some Asian mission leaders: that cross-cultural sending is tainted by colonialism. He described a mindset in which "the West has done a lot of damage to missions," and a preference for talking about "mission" as the church's local witness rather than "missions" as the sending of people across cultures. Read between the lines, he said, the message becomes: "The West to the rest was a bad model, so we're not going to do it anymore."
Ro disagrees, and he said the stakes are high. "If that mindset comes into the younger generation, then we will never have missionaries out to where there's no gospel, because the church will only grow stronger and deeper where it's at. It won't go beyond." Reaching the hardest places, he said, "takes a lot of energy, you have to sacrifice yourself, you could possibly die — and if we're just multiplying within our own context, we will never get out there."
He points to the Apostle Paul’s ambition to preach where Christ had not been named and argues that the biblical foundation for missions remains valid and necessary. "This is not a Western construct. This is a biblical thing that the Apostle Paul did," Ro said.
He acknowledges Western failings but emphasizes that this does not nullify the calling: "Yes, they made mistakes, but at least they laid down their children and came. Let's remember there's some good: that's why we have the churches here in Asia, because of what they did. So let's honor and celebrate that."
He said he learned that posture from the church in mainland China, which carries little of the anti-Western baggage because foreign missionaries were expelled generations ago. "They see the grave sites where missionaries came and died and buried their kids here," he said. "They have a real positive image of missionaries."
He thanks God for the Hudson Taylors and William Careys who brought the gospel to Asia and urges the church to learn from their mistakes without abandoning their calling.
15% going to missions, 85% revitalizing the church
Asked what success would look like five to ten years out, Ro said, "My success would look like thousands of young people who have committed themselves to go to a place where there's no gospel, and then follow up on that commitment, at least for a year."
Some 10,000 young people have come through Arise events already. "Fifteen percent have committed to go long-term. Eighty-five percent are still very open to it," he said. "But we want everyone to at least give one year of their life to go."
Even those who return, he said, will change the church they come back to. "The 15% may go long-term. The 85%, after a year, may come back and revitalize the church and missions. But that will change the whole church."
Looking at the conference starting this week, Ro emphasized, "This is not just about another conference. It's about a generation stepping into its calling — for the nations, for the gospel, for the glory of God."]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[‘They need the Lord:' Romanian prison ministry leader readies his son to take over]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/they-need-the-lord-romanian-prison-ministry-leader-readies-his-son-to-take-over</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/they-need-the-lord-romanian-prison-ministry-leader-readies-his-son-to-take-over</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/49/4980.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Mircea Cristian and his son Timotei.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Timotei (left) is taking over the leadership of the 30-year-old prison ministry form his father Mircea. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:55:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Christian Daily International spoke to Mircea Cristian about pioneering his prison ministry, Rock of Ages, in Romania as his son Timotei prepares to take over.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Romania has a higher number of prisoners than the European Union average - a rate of 126 to 136 per 100,000 people, compared to the continent’s average of 110 to 115 per 100,000 inmates. The European Court of Human Rights has also sanctioned the country repeatedly about substandard prison conditions, including a lack of space, poor hygiene and outdated infrastructure. 
Prisoners in such situations desperately need hope, and Mircea Cristian and his wife Ronela realised an opportunity to bring the wonderful news about Jesus Christ to them. They began a successful prison ministry called Rock of Ages in 1991, working with volunteers to provide family reunions between inmates and their loved ones, Bible correspondence courses, practical needs such as warm clothes and the provision of life skills.  
Christian Daily International interviewed Mircea and his son Timotei, who is leaving a corporate role at Amazon to be mentored in taking over the leadership from his father, about the challenges of presenting the love of God to so many criminals needing to know the wonderful realities of salvation.   
Mircea explained how the late Richard Wurmbrandt, renowned advocate for persecuted Christians and himself a survivor of Romania’s former oppression under Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, stirred evangelicals in the United States after he informed them about the situation in his country. Romania became the focus of prayer for the gospel at this time and Cristians, supported by Americans, got involved in outreach to prisons in their country after “seeing the needs of the prisoners and their need to be safe, and to know someone loved them.” 
Mircea worked as a civil engineer but the pull of the ministry led the couple to live by faith, taking over the ministry fully by 1995. The reality of not having a “regular pay check was very hard” but they left paid employment with the belief that God called them for the task and “just believing the Lord would provide for the next month’s money.” 
The ministry became a non-profit organisation in 1996 and the Cristians visited prisoners four times per week, starting with a jail close to the city of Constanta. Then other prisons realized the value of their Christian ministry and requested visits too: “Slowly by slowly we developed in more places.”  
Another family joined the ministry to carry the weight of the needs.
