QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

 Shifu is the Chinese word for ‘teacher’ or ‘mentor’ . The full name of our ministry is Shifu's Tea Room. Much like an American coffee house,  in China the tea room is a place to gather, relax and talk.  In our seminars, we try to provide a nonthreatening environment suitable for training and open interaction.

The word TEA also represents the 3 main functions of the ministry.

T = Teaching the Word (by Teaching, Training and Tutoring) 2 Tim. 4:2, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”     

E = Equipping the Saints (To be Mature, Ministering and Missional) Eph. 4:11-12, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the   evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry”    

A = Advising Leaders (by Evaluating, Educating and Entrusting) 2 Tim. 2:2, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others”      

We are excited that China is being well evangelized. Tens of thousands of Chinese are surrendering their lives to Jesus every month. The sad fact is that many of them lack any form of discipleship. Most of them, including the pastors, have no access to sound Bible training. This is where we come in…   

VISION STATEMENT: “We intend to provide beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of sound Biblical training to both English and Mandarin speaking Christians in the U.S. and China using a variety of methods and easy-to-follow, bilingual multimedia.”  

SHIFU's is affiliated with Multiplication Ministries. We are a nondenominational ministry. We train leaders in any church that upholds the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. We also do seminars such as marriage, parenting, teacher training in many schools, churches and venues.

Dr. Jay (as Johnnie is known in China), is a retired pastor from Southern California.  His passion has always been for those within the church to know Christ intimately, learn the Word thoroughly and love others sacrificially. John holds a Bachelor's degree in Christian Education, a Masters in Religious Studies, and a Doctorate in Theology. He has over three decades of ministry experience as a Preacher / Teacher, Pastor of Youth and Worship, Bible Teacher at a Christian School, Missionary to China, and International Seminar Speaker.  He spends the majority of his time preparing training material in his home office and then doing seminars as opportunity and health allows.

Shulan was born in China and speaks fluent Mandarin and English. She became an American citizen in 2014. She holds a Bachelors degree in Chinese Language and a Masters degree in Journalism. Before meeting John, Shulan was a translator for American Businessmen in China. Shulan teaches an in-depth, weekly online Bible study to over 300 Christians in China. She both teaches some of the SHIFU's seminars and translates for John when he teaches. She has translated written materials into Mandarin for other ministries as well (Dynamic Church Planting International, Discipleship Journeys with Jesus, etc.).  She is a licensed Medical Interpreter and currently studying to become a Legal interpreter. 

Together, Dr. Jay and Shulan have been referred to as ‘ministry chopsticks’ (doing together what they could never do individually). Not just husband and wife, John and Shulan are the best of friends and enjoy every minute they minister together. 

Family Seminars include "Avoiding the Landmines in Marriage", "How to Fight Fair", "Introducing Romance to a Traditional Marriage", "Preparing your Children to be Successful", "21 Parenting Myths", and more.

Most RequestedSeminars include "Mastering the Art of Teaching" and "The FUNdamentals of Bible Study"

In Depth Bible Training Courses include...

 1. Bibliology: The Nature of Revelation (Natural and Special Revelation); The Authority, Inerrancy and Sufficiency of Scripture; Historical Development and Steps to Canonization 

2. Bible Intro: Bible Survey; O.T. Survey; N.T. Survey; Intertestamental Period; Introduction to Major Bible characters and events. 

3. Bible Books: Verse by Verse study of various books in the Old and New Testaments; Training in the use of basic Bible Study Tools; Scripture memorization.   

4. Hermeneutics: Bible Study Methods, Preparation, Reading, Observation, Interpretation, and Application 

5. Theology 101: Theology Proper (Father); Christology (Jesus); Pneumatology (The Holy Spirit); The Trinity  

6. Theology 201: Soteriology (Salvation); Hamartiology (Sin); Views of Election, Atonement, Grace, Faith and Eternal Security 

7. Theology 301: Final Judgment (Heaven, Hades, Lake of Fire); False Views (e.g.: purgatory); Key Theological Terminology; Various Judgments in the Bible 

8. Theology 401: World Religions; Cults; Denominations; China’s 3-Self Church and House Church 

9. Theology 501: Satanology; Angelology; Demonology; Creationism; Miscellaneous Doctrines 

10. Eschatology: Principles of End Time Prophecy; Main views of the Millennium and Tribulation 

11. Apologetics: A defense of the facts of Christianity; exposing supposed contradictions in the Biblical text;  

12. Pastoral Counseling: Advantages and dangers of modern psychology; Psychological vs. Biblical Counseling; Resources for Biblical guidance 

13. Evangelism: Getting the Gospel Right; Personal and Corporate Evangelism Methods 

14. Church History: Key Periods, Figures, Events, Creeds & Confessions; The Spread of Christianity throughout the world with an emphasis on China and America. 

15. Missiology: Theology of Missions; History of Missions; Mission Strategies in China; History of Missions in China; Living a Missional Lifestyle 

16. Church Planting: Due to the unique nature of the persecuted underground church in China, we will use a variety of materials to meet specific needs in each area we train. 

17. Christian Education: History of Christian Ed; Teaching Methodology; Curriculum Selection and Preparation; Teacher Selection and Training Methods 

18. Life Skills: Prayer; Marriage; Parenting; Single Life; Money Issues; Communication; Vocational decisions; Retirement; etc 

19. Homiletics: Bible Study Methods; Sermon Selection, Preparation and Presentation; Balancing exegetical preaching with practical applications. 

20. Ecclesiology: Universal / Local Church; Church Organization; Developing Statements (Doctrinal Statement, Vision Statement, Mission Statement); Church Leadership (Qualifications, Selection Process, and Responsibilities of Pastors, Deacons, Deaconesses, Ministry Leaders); Women in Leadership (Complimentarianism, Egalitarianism , Biblical Roles); Church Ordinances (Baptism and Communion); Church Finances; Church Ministries; Church Worship; Church Discipline 

21. Social Issues: Abortion; Addictions;  Euthanasia; Mental Health Issues; Divorce / Remarriage; Sexual Issues (Premarital Sex, Homosexuality, Adultery); Gender Roles; Civil Disobedience / War; Misc. Issues 

Eventual additions: Biblical Languages (Hebrew & Greek); Translating for the Preacher;  Other Courses as Required  

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