From associate editor Isabel Ong: In Singapore, where I was born and raised, there is a lot of pressure to succeed in school, sports, and life. In South Korea, I’m inclined to think there is the same pressure to be the best. So it was surprising to me, in the midst of reporting on the state of South Korea missions today, that many of the leaders I interviewed didn’t seem too bothered that the country isn’t the second-largest missionary-sending country in the world anymore.

One leader expressed the need for humility and repentance for the Korean church’s pride and arrogance. Another told me that “God’s ministry is not dependent on numbers.”

I thought about this again at my Canadian church last Sunday when we prayed over nearly 30 people who decided to become members. The number of people we had was certainly record-setting, but I was struck by how I knew many of these folks through dining at their tables, singing in choir, or fighting with water balloons at youth camp.

Working on this piece reminded me that building relationships with one another and prioritizing names over numbers, is a beautiful, God-ordained thing, whether in cross-cultural missions or in church services.