“The ministry was growing and we realised there was no chance we could reach all Romanian prisons, so we started going to churches to ask them to help us,” said Mircea. “And the work started to develop and we were praying for more people and more workers."
Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the ministry had about 196 volunteers working in 22 teams across the country. At present, they have about 96 volunteers.
In recent years, the Cristians realised they were not getting any younger and so sought the Lord’s guidance as to who could take over the leadership. The needs had become too great for the couple to cover them all. Mircea used the comparison of Moses handing over leadership to Joshua: “The Lord said to me, ‘Oh, you’re going to have a Joshua beside you. Don’t worry.’”
“So we start to pray, and we start to ask our boys to pray because they actually knew everything happening in the ministry because they had to live by faith with us in our home [growing up].”
Mircea described his gladness when Timotei joined the work as a volunteer. In fact, all of their sons were involved on a voluntary basis but with Timotei “somehow the Lord touched his heart much more about that, so we were very glad.” 
Mircea explained that the handover of leadership to Timotei is a slow process because it’s not a business but a spiritual work. People in the prisons and ministry partners know the older Cristians and it will take time for Timotei to become a familiar face too. 
“People have to know you. The coordinators have to know you. The staff of the prison have to know you. They have to trust you. So it's a process, but we prayed for this process for many years, and we had to start it because I'm not young now.” 
The ministry is currently utilizing two methods for outreach - face-to-face, physical contact in groups in about 19 prisons, and secondly via correspondence like running Bible courses, which has a wider reach to 32 prisons.
Mircea said returning to ministry after the Covid-19 pandemic continues to be a challenge. While "it's slowly coming back", he said "it's not the same", citing a lingering sense of disconnection and the loss of the close personal interactions that characterised life before 2019. 
A cohesive approach between spiritual care and practical rehabilitation continues to be important and Timotei is looking at ways to develop the work, at the same time as learning about it. 
“The younger generation, Timi’s generation - they think differently to us,” said Mircea, admitting that Timotei would have better ideas on how to reach younger people. 
Mircea pointed out that the spiritual aspect underpins the social outreach of the ministry “because if someone is released from the prison or I meet a family for the prisoners and they are in need, I have to try to do something for them and it is social before spiritual.”
Every one of the ministry’s voluntary teams have these aspects - social before spiritual - embedded in their working culture, with support from the churches that are involved.   
Mircea gave the example of a forthcoming outreach in the city of Braila where prisoners will meet their loved ones in family reunions. The prison allows the ministry to host this meeting in a safe place, where Mircea and others can share the gospel and talk with them for about three to four hours, and review their practical needs. 
“In those places, we see the need,” said Mircea, who wants to see the prison ministry expand among churches across the country. 
“We are working to try to change the mentality of the churches. I mean, change and show them it's our responsibility to take care of them. It's not someone else’s. We have to try to support them.”
Mircea said that former prisoners have no place to go, and they need a “church to accept them, a church to love them, a church to go after them.”
Timotei formerly worked at international retailer Amazon and his colleagues there have been supportive of his move to ministry. He felt inspired by his parents’ hard work as a child but their constant travel schedule, often leaving him in the care of grandparents, was painful for the family. He received encouragement to go into ministry himself when younger but felt reluctant. The personal sacrifices seemed too great.
“I saw what ministry is like on the battlefield,” he said. “My parents, I admired them and they sacrificed a lot doing ministry and the best thing is, God blessed us children through them.” 
Timotei pulled towards business and “tried to shut down the thoughts in my mind” about ministry. He started studying marketing but found it hard because “there was that constant feeling that you are not doing the thing you are meant to do.” 
“And then I said, ‘Okay, Lord, if you want me to go into a ministry, you need to prepare me because I've seen stuff, but I'm not prepared to do that.’" 
Timotei worked at a Starbucks cafe at the time and began studying theology as well as marketing, at two colleges. He sought the Lord’s guidance about the next steps and sensed a call again towards ministry, although not clearly Rock of Ages.  
“Then my parents came to me and said, ‘Do you want to take over?’ And I was like Jonah, the one who got swallowed by the fish.”
Timotei’s reluctance came from his childhood memories of his parents being absent to serve the ministry and he recalled feelings as a youngster that he’d never see his parents again when they left the house to the airport to network with funding partners in the United States. 
As a newly engaged young man, he did not want his children to one day experience the same pain as he did when he was younger. 
“I liked the ministry but I didn’t like that my parents weren’t there when I needed them,” he said. “But I admired them.” 
Timotei initially refused but "the fish came to swallow me” and he reconsidered after he heard God telling him to "rethink."
Timotei eventually committed to the Rock of Ages ministry but gave God a “condition.” 
