Resonate Global Mission, the Christian Reformed Church’s mission agency at home and abroad, is consolidating its South &Southeast Asia and East Asia ministries under one new regional leader, Moses Chung. Chung starts in the role April 1. It’s a return to Resonate after his most recent role with the agency, as program and strategy director, ended in October 2024.
Joyce Suh, global mission leader for Resonate, has been guiding the Asia teams on an interim basis. “After a longer-than-planned season of serving an interim role with the Asia teams, I am looking forward to having Moses in this role and feel very confident in the discernment leading up to this appointment,” Suh said in a communication to Resonate staff March 21. “I do want to thank the Asia teams for their grace and cooperation in the interim. I have loved my season working more closely with all of you.”
Before Chung’s departure in October, he had worked for the agency for 13 years, first as director of Christian Reformed Home Missions, which merged with World Missions to form Resonate in 2017.
Chung and his wife, Eunae, who currently live in California, will relocate to Korea for this role—something they already felt God calling them to, unexpectedly, over the past six months. “Since my last day with Resonate in October 2024, I have been prayerfully seeking God’s guidance for my next steps,” Chung said. “To my surprise, God has placed a deep burden on my heart and given me a clear sense of calling to move to Korea and take part in the work God is doing in that region of Asia.”
Chung said he has a deep desire “to see new communities of faith with new imagination” and to see these “communities of new imagination in droves.” The opportunities for that kind of gospel work exist in Asia, where his new role with Resonate includes both the supervision and leading of Resonate’s Asia team and also “personal engagement in local ministry in alignment with Resonate’s goals.” Chung said that piece is what drew him in particular because it’s what he heard God calling him to now, at 55, and after 40 years of living in the United States to return to Korea. While ordinarily a missionary sending process might take two years, Chung expects his relocation period would be less because he already knows the language and the culture.
The joining together of the SSE Asia and East Asia mission teams into one region is “part of the global mission team’s sustainability work,” Suh noted in the March 21 email. Brian Geers, Resonate director of marketing and communications, confirmed with The Banner that “joining the regions together will have an immediate cost savings benefit, and the important work ahead includes balancing operational efficiencies with ongoing ministry effectiveness.”
Other Ministry Changes
Resonate has seen cuts to its domestic ministries too as the agency tries to reduce its expenses by $4 million to match revenue projections. Beth Fellinger, regional mission leader for Eastern Canada, said, “Because of budget constraints this year every regional mission leader was asked to cut some hours from our local mission leaders,” with each regional leader determining “for their area how the allocated budget is managed.” In Classis Eastern Canada the cuts resulted in the loss of an outreach mission developer, a position that was funded jointly by the classis and Resonate. At its March 1 meeting Classis Eastern Canada voted “to maintain the funds designated for the OMD position while we reconsider our future commitment to CEC (Classis Eastern Canada) missional work,” which will be taken up in discussion at the classis’s October meeting. Fellinger said, “I will be part of reimagining with Canada East what the position could look like in the future. Resonate is still committed to work with Classis, and I believe that to be a good relationship.”
About the Author
Alissa Vernon is the news editor for The Banner.