Ling Liang World-Wide Evangelistic Mission Association 基督教靈糧世界佈道會聯會

趙世光牧師，1908年生於上海，1925年上海大復興時獻身事奉，是1949年前後中國佈道家中行程最廣遠的一位，也是第一個以堂會為基礎，創設中國人全球性差會的牧師。

1936年及1938年，原在上海宣道會守真堂牧會的趙世光牧師兩度去南洋群島佈道後，深覺“現今是我們中國教會給的時候了……切盼中國教會能組織一宣教團體，按力量將人才和金錢獻歸與神，專為國外佈道之用”（趙世光《宣教歷程》卷一69頁）。1941年12月8日太平洋戰爭爆發後，接受西方差會支持的事工陷入困難中，趙世光與同工們更決心建立不屬於宗派的中國宣教差會。1942年6月一個晚上，他和五位同工跪在黃家沙花園空地上禱告後，決定取名“靈糧堂”為這個團體的名稱。當年8月，靈糧堂開始主日崇拜（在協進中學大禮堂），並用幾間課室作訓練傳道人的神學院和聖經學校。這間上海靈糧堂乃是後來靈糧世界佈道會的母會。1942年9月上海開始有自己的會堂，接下來南京、杭州、蘇州也有分堂。

1942年10月起上海靈糧堂開始向虹口區因逃避希特勒來華的二萬德國猶太難民傳福音。教會中有許多人參予對猶太人的救濟，並有汪純懿和李明雲兩位女同工用英語帶領猶太人查經，趙世光則在每週靈糧堂主日崇拜後，趕去虹口主領猶太人的聚會，這事工直做到1945年大戰結束。趙世光也濟助被關在日本集中營的幾位西國宣教士。

1945年抗戰將結束時，靈糧世界佈道會（Ling Liang World-wide Evangelistic Mission）在上海成立。此差會的目標是“願神也照樣會用著我們中國立志傳道的工人，向外國宣傳福音，從上海（耶路撒冷）起，擴展到全中國（猶太全地）和遠東各國（撒瑪利亞），直到地極”（《宣教歷程》卷一115頁）。根據此一目標，靈糧世界佈道會從原已設立的上海附近各分堂開始，準備擴展至華南、華北、華西各大都市，再推展至各鄉村，並設有幼稚園、小學、孤兒院、養老院，及訓練牧會、宣教人才的華東神學院（蘇州）。

1947年秋靈糧堂按立了欒傳真和周主培兩位牧師為宣教士，差派他們到海外宣教。欒傳真夫婦到印度加爾各答，周主培則去印尼椰加達的靈糧分堂。他們都向華僑，也向當地人宣教。

1949年以後，靈糧世界佈道會往海外拓展，在香港、台灣、南洋、日本、北美、英國……設立分堂。1955年趙世光在椰加達創辦了基督教迦瑪列大學（Gimoeiel Univ.），1956年2月設立宣教師學院。趙世光本人常到世界各地主領聚會，帶動中外教會的復興，尤其1965年5-6月在韓國五大城市主領的200次聚會，共五十萬人聽福音，正是他多次多方跨文化宣教的事工之一。

幾十年來，靈糧世界佈道會主要以植堂的方式拓展宣教，2003年洛杉磯靈糧堂在美墨邊境的墨西哥小城，新成立了向墨西哥人傳福音的佈道所，就是其中一個實例。目前許多國家設有靈糧堂，這些堂會又在本國及外地拓展新堂，但“靈糧世界佈道會不是一個宗派，乃是一個佈道機關，所有在外的宣教師，我們不供給薪水，他們都是憑信心工作的”（《宣教歷程》卷二87頁）。各堂會在決策、經濟上完全獨立，因此全球的靈糧堂各有不同的教會路線；但其向外宣教的共同異象則均能持守，這是最難能可貴的。

作者：蘇文峰牧師

註：本文主要資料來自趙世光著【宣教歷程】及 2003年8月汪純懿老姊妹之口述。

In 1908, Rev. Timothy Dzao was born in Shanghai and answered God's full time service calling in 1925 during the time of Shanghai Great Revival. Around 1949, he became the most widely traveled evangelist and is also the first pastor starting the world-wide mission from the base of an individual local church.