He asked, “Never, ever leave me alone in this ministry. I don’t want to feel alone because it’s a big stress. It’s a big ministry, it’s not a small ministry and I cannot handle the stress.”  
He turned to a Bible app on his phone and read a verse from Exodus 33:14: “ The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”
Timotei is not a believer in mysticism but the profound relevance of this Bible verse in his situation was undeniable. He told his wife the next morning but he found it hard to find people in church believing him. 
By his own admission “I’m an anxious guy” and he sought further encouragement, which God gave twice more through a message at church about the Lord of the harvest taking hold and also an encouragement from 1 John 5:14-15  - “this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."
Timotei asked for courage and now feels zeal to employ his marketing skills for Rock of Ages. He loves technology and wants to optimize the online presence of the ministry in a way that honors God especially in regards to donations. He also wants to create videos witnessing to the powerful work of the ministry.
“I want Romanian people to know there is a ministry in the country that’s been doing this for 31 years. I want Europe to know there is a ministry in Romania that does this. Why? Because maybe somebody in the UK [for example] will say, ‘There are prisoners in the UK that need God’ or somebody in Germany. There are prisoners in Germany that need God. So those guys will say: look, those guys [from Rock of Ages] are doing it, so why can’t we?”  
He felt led in prayer to reach out to Transform Europe Network for the Christian mission’s support.  
Timotei is also training for his leadership role by volunteering in a prison and as a ministry coordinator. He felt excited about completing two recent courses, as well as two family reunions with prisoners where he prayed for them at the end: “I hope that God will see their hearts and He will change them.” 
The family reunions witnessed by Timotei saw a remarkable change in the way the prisoners spoke about their wives and children. He is subsequently planning to start more programs in the Fall with four teams serving 50 prisoners.  
“I’m doing this because in my mind, if God so loved me as I am. What stops me from spreading the gospel? This is my responsibility to spread the gospel. I am not changing people. I’m just a little pawn that God is using. I just want to do His will. I just want to do His work.” 
Mircea and Timotei ask for prayer for the prison work and taking the gospel to Romanian prisoners, for financial resources and more helpers in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw numbers of volunteers fall. Prayers are sought for more prisoners to enrol in the bible study program, and in presenting the ministry to churches - as well as for the churches to understand the gospel imperative to reach prisoners. 
Mircea emphasized that the heart of prison ministry is not just providing physical aid, but sharing Christ's love to bring genuine hope and life transformation to inmates. 
As he hands over the leadership to Timi, Mircea’s advice is that taking over is not about stepping into a job or title, but continuing the mission only if he has received a clear, personal calling from God to sustain him through hard times. 
Ultimately, Mircea framed this transition as a testimony that God is faithful, trusting Him to provide for Timi's personal and ministry needs as he steps forward by faith. 
“God is able. The only thing is He’s waiting for us to trust Him.”
Mircea says 80% of the prisoners have never owned a Bible, let alone studied or read one. 
“They need the Lord. This is what we understand from God, this is our desire: to give them a chance to meet our Lord personally; to give them a Bible to help them to study the Bible. 
“This is our heart: to help them to know our Lord, to understand what is the salvation they can have through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[UK charity launches hearing loss training for churches]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/uk-charity-launches-hearing-loss-training-for-churches</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/uk-charity-launches-hearing-loss-training-for-churches</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Solo Churchgoer]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Zbynek Pospisil/Getty Images ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 16:32:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A UK-based ministry has launched a new autumn initiative aimed at helping churches across the nation become more accessible for the millions of people living with hearing loss.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A UK-based ministry has launched a new autumn initiative aimed at helping churches across the nation become more accessible for the millions of people living with hearing loss.
Open Ears, a Christian charity dedicated to supporting individuals affected by hearing impairment, announced a series of free online training events and technology demonstrations scheduled for this fall.
The autumn programme features two introductory training sessions led by author, speaker, and Open Ears Trustee Emily Owen, alongside a special showcase highlighting live captioning technology.
Owen previously told Christian Daily International that she “knows what it is to be broken and what it is to meet God there.” 
Owen was diagnosed with a neurological condition called NF2-Schwannomatosis (NF2) as a teenager and suffered many medical surgeries to combat the health issue. NF2 led to brain surgery causing her to lose hearing traumatically overnight in Nov. 2001 at the age of 21. She also has to walk using crutches because of her condition.  
"Many people don't realise how isolating hearing loss can be until they experience it themselves or know someone who does," Owen said. 
"My hope is that these sessions will encourage and equip churches to make simple changes that can have a profound impact on people's lives."
More than 12 million people in the United Kingdom currently live with hearing loss, according to charity estimates. Organizers note that without intentional accessibility measures, routine church activities like following a sermon or engaging in post-service fellowship can leave hard-of-hearing attendees feeling isolated.
