On the second morning of the Arise Leadership Summit in Indonesia, Rev. Dr. Patrick Fung, Chair of Arise Asia and former General Director of OMF International, delivered a message that challenged participants to embrace the biblical vision of intergenerational mentorship, learn through failure, and trust in God’s grace as they follow His call to missions.
Speaking to a diverse audience of around 300 younger and seasoned leaders and missionaries from 22 nations across Asia and beyond, Fung shared the phrase that shaped his prayer for the summit: “Grace abounds—to every generation.”
That central theme, drawn from both Scripture and his decades in mission leadership, guided his devotional: a reflection on spiritual formation through life example, real experience, trials, and community.
“This is not just about leadership or strategy,” Fung said. “It is about commending God’s work to the next generation—so they too will glorify and serve Him.”
Learning across generations
Fung opened with a personal story from 25 years earlier when he was invited to preach at a church but was mistaken for a newcomer because of his youthful appearance. “The pastor said to me, ‘I thought the speaker was a little older,’” Fung recalled. “What he meant was: more mature.”
The experience, however, led Fung to highlight how Scripture affirms young leaders. “Paul tells Timothy not to let anyone look down on him for being young, but to be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity,” he said. “At the same time, Psalm 71 reminds those who are older not to forsake the call to declare God’s power to the next generation.”
This dual encouragement, for both younger and older generations, formed the backbone of Fung’s message. “Every generation has a role,” he said. “Older generations are to commend God’s work to the next. And the younger generation is called to rise in faithfulness and courage.”
Mentoring through life example
Turning to the life of John Mark in the New Testament, Fung explored how young leaders grow spiritually not only through formal teaching but through witnessing real faith in action.
Mark, he noted, learned by watching his mother Mary open her home to the persecuted church and pray fervently for Peter’s release from prison (Acts 12). “He didn’t learn this in a classroom or from a conference,” Fung said. “He saw the church praying. He saw Peter miraculously released. He saw with his own eyes that God is real and prayer works.”
Fung emphasized that young people need to see faith embodied—not just preached. “A spiritual experience, a personal encounter with God, can be more formative than a thousand lectures,” he said. “Our lives must be a living testimony. Parents, pastors, mentors—be the example.”
He reminded participants that movements like Arise Asia are not built around charismatic personalities but communities of faith walking together. “It takes a whole village to raise a disciple,” he said, citing the proverb often associated with African cultures.
Mentoring through hands-on experience
Fung then shifted to highlight the importance of giving young people direct opportunities to serve. Mark’s participation in Paul and Barnabas’s missionary journey (Acts 13:5) is described as that of a “helper”—a word that in various parts of the New Testament also refers to witnesses, attendants, and servants of the Word.
“Mark wasn’t just carrying bags,” Fung said. “He was observing, learning, participating, and perhaps even teaching. This was hands-on training.”
The implication for missions today is clear, Fung noted. “If you don’t give young people a chance to go, they may never grow,” he said. “Even if they make mistakes, we must let them try.”
Mentoring through trials and mistakes
Fung then addressed one of the most pivotal parts of Mark’s story: his departure from the mission field early in Acts 13, and the resulting disagreement between Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15 over whether to bring him again.
“Luke didn’t need to include that story,” Fung said. “But I’m so glad he did. Because it shows us that ministry is messy. Even spiritual leaders disagree. Even promising young leaders stumble.”
Rather than disqualifying Mark, the early church allowed him space to recover and grow. Later, Paul refers to Mark as a “fellow worker” (Philemon 1:24) and requests his presence near the end of his life (2 Timothy 4:11), calling him “helpful to me in my ministry.”
“Paul never gave up on Mark,” Fung emphasized. “And neither should we give up on those who fail. Grace must abound.”
Multiple mentors, different strengths
Fung identified three key mentors in Mark’s life: Barnabas, who believed in him and gave him a second chance; Paul, who challenged him with a standard of radical commitment; and Peter, who modeled transparency by sharing his own failure.
He cited 1 Peter 5:13, where Peter refers to Mark as “my son,” and suggested that the detailed account of Peter’s denial in the Gospel of Mark likely came from Peter himself, who did not hide his mistakes.
“That is perhaps the most powerful kind of mentoring,” Fung said. “Not from our successes, but from our brokenness. Young people learn when we open our lives, when we let them see our scars.”
He shared a moving story about a senior leader in faith. During a hospital visit, the senior leader who was battling cancer asked Fung to pray for him because he was struggling even to pray himself.
“Here was a great leader showing his weakness,” Fung said. “That moment spoke more to me than any of his public talks.”
A call to all generations
In closing, Fung invited both older and younger generations to reflect. To the older: “Can you be like Barnabas—an encourager? Like Paul—a model of radical faith? Like Peter—willing to be vulnerable?”
And to the younger: “Will you give the older generation a second chance? Will you be willing to learn, to try, to fail, and to grow?”
Fung reminded participants that, according to church tradition, Mark later went on to evangelize North Africa and was martyred in Egypt—proving that even those who stumble early can become pillars of the Church.
He ended with Mark 8:34–35: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
“Indeed, grace abounds,” Fung concluded. “And that grace is not limited to one age or culture. It is for every generation—to grow, to serve, and to go.”
