Theme Rationale

In the past, poverty alleviation, economic development, and social entrepreneurship were some of the most talked about topics in Indonesia, and for good reason – many Indonesians still lived in poverty and struggled economically. However, in recent years, the country has seen significant progress in addressing these issues. While poverty still exists and many face economic challenges, the reality is that many Indonesians are not as poor as they used to be, and their basic needs are being met. 

The notion of who I am, what my purpose, where my significance comes from have been in everyone’s mind forever. For many, the search for significance led them to the pursuit of education, jobs, or careers. Others have gone to the path of social impact, solving societal problems, and pursuing humane or even religious agenda. Then as people get older, they start to think about what kind of legacy we are living behind - for our family, communities, and others. There are so many options, choices, and endless TED talks about significance. 

Observations:

1. As a result, the focus has shifted from simply meeting basic needs to addressing deeper issues of dignity and significance. This leads people to ask, “what’s next?”. Many lose their motivation to work and then lose their sense of purpose. Furthermore, the search for purpose is an individualistic endeavor, which leads people to not care to live in community, and rather in isolation or in the digital world. The pandemic, access to endless entertainment and social media, artificial dopamine surge worsens this trend has accelerated depression, anxiety, and self harm among American teens since 2010s.
   
   Most of us in this world are searching for a purpose, whether it be through our education, jobs, or careers. For those living in the US, the pursuit of the “American Dream” reflects this reality. Through hard work, we can find good jobs, which will lead us to earn more wealth, and ultimately prosperity. Yet the unfortunate reality of this so-called “dream” is that it has created a society in which people are more anxious, depressed, and hopeless than they have ever been.

2. From an Indonesian context, this shift can be seen in the prevalence of the FOMO (fear of missing out) culture, which is essentially an effort for individuals to be accepted as part of a group or tribe. In a culture that is more collective in nature, people often join groups where their identity becomes intertwined with the group. The rise of social media and digital technology has only amplified this phenomenon, pushing it beyond traditional boundaries. 
   
   Although the FOMO culture in the U.S. is not as prevalent as in Indonesia, we do see the western society’s search for significance in other ways. Instead of joining groups simply out of a fear of missing out, people tend to join groups that align with their identities and beliefs. And for many educated white-collar workers, the search for significance comes in the form of leaving a legacy behind before they pass. This can be in forms such as academic achievements, businesses, social impact, etc. 

So what is the biblical view of significance? 

We must look to our creator, the one who formed us and understands us best. As Christians, our identity first and foremost is not in what the world defines but God’s view of his children who know their secure identity in Christ. It is His definition of significance that will ultimately fulfill our deepest longing to be significant.

As bible believing Christians, we believe the Bible provides a framework for our life with God, including in the area of significance and purpose. It is God who designed and formed us – as His masterpiece for a purpose & significance. As humanity fell into sin, we have come to doubt and disbelieve God – and began our quest to fill the thirst of identity, purpose, and significance on our own and independent from God. 

Becoming a Christian does not necessarily mean the end of this pursuit & struggle for significance. But it does provide us a biblical framework – and with the significant role of the Holy Spirit in our life, we have an advantage in navigating this fallen world. So we must go back to studying what God has to say and seek to understand how the Word provides guidance in our life. Therefore, in this conference, we are seeking to practically learn from each other on how to seek out, anchor, and live out our faith & significance in Christ and learn on how to respond to the pull of other alternatives on what the world has to offer.

These are some of the questions we would like to explore:

• Biblical Principle of Significance and human dignity, why the dilemma between pursuing dignity and significance exists and how many Christians and others are swayed away from the Gospel.

• How the current generations got trapped, to find significance in the world of materialism and how some are able to find freedom in the Gospel.

• How the western cultures or other cultures influence Indonesian to find significance away from the true Gospel (country & society).

We are looking forward to a weekend full of engaging topics and discussion on these important matters together. Let us pray together that God will grant us his vision for us as his servants in his Kingdom, for Indonesia, and for the glory of God! 

See you in Chicago! 
FICA Global Overseas Ministry Conference (OMC) team