IN 1936 and 1938, while he was pasturing in the ??? Church of the Shanghai Covenant Church denomination, and after twice conducted evangelistic meetings in South East Asia island, Rev. Dzao deeply felt that “now is the time for Chinese Churches to GIVE … we sincerely hope that Chinese Churches can organize a mission organization dedicated to give our ability and financial resources to God for foreign missions” (Rev. Dzao, “Journey of Mission”. Vol. 1, page 69). After the Pacific War of Pearl Harbor attack on December 8, 1941 , the ministries in China which used to receive supports from foreign missionary organizations faced great difficulties. This situation inspired Rev. Dzao and his co-workers to be even more determined to establish a non-denominational Chinese church based world wide missionary organization. In a night of June 1942, Rev. Dzao and other 5 other co-workers, after keeling down and praying in an empty yard of Huang JiaSha garden, they decided to name this missionary organization as “ Ling Liang Church ”. In August 1942, the Ling Liang Church started Sunday service using the auditorium of Xiejin High School , and used its classrooms as the Seminary and Bible School for training the ministers. This Shanghai Ling Liang Church later became the parent church of the Ling Liang World-wide Evangelistic Mission. After September 1942 when the first Ling Liang Church was set up in Shanghai , other branches of Ling Liang Church were also established in Nanjing , Hangzhou , and Suzhou .

Since October 1942, Shanghai Ling Liang Church had started spreading gospel to the twenty thousand Jewish refugees who escaped from the Nazi and Hitler's prosecution and came to Hongqao region. Many member of the church offered financial assistance to these Jewish refugees, and two female co-workers Esther Wang and Minyuen Lee led these Jews in bible study conducted in English. As to Rev. Dzao, he would hurry to lead the Sunday worship services for the Jewish people in Hongqao every week after he finished the Sunday Worship service at the Ling Liang Church , until the end of World War II in 1945. During that period, Rev. Dzao also provided financial and other assistance to some of the foreign missionaries who were kept in the Japanese Concentration Camp.

In 1945 when the Sino-Japan war was over, the Ling Liang World-wide Evangelistic Mission was established in Shanghai . The goal of this Mission is “Wishing God will also use us Chinese ministerial workers to spread Gospel in foreign counties, starting from Shanghai (Jerusalem), expand to the whole China (the Land of Judea) and countries in Far East (Samaria), till the end of the world” (Rev. Dzao, “Journey of Mission”. Vol. 1, page 115). According to this goal, the Ling Liang World-wide Evangelistic Mission was preparing to expand its ministries from the original Ling Liang Churches in and surrounding Shanghai to major cities in Southern, Northern and Western China, then to rural villages, and to set up Kindergartens, Elementary Schools, Orphanages, Elderly Care Centers, and Eastern China Seminary in Suzhou to train ministers for pasturing and missionary ministries.

In fall of 1947, Ling Liang church ordained Rev. Chuanzhen Lan and Rev. Moses Chou as two pastors to be missionaries and dispatched them to overseas mission fields. Rev. and Mrs. Lan to branch of Ling Liang Church in Calcutta, India and Rev. Chou to Jakarta, Indonesia. They would preach gospel to local people as well as the overseas Chinese there.

After 1949, Ling Liang World-wide Mission expanded to outside of China , setting up branch Ling Liang Churches in Hong Kong , Taiwan , South East Asia, Japan, North America , UK , and other places. In 1955, Rev. Dzao founded the Christian Cimoeiel University in Jakarta , Indonesia , in February 1956 he also established a Missionary College there. Rev. Dzao himself would traveling all over the world to lead evangelistic meetings, to bring spiritual revival to Chinese churches as well as churches in foreign countries; especially in May to June 1965 he lead over 200 evangelical meetings in five major cities in Korea, and spread Gospel to over half million Korean people, as an example of one of his many cross-culture missionary efforts.

Over the past decades, Ling Liang World-wide Evangelistic Mission has been using church planting as the major way of missionary work. As an example since 2003, Torrance Bread of Life Church has been involved in the Mexico Outreach Missions (Ling Liang para Mexico ) to participate in setting up churches to spread Gospel to local Mexicans. At the present time, there are many Ling Liang Churches or Bread of Life Churches planted in many nations; and these churches again are planting new churches in their own country or expanding by planting new churches in other countries. These are evidences, as declared by Rev. Dzao in his book “Journey of Missions” Vol 2, page 87, that Ling Liang World-Wide Evangelistic Mission is a evangelical organization and not a denomination, all our missionaries are not salaried workers but are dependant to God's provision by faith. All local Ling Liang Churches or Bread of Life Churches are independent in its own decision making regarding its policy or financial matters. Therefore, although the Ling Liang Churches or Bread of Life Churches in the world may have different ways of ministering the congregations, praising the Lord that all churches have one common vision to conduct evangelistic mission in accordance to the Great Commission from Jesus Christ.

( By Rev. Edwin Su )

Note: The sources of this article are mostly from the book “ Journey of Missions” by Rev. Timothy Dzao and verbal sharing by Minister Esther Wang.