Writing earlier this year on reimagining China ministry in an era characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, Pastor Sun Yong cautioned, “It is important to recognize that the winter for the Chinese church may not yet be ending; indeed, its harshest winter may only be beginning.”
For many who experienced the “golden era” of relative openness in the 2000s and early 2010s, when the church began moving toward increasingly public expressions of faith, this winter season has been disorienting. We’ve watched as China’s leaders reversed Reform-era policies at home, while pursuing a more aggressive posture abroad. Warm invitations have given way to suspicion. Optimistic predictions about a “Christian China” have been replaced with conversations about the church’s survival.
As Pastor Sun Yong writes, “Today’s Chinese church confronts not merely temporary external pressures, but a comprehensive restructuring of societal foundations.”
In this era, we’re much less confident about what lies ahead, since many assumptions about China’s future trajectory have proven untrue. Yet with this uncertainty comes an opportunity to reexamine where our confidence lies. When unfolding events seem to align perfectly with our increasingly ambitious strategic plans, it is easy to become confident in what appears to be a clear path forward. But when China’s leaders reverse course and our plans become obsolete, we are reminded that God’s ways are higher than ours. While we may be less confident about what comes next, our current situation invites us to renew our confidence in him who holds the future.
Rediscovering the Journey
I’m reminded of a road trip my wife and I took this summer into the mountains about an hour or so from our home. During the first leg of the journey, we sped confidently along a busy freeway. It was a familiar route, one we could drive almost without thinking. But when we turned toward the mountains, we found ourselves in totally unfamiliar territory. Our confidence turned to curiosity. Familiarity gave way to surprise, as we wound through endless rolling hills, each turn revealing new facets of the fascinating scenery unfolding before us. The journey was no longer about how much ground we could cover, but rather how our own perspective was being transformed by the captivating beauty of our surroundings.
Like this recent road trip, the trajectory of China ministry over the past decade has been a journey from confidence in an anticipated future to curiosity about what God is going to do next. And he continues to surprise us.
Despite increasing pressure at home, China’s Christians continue to find their place in serving among difficult-to-reach people groups, both in China and beyond. With the tightening in China has come a new wave of emigration, which some have referred to as a “divine displacement.” Whether for economic reasons, for the sake of their children’s education, or because of direct pressure by the government, many believers are finding new opportunities to serve far beyond China’s borders. China’s church is no longer just in China; it is enriching the global Chinese diaspora with new vision and a time-honored legacy of cross-centered devotion to Christ.
Back in China, Christians continue to find creative ways to glorify God, serving people on the margins of society and loving their neighbors and coworkers. Church forms and modes of worship may have changed, but that has not stopped the forward movement of God’s kingdom. Pastor Sun Yong foresees that “while large-scale meetings decrease, small groups and house gatherings may become more grounded and resilient….”
“The Chinese church is currently experiencing compression and purification,” Sun writes, “[But] compression does not mean disappearance. God still reigns.”
A God of Miracles
Earlier this summer we celebrated the miraculous release of Zion Church pastor Ezra Jin. In his piece in The Wall Street Journal titled “I’m Free. Now Pray for China,” Ezra wrote, “Mine is a God of miracles, and he constantly surprises me.”
He surprises us too. Our journey from confidence to curiosity and from familiarity to surprise reminds us that our confidence is not in a future we can predict. It reminds us that our confidence is where it always has been. Rather than peering anxiously ahead into an unknown future, we are called to return the loving gaze of the Father, who is with us in the uncertainty. Rather than plotting our next move, we are invited to simply ask, “What now, Lord? How can we be faithful in the moment?”
We recognize that whatever we might accomplish in his name must first begin with what he desires to accomplish in us. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
