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Healthy
Immigrant Churches
Equipping Leaders to Build Healthy Immigrant Churches
SEPTEMBER 26
An inaugural conference to encourage and equip church leaders with biblical convictions and a sound philosophy of ministry to build healthy immigrant churches that proclaim and reflect God’s glory and grace.
At San Francisco Bible Church | September 26, 2026 | 9AM - 5PM
Who should attend? The purpose of the Healthy Immigrant Churches Conference is to minister to pastors, elders, and lay leaders of the local church and is specifically geared towards men. All the speakers are complementarian, hold to a reformed view of salvation, practice expository preaching, and believe in a biblically driven philosophy of ministry for the church.
Speakers
Henry Tam
San Francisco Bible Church
Stephen Chen
Redeemer Bible Fellowship
Jonathan Szeto
Laguna Chinese Baptist Church
Tranwei Yu
Chinese Grace Bible Church
Schedule
Register
8:30 AM Registration
Snacks and coffee will be provided.
9:00 AM Session 1: Potentials and Pitfalls in the Immigrant Church
This session explores the dual realities of ethnic immigrant churches, examining how they act as blessings to immigrant families while navigating generational divides. Central to this journey is the Lordship of Christ, which calls congregations to look past cultural comforts and trust His authority to guide them through inevitable growing pains in laboring together for the sake of the gospel.
10:45 AM Session 2: Authority of the Bible in the Immigrant Church
What actually shapes a church over time: God’s Word, or something else? This session will consider how Scripture quietly loses its functional authority in churches–and why recovering the centrality of the Bible changes everything from the nursery to the pulpit.
12:00 PM Lunch
Lunch will be provided.
1:00 PM Breakout Sessions
Leading Change from the Second Chair: Lessons from Redeemer’s Story
What do you do when you long to see healthy change in a church, but you are not the senior pastor, the majority culture, or the primary decision-maker? This breakout session tells the story of Redeemer Bible Fellowship and reflects on the slow, relational, and often difficult work of pursuing biblical conviction, trust, and reform within a larger immigrant church context.
Exercising Authority Well in the Immigrant Church
Whether you are one of the staff pastors or the lead pastor, the immigrant church needs to be led by a patient shepherd who leads with biblical convictions. How should leaders exercise their authority with wisdom for the health of the immigrant church and glory of God?
Maintaining Unity in a Church Divided by Language and Culture
Unity is important to have and difficult to maintain in any church, but it can seem impossible when a church has different languages and cultures. Join us as we consider how the Bible teaches us to pursue and maintain a deep trust and unity through Christ and the Scriptures.
Q&A Panel with Lay SFBC Elders on Church Health
How do immigrant churches maintain spiritual health while navigating intense cultural, linguistic, and generational challenges? Join this Q&A panel featuring experienced lay elders as they share honest challenges, triumphs, and principles for building a healthy immigrant church.
2:00 PM Session 3: Biblical Leadership in the Immigrant Church
When cultivating healthy immigrant church life, it begins with the leaders. The only thing worse than having NO leaders is having the WRONG leaders. How do we identify and train biblically qualified leaders? What would it look like to raise up and install the next generation of leaders in the church?
3:30 PM Session 4: Clarity on the Gospel in the Immigrant Church
The gospel is of "first importance," but unfortunately, that often means it is assumed and quickly set aside as we desperately search for more complex solutions for our complicated, immigrant churches. However, what is assumed often becomes distorted and eventually forgotten. The immigrant church needs to regain and maintain clarity on the gospel for the sake of its members, its health, and its mission.