After 27 years in pastoral ministry, Rev. Joseph Langub says he has experienced something he can only describe as "a deeper and more intentional work of the Holy Spirit" over the past two years. His congregation, Filipino Christian Church (FCC) in SeaTac, Washington, has emerged from a 10-month church revitalisation process with a new vision — "building longer tables, not higher walls" — and a growing partnership with church planting efforts in Alaska.
The journey began when Langub joined the PEAK church revitalisation programme through the Alliance Northwest (ANW) District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Over 10 months, Langub and his leadership team met regularly with ANW mentors to examine the church's history, culture, strengths, and challenges. By April 2025, at the programme's conclusion, the church's elders had embraced a shared vision that reflected what they sensed God was shaping in them. Langub describes it as a call "to create space, to welcome more, and to extend the love of Christ in a way that draws people in."
The congregation had already seen steady growth — a strengthening youth ministry, growing worship and children's ministries, and small groups becoming more rooted in Scripture. But beyond these visible developments, Langub says there was a growing hunger among the people for the presence of God. At the ANW district conference in April 2024, the church connected with Pastor Dan Samuelson and the Vision Alaska initiative, opening a new frontier of partnership. The "building longer tables" vision is now extending well beyond Seattle.
The story illustrates a pattern C&MA leaders are increasingly highlighting: church revitalisation that begins with dependence on the Holy Spirit rather than strategic planning alone. Langub is candid that the process was not simply about ministry moving forward — "it has been about learning, in a very real way, what it means to depend on God." For a denomination that has long emphasised both deep spirituality and entrepreneurial mission, the SeaTac story offers a lived example of the two converging.
Source: Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA USA) — cmalliance.org
