Fostering Intercongregational Unity in a Chinese Immigrant Church Through Collaborative Missional Action

Siu Chung Dai

Etd

Fostering Intercongregational Unity in a Chinese Immigrant Church Through Collaborative Missional Action

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MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Siu Chung Dai. Fostering Intercongregational Unity In a Chinese Immigrant Church Through Collaborative Missional Action. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/f5004556-fe95-4bfc-ba8c-2d8cc76a9332?locale=en.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

S. C. Dai. Fostering Intercongregational Unity in a Chinese Immigrant Church Through Collaborative Missional Action. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/f5004556-fe95-4bfc-ba8c-2d8cc76a9332?locale=en

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Siu Chung Dai. Fostering Intercongregational Unity In a Chinese Immigrant Church Through Collaborative Missional Action. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/f5004556-fe95-4bfc-ba8c-2d8cc76a9332?locale=en.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

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Siu Chung Dai

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Abstract

This study explores how collaborative missional engagement can foster intercongregational unity within a multi-linguistic Chinese immigrant church in Chicago (Chinese Christian Union Church). The church consists of three distinct congregations—Cantonese, Mandarin, and English—each shaped by unique cultural, linguistic, and generational identities. Although doctrinally unified, these congregations have historically functioned in parallel, reflecting relational fragmentation common in diaspora church contexts. Using a qualitative intervention design, the project examined the impact of a jointly organized Chinese New Year outreach initiative. Data were collected through pre-event focus groups, participant observation, and post-event focus groups. The findings indicate that language and leadership culture serve as primary boundary markers; however, participation in shared mission significantly reduced relational distance and increased mutual trust. The outreach functioned as a Third Space, temporarily flattening hierarchical and generational divides and fostering practical interdependence. Theologically interpreted through Ephesians 2, 1 Corinthians 12, Acts 2, and diaspora missiology, the study argues that unity in immigrant churches is sustained not through structural proximity but through outward-facing participation in the Missio Dei. Sustainable unity requires adaptive leadership, intercultural competence, structural integration, and repeated shared mission. This research demonstrates that linguistic diversity can become a missional asset when reoriented around shared vocation.

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