To address these barriers, the ministry will host two identical one-hour Zoom training webinars on Sept. 7 and Nov. 2.
Designed for ministry teams, church leaders, pastoral staff, and volunteers, the workshops will cover the practical impacts of hearing loss and offer simple steps congregations can implement immediately to foster a more inclusive environment. Participants will also receive post-event resources.
In addition to foundational awareness training, Open Ears will host a specialized technology showcase on Sept. 17.
The evening event will feature Breeze Translate, a tool designed to provide real-time translation and live captioning. Demonstrations will range from basic smartphone setups to integrations with professional church sound systems, highlighting English-to-English live captioning as well as multilingual support.
"Together we can create places where everyone feels welcome, included and able to participate," Owen said.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA['An AI neither understands nor feels': Christian leader tests chatbot's limits for worried parents]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/an-ai-neither-understands-nor-feels-christian-leader-tests-chatbot-s-limits-for-worried-parents</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/an-ai-neither-understands-nor-feels-christian-leader-tests-chatbot-s-limits-for-worried-parents</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Javier Bolaños]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Sixto Porras, regional director of Focus on the Family, discusses artificial intelligence and its risks for Christian families during a session broadcast on the ministrys YouTube channel.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ YouTube/Enfoque a la Familia ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Sixto Porras, regional director of Focus on the Family, discusses artificial intelligence and its risks for Christian families during a session broadcast on the ministry's YouTube channel. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:29:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Sixto Porras, regional director of Focus on the Family, sat down with ChatGPT to test what artificial intelligence can and cannot do — and to warn evangelical families not to let algorithms replace spiritual discernment, empathy, or genuine human connection.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Sixto Porras, regional director of Focus on the Family, sat down with ChatGPT to test what artificial intelligence can and cannot do — and to warn evangelical families not to let algorithms replace spiritual discernment, empathy, or genuine human connection.
The dialogue, broadcast on the ministry's official YouTube channel, covered AI's technical functioning, its lack of moral judgment, and the risks it poses for vulnerable teenagers.
The nature of artificial intelligence and the lack of moral discernment
Porras began by asking the chatbot how it constructs its responses. The bot acknowledged its own limitations:
"I construct responses based on patterns from data I was trained on; I have no consciousness or intention [...]. I have no authority or moral judgment of my own; I only provide information that may be perceived as useful or not depending on the situation."
For Porras, the admission goes to the heart of the danger: families and young people who mistake statistical outputs for truth.
"An AI neither understands nor feels; it only produces responses from data [...]. Let us be careful that no technological advance substitutes our relationship with God," he said.
The risk of automated responses for vulnerable adolescents
Porras pressed the AI further: could a vulnerable teenager take its responses as authoritative guidance?
"The danger lies in the fact that a vulnerable person might not question what I say; they could take a response generated by patterns as personal or moral guidance when it is not," the chatbot replied. "This could reinforce incorrect ideas not adapted to their situation."
Young people in stages of intellectual and emotional development are especially susceptible, Porras said, making intentional parental guidance essential for filtering the flood of digital information.
Studies warn of a growing trend of users — particularly young people — seeking refuge in virtual characters rather than human community. When it comes to depression or self-harm, an algorithm cannot provide what family and community can.
The chatbot agreed: "Artificial intelligence cannot substitute human social interaction; it lacks genuine empathy, emotional closeness, or real affection [...]. Authentic human relationships are irreplaceable."
Porras drew his own conclusion. "When you find yourself in the midst of a crisis, you and I must seek help from a human being who has empathy, who has closeness, who can identify with our emotions," he said.
He also turned the challenge back on parents themselves.
"If my son speaks to me, I must turn off the phone and look him in the eyes, pay attention. Let my son feel that he is more important than technological or virtual contact," Porras said.
Practical principles for responsible technology use in the home
Focus on the Family proposed several guidelines for families. First, establish clear disconnection limits by defining schedules and screen-free spaces, especially during meals or family time. Parents should also foster critical thinking, teaching teenagers to question information found online and not to accept automated responses as absolute truths.
Cultivating the relationship with God — through Bible reading, prayer, and church — should take priority over digital searches and consultations. Finally, families facing complex crises should seek professional and pastoral help from trained counselors rather than entrusting emotional well-being to a virtual environment.
Return to the real world and prioritize faith
Porras closed with the testimony of a family that removed their children's mobile devices to begin a digital detox. The children rediscovered wonder in creation and daily life.
"The child said: 'Mom, I like the real world better; I'm listening to the birds singing... the sky is truly blue.' In that moment the whole family was moved because they realized that, without noticing, we can begin to live in a virtual world," Porras recounted.
