What does ‘CCCOWE’ stand for?
CCCOWE stands for Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism, and it is an acronym for a movement as well as a centre. CCCOWE is an evangelistic movement born from a shared vision of believers and churches, our belief is “Chinese Churches in One Accord, Proclaiming the Gospel until Christ’s Return.” Since its inception in 1976, CCCOWE the centre has been serving the movement and facilitating pertinent ministries.
The Birth of CCCOWE
Not only did God grant us enormous potential, but also the dynamic to initiate the movement. In July 1974, some seventy Chinese Church leaders, who came together at the International Congress on World Evangelism in Lausanne, were inspired by the Holy Spirit to commence the movement. In August 1976, the 1st Chinese Congress on World Evangelization was convened in Hong Kong; soon after, the Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism was established to mobilize Chinese churches to spread the gospel to nations all over the world.
The Mission of CCCOWE
Its mission is to provide individual believers, churches, and the Chinese Church as a whole, with assistance to fulfill the Great Commission. CCCOWE seeks to:
- Promote public awareness of the significance of world missions among Chinese Christians and churches.
- Enhance the overall efficiency of evangelistic ministry co-workers, and their understanding of world missions.
- Facilitate collaboration among individuals, para-church organizations, and churches, who have the common burden for world missions.
- Provide support to co-workers dedicated to the ministry of world missions.
The Nature of CCCOWE
CCCOWE is neither a church nor a denomination, and it is also different from other para-church organizations, who are directly involved in conducting evangelistic ministries. CCCOWE is rather a forerunner, a catalyst, a bridge, and a coordinator, who assists Chinese churches with the business of world missions.
The Uniqueness of CCCOWE
It is the blessing of God. In the past two thousand years, there has never been other race similar to the Chinese people, who have a huge number of overseas churches planted in various countries for such a long time. Moreover, Chinese believers have diverse nationalities, speak a great variety of languages and dialects, are familiar with many other cultures, and possess immense wealth. Looking from a world missional perspective, as we enjoy so much privileges, we must also take the corresponding responsibility upon ourselves to spread the gospel, an important issue that concerns the glory of the only true God and the eternal destinies of millions of souls.
The Organization of CCCOWE
An appointed Director from each of the worldwide 50 plus CCCOWE District Committee constitute the highest authoritative body – the Board of Directors, which day-to-day operations are executed by the Standing Committee in Hong Kong. The General Secretary manages several departments in the centre in Hong Kong to implement decrees of the Board of Directors and the Standing Committee, aiming to promote the CCCOWE movement and to serve Chinese churches.
CCOWEF, Phils
CCOWE has a branch in the Philippines and it is named as CCOWEF, Phils. (Chinese Congress On World Evangelization Fellowship, Philippines).