Arcadia Chinese Baptist Church (ACBC)
Who We Are
ACBC is an all generations Chinese Immigrant Church community. The English Congregation comprises of American Born Chinese and other English speaking members. The Mandarin Congregation comprises of Acculturated Mandarin Speaking Chinese and Overseas Mandarin Speaking Chinese from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other countries.
ACBC is a Discipleship-driven Church
We, based on Great Commission & Great Commandment, live our lives to make genuine disciples through shepherding and all 6 ministries programs that CONNECT people with God, GROW people in Christ, and equip people to SERVE with the Power of the Holy Spirit. These ministry programs serve to enable us to (1) Gather to worship God, (2) Grow and Build up disciples and (3) Send leaders out to missions and evangelical works. Our ultimate goal is to make disciples to worship God and glorify God by pleasing Him in our daily life.
Our Six Ministries are: Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry Development, Prayer and Missions.
English and Mandarin Ministries
Based on above vision and mission, English and Mandarin Ministries are considered parallel to each other under one local Christ body at ACBC. Each ministry reaches out to different people groups. Together, they serve all generations of Chinese American communities.
Youth Ministry
The Youth ministry is collateral to both Chinese and English congregation. Its Youth members require nurture, instruction, guidance, and protection from adult congregations. To be effective, Youth ministry is enabled by the English congregation, supported by the Christian parents, and supervised by the church council and the senior pastor of church.
Youth ministry seeks to bring forth faithful disciples of Christ for our church and community. Thus, the goal of Youth ministry is to win youths for Christ and disciple them to grow into Christian maturity. After their conversion and public confession of faith, they can be trained and discipled to be evangelistic. We are committed to sending mature disciples of Christ to college campus and community.
Key Success Factors of the Youth Ministry
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Parents are key. They need to be equipped to minister to their own youths at homes. The Youth pastors should work closely with parents.
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Separately minister to junior high and high school students. They have completely different needs. They like and enjoy different things.
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Form small groups. This can be the success model for youth ministry.
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Recruit and train caring & relational adults as counselors. They will be the core team for the youth ministry.
Current Status
Currently, the average weekly attendance in 2016 is:
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Mandarin: 361
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English: 84
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Youth : 44
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Children: 110
We envision a future scenario where the English (including Youth) congregation can grow to a size comparable to the Mandarin congregation. The growth will come from both In-Reach and Out-Reach efforts, based on strong Discipleship programs.
Pastor’s Calling
Pastors are Men Called by God to Shepherd the Church of God
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His calling to be a pastor must be clear.
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He must aspire to shepherd.
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He must have godly character.
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He must be able to teach.
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He must faithfully manage his family.
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He must identify and call church members to become disciples.
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His moral qualifications are stated in 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9.
One Woman Man
1 Tim 3:2, Ti 1:6
Faithful to his wife and not flirtatious; has blameless reputation in his sexual and marital life.
Prudent/Sensible
1 Tim 3:2, Ti 1:8
Controls his thought life, emotions and attitudes, in his posture toward himself and others.
Self-controlled
1 Tim 3:2, Ti 1:8
Controls his behavior, especially as an example for all believers.
Respectable
1 Tim 3:2
Is an orderly, well-behaved man, enjoying respect from most people.
Hospitable
1 Tim 3:2, Ti 1:8
Includes others into his life and family circle, not just his friends.
Not Violent
1 Tim 3:3, Ti 1:7
Does not use extreme anger to get his way.
Gentle
1 Tim 3:3
Exercises his authority with gentleness that encourages others.
Not quarrelsome
1 Tim 3:3
Does not wrestle in disagreements with others in an argumentative manner.
Not Greedy
1 Tim 3:3, Ti 1:7
Avoids love of money because it robs the Lord’s people of his shepherding care, time and energy.
Not a recent convert
1 Tim 3:6
Not a new believer, for such are ill-equipped to resist leadership pride and assaults of the devil.
Good Reputation
1 Tim 3:7
Has a good reputation, not bringing shame on himself and the church.
Not Arrogant
Ti 1:7
Not arrogant, promoting him to use, rather than serve others
Not Quick-Tempered
Ti 1:7
Slow to anger, predisposed toward grace, compassion, and forgiveness.
Not a Drunkard
Ti 1:7
Not controlled by alcohol, or drinking in excess, nor given to any substance abuse.
Upright, holy & disciplined
Ti 1:8
Manifests the fruits of justification and sanctification by his manner of life.