He urged churches and evangelical homes not to let technology become an idol or a substitute for communion with God and neighbor.
"It is interesting, but nothing substitutes my relationship with God, and this is crucial: spiritual discernment comes from God. Teach your children to have spiritual discernment; teach your children to seek in the Bible," Porras said.
Original reporting by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Austrian church to broadcast pop-style worship service live on national TV]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/austrian-church-to-broadcast-pop-style-worship-service-live-on-national-tv</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/austrian-church-to-broadcast-pop-style-worship-service-live-on-national-tv</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A Schlager singer performs alongside Pastor Friedrich Eckhardt during the service at Christuskirche in Graz, Austria.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christuskirche Graz ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A Schlager singer performs alongside Pastor Friedrich Eckhardt during the service at Christuskirche in Graz, Austria. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Congregants clap and raise their hands during a Schlager Gottesdienst at Christuskirche in Graz-Eggenberg.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christuskirche Graz ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Congregants clap and raise their hands during a Schlager Gottesdienst at Christuskirche in Graz-Eggenberg. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 07:22:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A Protestant congregation in Austria is set to hold its third worship service built around German pop music on Aug. 23, with national television and radio broadcasting the event live for the first time.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A Protestant congregation in Austria is set to hold its third worship service built around German pop music on Aug. 23, with national television and radio broadcasting the event live for the first time, according to German Christian news site Jesus.de.
The Christuskirche in the Graz-Eggenberg district will open its doors at 10 a.m. for the service, titled "Here is a Person." Austrian public broadcaster ORF III and ORF Radio will carry the event live.
The service centers on the Gospel of John's account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. Pastor Friedrich Eckhardt has structured the program around Schlager songs — a genre of melodic, often nostalgic German-language pop music — drawn from the 1960s through 1980s. Titles include "You Lied to Me a Thousand Times," "You Are Not Alone," and "The Sun Rises Again and Again."
"The Bible and Schlager meet exactly where life is most real," Eckhardt said, as reported by Jesus.de. Schlager singer Helmut Hussler will lead the music.

The congregation has presented the series as an attempt to draw people who would not normally attend church. "We want an open door for everyone, including those who have not felt addressed by traditional worship services until now," Eckhardt said.
The television broadcast marks a significant step up in reach for the format, which the church has held twice before without live TV coverage. Eckhardt told Jesus.de that when familiar music draws people toward faith, "that is already a piece of the Kingdom of God in the middle of everyday life."]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Young Christians find AI easier to talk to than humans — and that is a problem, pastors say]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/young-christians-find-ai-easier-to-talk-to-than-humans-and-that-is-a-problem-pastors-say</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/young-christians-find-ai-easier-to-talk-to-than-humans-and-that-is-a-problem-pastors-say</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A young adult consults his phone]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A young adult consults his phone. For a growing number of Christians in their 20s and 30s, AI has become the first stop for questions about Scripture and faith. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:02:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A growing number of Christians in their 20s and 30s are bringing their questions about Scripture, spiritual struggles, and life decisions to generative AI before they bring them to a pastor or church elder.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A growing number of Christians in their 20s and 30s are bringing their questions about Scripture, spiritual struggles, and life decisions to generative AI before they bring them to a pastor or church elder.
The shift reflects how deeply AI tools have embedded themselves in daily life for younger adults who grew up in a digital environment. For this generation, AI functions less like a search engine and more like an always-available conversation partner — one that asks nothing in return.
Korean theological scholars say the trend raises significant questions about faith formation, the future of pastoral care, and the proper place of technology in Christian discipleship, according to reporting by Christian Daily Korea.
"Behind this phenomenon of young people turning to AI first lies 'the cost of relationships' and 'fear of uncertainty,'" said Choi Gwang-jin, head chaplain of Hoseo University and a former president of the Korean Society of Systematic Theology.
A conversation with another person, Choi explained, is never merely a transaction. It involves managing emotions, navigating social expectations, exposing one's ignorance, and finding the right time to ask. When a young believer shares a spiritual struggle with a pastor or church member, he said, advice and judgment often arrive alongside the response — and that prospect can feel like a risk not worth taking.
"Young people sometimes feel the burden of being evaluated or condemned in that process," Choi told Christian Daily Korea.
Why AI wins the first conversation
Books present a similar barrier, Choi argued. Reading demands patience and requires the reader to follow an author's logic on the author's terms. AI does the opposite: it restructures content around the user's question, adjusts its level of explanation, and responds instantly. A request such as "summarize this from a pastoral-theological perspective for someone in their 20s" produces a tailored reply in seconds.
That responsiveness is why many young people no longer think of AI as merely a reference tool, Choi said. They treat it as a personal assistant.
