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A W A K E N E D & A L I G N E D T O B E A S S I G N E D
Leadership Under James & Sarah Chan ( 2000 – 2012 )
James Chan had already taken over as National Director of YWAMSG from Alan Lim when God ‘ set him up ’ to be the consulting pastor of a local church . When he was invited to speak at their leadership conference in 1998 , God conferred on him the topic of hearing God ’ s voice . The leaders present were drawn into the stillness , willingness and openness to hear God , but it was incomparable to the Father ’ s own desire for them to hear Him . You have deviated from My ways ; return and re-align yourself with Me — was the resounding word of the Lord for them . They were stupefied . Hearing His voice for the first time , they beheld His searing message with a reverence that stemmed from their identity as followers of Christ . A time of confession and repentance ensued , one that brought on many tears . But it was their awakening ; a cleansing that brought them to the feet of their Lord . And the church was desperate for more .
They invited James to speak again some time later . He taught on Peter ’ s struggle with Jesus washing His disciples ’ feet , an act of humility that would demand Peter to do the same for others . Like an ambush , God ’ s closing instruction to James , “ Get the leaders to wash the feet of the church ,” opened them to another confessional outpouring . They shared their testimonies vulnerably , and some even saw Jesus walking in their midst . God ’ s intervention had awakened them to a desperation that could only be quenched with an alignment to Him , and His purposes . Through one man ’ s obedience , a church encountered God and was steered back to His Great Commission , which had been absent for the past years in their history . For this obedience to come from the heart , God has to move . It is His grace at work ( 1 Corinthians 15:10 ) that renders every submission , however ordinary in man ’ s eyes , to be an astonishing encounter .
In support of the church ’ s missions endeavour , YWAMSG continues to bear our call — as a bridge to the Church into missions — like a creed , yielding the posture of a servant , serving the vision of others who similarly have a stake in God ’ s Kingdom . YWAMSG trained many of their church staff and within a short time , the church sent out 5 missionaries , and 80 % of their youths embarked on mission trips . To the church leadership , James made it clear that he was representing YWAMSG to assist the church . “ I did not want them to relate to me on a personal basis . This would ensure that their relationship continues on even after my departure .”
Since our pioneering days , YWAMSG has been recognised as an international community of different cultures and nations who live and work together . Though hospitality and generosity are esteemed values of YWAMSG , it is the koinonia that draws people to return . James shares , “ Our friends ( featured on pages 56 — 59 ) wanted to be a part of us because they saw God in what we were doing . They saw our openness and heart for Him . When you live together in community , you see where the heart is . There ’ s nowhere to hide . It ’ s not just about living in
Right : DTS outreach team at a halfway house in Kuala Lumpur , where they lived and worked with the residents , gardening , clearing mountains and herding goats .
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