The psychological dynamic matters too. "Asking a person a question means revealing one's own inadequacies," he said, "but AI carries no risk of mocking the user or damaging a relationship, so the psychological burden is comparatively lower." Spiritual struggles — precisely the domain where vulnerability is highest — are where that difference becomes most pronounced.
What AI cannot do
Still, Choi was direct about AI's limits. Knowledge and meaning are not the same thing.
"AI can present answers to questions, but it cannot fill the meaning of life," he said. "What AI provides is quantity of knowledge, whereas conversation with a person conveys the quality of knowledge together with warmth."
He also pushed back against any reading of the trend as evidence that young people have turned away from human connection altogether. The problem, he said, is not indifference to community but exhaustion from wounded relationships.
"If they encounter a truly personal community that accepts them as they are and can be trusted, young people will once again choose relationships with people," Choi said. He added that as technology becomes more capable, the desire for what is distinctly human will deepen rather than diminish.
Choi described three qualities in the kind of person young adults are waiting for. The first is someone who listens to a question all the way through before offering a correct answer. "AI excels at finding the right answer, but a person is a being who can look at the other's heart and pain alongside them," he said. "What young people need is not a problem-solver who fixes issues, but a companion who endures the weight of their worries together with them."
The second quality is honesty about one's own failures. A person who speaks openly about weakness rather than projecting competence is far more likely to be trusted by younger believers as a genuine elder, Choi said.
Third, he stressed the need for flexibility — the ability to hold firm to the values of faith while communicating in language the next generation can actually receive, and to ask what young people think rather than simply delivering accumulated wisdom from above.
"Young people may appear to have left the church," Choi said, "but in reality they are waiting for an adult who will respect them as a full human being. Becoming a better person for someone begins not with grand achievements, but with the small daily effort to understand the heart of the person you meet."
A tool, not a judge
Lee Seung-gu, a distinguished professor at Hapdong Theological Seminary, told Christian Daily Korea that using generative AI is not inherently problematic — but treating it as a final authority is.
"Multiple experts have consistently pointed out that AI can provide a fairly high level of response on general topics, but errors can appear on specific and detailed matters," Lee said. A response from an AI can reasonably serve as one reference point among many — alongside books, commentaries, and the counsel of other people — but it should never be treated as settled.
"The issue is not using AI itself," Lee said, "but using it as one reference among books, diverse materials, and the opinions of others." He called for a balanced approach that draws on a range of sources before reaching any conclusion, and warned against letting convenience substitute for the harder work of weighing multiple perspectives.
The threat to contemplation
Seo Chang-won, chairman of the Korean Reformed Preaching Institute and a former professor at Chongshin University Graduate School of Theology, widened the frame beyond youth ministry. The rise of AI, he argued, poses a challenge to deep faith formation across every age group.
The concern is not simply about accuracy. It is about what happens to the interior life when information becomes too easy to obtain.
"Using AI allows one to obtain desired information easily and quickly, but in that process, the training of thinking deeply, reflecting, and looking back on one's own life may gradually diminish," Seo told Christian Daily Korea. "Simply obtaining knowledge and information, and having that knowledge flow into one's life, are entirely different matters. True learning must necessarily pass through a process of deep reflection."
Seo warned that a faith built on fast information without reflective digestion risks producing passive Christians — believers who are easily swayed by fragments of knowledge rather than grounded in a life shaped by sustained encounter with Scripture and God.
"Rather than raising Christians who actively and voluntarily follow and commit to God, a passive faith attitude may be formed, with the result that even spiritual zeal begins to cool," he said.
He also raised a concern about the pulpit. If congregants are habituated to content that is short, immediately useful, and emotionally stimulating, pressure may grow on preachers to match that register — at the cost of sermons that lead listeners into slower, deeper engagement with the Word.
"All the more in the AI age, the church must redouble its pastoral efforts to help believers deeply meditate on God and the Word," Seo said. He called guiding believers to explore the spiritual world on their own terms, and to think seriously about God, a central responsibility of the church in the current moment.
Experts who spoke with Christian Daily Korea agreed that AI's convenience need not be rejected — but that it should be held alongside a renewed commitment to the things technology cannot replicate: genuine community, honest relationships, and the slow, irreplaceable work of spiritual formation.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Brian Doerksen, Canadian worship songwriter, dies at 60]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/brian-doerksen-canadian-worship-songwriter-dies-at-60</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/brian-doerksen-canadian-worship-songwriter-dies-at-60</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Brian Doerksen and his wife, Joyce]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Brian Doerksen Facebook ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Brian Doerksen and his wife, Joyce. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 06:40:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Brian Doerksen, the Canadian worship leader and songwriter whose songs shaped congregational singing in churches around the world for decades, died July 21 following a brief battle with stage 4 cancer. He was 60.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Brian Doerksen, the Canadian worship leader and songwriter whose songs shaped congregational singing in churches around the world for decades, died July 21 following a brief battle with stage 4 cancer. He was 60.
Doerksen died at 6:45 a.m. at his family home in Abbotsford, British Columbia, "peacefully in his sleep," surrounded by family, according to a statement posted to his social media page.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce, and six adult children. All six have Fragile X syndrome, one of the most common inherited causes of intellectual disability; two require full-time care.
Doerksen rose to prominence through the Vineyard Music Group, writing songs that became standards across denominational lines. "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship," "Refiner's Fire," "Faithful One" and "Your Love Is Amazing" have been sung at weddings, funerals, church services and conferences across generations.
His health had been declining since February, when severe pain confined him to bed. What initially appeared to be a prostate condition progressed to a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, with a mass found in his pelvis and spots on his liver, lungs and near his heart, according to a fundraising campaign organized by friends and family to help cover medical costs. He had been receiving care from a specialist team at a Vancouver hospital.
Despite his illness, those close to him say he remained focused on others. "Till the very end, Brian continued to love those around him, encouraging them in who they are, and shared incredible gratitude to those in the medical field who tried their best to help him," his family wrote. "He was a beacon of light even in his final moments to his close family and friends, and loved well right to the end."
Vineyard Worship honored him in a statement Wednesday as "one of the fathers of Vineyard Worship," whose music gave language to the faith of countless believers.
"Those who knew him speak of a man marked by humility, kindness, generosity and deep faith," the organization said. "He was a worshipper before he was a songwriter, and his life reflected the One he so faithfully sang about."
Friends who organized fundraising support described Doerksen's decades-long purpose as singing "love over people, inspire hope, comfort the grieving, and bring peace amongst the chaos in a hurting world."
Vineyard Worship said his songs "will continue to lead people into God's presence for generations to come," and quoted Matthew 25:23 in tribute: "Well done, good and faithful servant."]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[July campaign to reach a million with the gospel in Europe]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/july-campaign-to-reach-a-million-with-the-gospel-in-europe</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/july-campaign-to-reach-a-million-with-the-gospel-in-europe</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Asking the right question]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Marco/Adobe Stock ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Dozens of Christian ministries and local churches across Europe have mobilized thousands of volunteers for “The Million Month,” an ambitious evangelism campaign aiming to share the gospel face-to-face with a million people throughout July.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Dozens of Christian ministries and local churches across Europe have mobilized thousands of volunteers for “The Million Month,” an ambitious evangelism campaign aiming to share the gospel face-to-face with a million people throughout July.
The monthlong outreach spans major European hubs and smaller regional cities, including Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, Reykjavik, and Cluj. Participating groups pair volunteers in small teams of two and three to engage pedestrians in daily street outreach.
Organizers designed the campaign to address what they describe as a growing spiritual need across the continent.
“More than ever, Europe is in dire need of the true, unfiltered message of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection,” campaign organizers stated on their website, citing Romans 10:14 as the foundational scripture for the movement.
To coordinate efforts across dozens of locations, organizers require participants to use a mobile application called City Impact. The app allows volunteers to log Gospel conversations, record decisions for Christ, and initiate follow-up discipleship with new believers in real time.
Alongside street outreach, participating cities host regular evening gatherings called “Glory Nights,” where participants unite for worship, share testimonies, and receive further training. Leading up to and during the event, organizers also conduct online and in-person sessions to equip Christians for personal evangelism.
The initiative builds on a previous campaign where organizers reported that more than 73,000 people heard the Gospel message, leading to more than 7,320 documented decisions for Christ. Ministry leaders hope this year's expanded coalition of churches and organizations will dramatically surpass those previous figures.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Amnesty International is 'anti-Christian']]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/amnesty-international-is-anti-christian</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/amnesty-international-is-anti-christian</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Today]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Amnesty International is anti-Christian]]></media:title>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:01:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Christian Concern’s Head of Public Policy, Tim Dieppe, has taken Amnesty International to task for labelling a range of Christian groups “anti-rights” due to their positions on abortion and trans issues, while failing to denounce a single Islamic group.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Christian Concern’s Head of Public Policy, Tim Dieppe, has taken Amnesty International to task for labelling a range of Christian groups “anti-rights” due to their positions on abortion and trans issues, while failing to denounce a single Islamic group.
The controversy began earlier this month when Amnesty released a report about the “anti-rights movement in the UK”.
Christian Concern was itself listed in the report as being “anti-rights” along with The Christian Institute, the Evangelical Alliance, the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, the Christian Medical Fellowship, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), Christians in Parliament, CARE (Christian Action, Research and Education), Premier, the Centre for Bio–Ethical Reform (CBR UK), the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF UK), and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association UK among other organisations. 
Following a backlash, Amnesty withdrew the report and expressed “regret” that it was published without undergoing more thorough internal checks.
Responding to the controversy, Tim Dieppe said it was “absurd” that Amnesty, which supposedly champions human rights, was targeting groups and organisations that devote themselves to the protection of rights for Christians.
Dieppe said that Amnesty had apparently fallen under the influence of anti-Christian bias.
"It is also astonishing that not one Islamic organisation was named in this report as anti-rights. Yet dozens of Christian organisations were singled out. In fact, so many Christian organisations are listed that it appears they went out of their way to name as many Christian organisations as they could think of. All this shows is that Amnesty has now become anti-Christian," he said. 
Dieppe pointed out that the Amnesty report has serious implications for Christians in public life. It was not merely a naming of names but carried with it the threat of state action – Amnesty’s report demanded that the Charity Commission review the charitable status of the groups listed.
Dieppe said, "The multiple successes in our cases relating to Christian freedoms and right to life show that Christian Concern, far from being ‘anti-rights’ is actually very much on the right side of rights. Truth is on our side. It is Amnesty that is now anti-rights." 
Announcing the withdrawal of the report, Amnesty said, "We regret that this briefing was uploaded to our website without going through the established internal review processes that are in place to ensure consistency, accuracy and alignment with Amnesty International UK's positions.
"Its use of language does not reflect the position of Amnesty International UK which is why it was promptly removed.
"We remain committed to defending human rights, including both the rights of women and the rights of trans people.
"Human rights protections are strongest when they apply equally to everyone, and no community should be singled out for unfair treatment or denied their dignity and rights."
Originally published by Christian Today.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Revive Europe shifts strategy, launches cohort program under new director]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/revive-europe-shifts-strategy-launches-cohort-program-under-new-director</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/revive-europe-shifts-strategy-launches-cohort-program-under-new-director</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Revive Europe]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Revive Europe ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:04:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Revive Europe is stepping back from large continental gatherings and launching a nine-month leadership program as it enters what new director Sam Couper calls "a different vessel" for an unchanged vision.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Revive Europe is stepping back from large continental gatherings and launching a nine-month leadership program as it enters what new director Sam Couper calls "a different vessel" for an unchanged vision.
Couper took over from Sarah Breuel, who stepped down in May 2025 with full board support. The pan-European student evangelism movement, founded in 2019, has since identified three priorities for the season ahead: cultivating grassroots relationships, forming emerging leaders and hosting smaller gatherings built around friendship.
"We believe God has been inviting us to pursue the same vision through a different vessel," Couper said. "Our heart to see Jesus bring revival among the student generation hasn't changed, but the way we carry and multiply that heart has."
The first shift is away from large-scale events. Revive Europe will not hold its biannual New Year gathering in its previous format this year, investing instead in smaller relational spaces where emerging leaders can be connected and prepared. The move includes continued support for "Revive Our Hearts" retreats, hosted in partnership with student communities across the continent.
"I was really impacted by a leadership parable highlighting the example of the aspen tree — seemingly unassuming, yet deeply interconnected and life-giving," Couper said. "We believe God is calling Revive Europe into a season of providing healthy ground cover that supports what Jesus is doing across the continent."
The second priority is the Ascend Cohorts, a nine-month leadership formation program for emerging leaders. Grounded in Psalm 24's call to ascend the mountain of the Lord with "clean hands and a pure heart," the program reflects the ministry's conviction that "revival is always God's initiative, yet our role is to posture ourselves for it." It begins in September at reviveeurope.org/cohorts.
Luke Greenwood, a board member and international mission director of Steiger International, a global youth movement that partners with Revive Europe, welcomed the new direction.
"As Revive enters this new season, I'm excited for Sam and the team as they continue to develop this vision, especially through their commitment to investing in the Ascend Cohorts, fostering friendship and a deep pursuit of the heart of God for Europe and this generation," Greenwood said. "We look forward to continuing to partner with and walk alongside them as a missionary movement with a passion to reach this generation for Jesus."
The third conviction centers on friendship as the pace of revival. Two gatherings are planned within the Ascend Cohorts. A mid-journey retreat will be held Jan. 11, 2027, in Munich in partnership with Maranatha Church München, coinciding with the church's first city-wide Revival Night of the new year. A wider gathering is planned for spring 2027 in Budapest in partnership with Saturday5, a discipleship movement serving local churches, to equip leaders from across Europe as what the ministry calls "revival-ready vessels."]]></content:encoded>
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