In the 2017 spring edition of the ChinaSource Quarterly, published last month, we highlighted survey results of Christian workers in China (local and foreign). The research project was carried out by the China Gospel Research Alliance, made up of representatives from OMF, Frontier Ventures, Open Doors, and ChinaSource. The CGRA partnered with Global Mapping International (GMI) to produce this handy infographic portraying the key findings in the survey.
The growth of the Chinese church over the past several decades cannot be overstated. What the Lord has accomplished is truly beyond anything we could have ever asked or imagined.
The second article in a series by Brent Fulton exploring seven trends that are impacting the way foreign Christians can effectively serve in China.
Do Chinese parents and pastors need to rethink how they raise their youth in the faith? In this article, originally posted on at Gospel Times, a pastor encourages believers to challenge traditional views of ministry to youth. The pastor sketches modern challenges to youth ministry and then offers practical recommendations for ministry workers.
One of the striking things about the coastal city of Qingdao is the surviving European feel of much of the older sections of town. Qingdao was a German colony from 1898 to 1914, and unlike most other cities that had once been under colonial rule, the old European zone was not razed.
Shortly after we moved back to the States after living in Asia for many years, a Chinese researcher from a major university in China approached us asking if he could spend his last month in the US living with us. It wasn’t that his lease had expired or his stipend was running low. Rather, he realized that although he had lived in the American Midwest for a year doing research at a well-respected American university—he had experienced very little of American life and had very few non-Chinese friends.
A new series from Brent Fulton exploring seven trends that are impacting the way foreign Christians can effectively serve in China.
Chinese Christians have traditionally expected their pastors to live frugally and to receive little to no compensation for their pastoral duties. It was expected that those in the ministry would endure much suffering as a result of their call to ministry. As a result, some pastors and ministry staff live on quite meager means and many are bi-vocational in order to make ends meet.
As China modernizes, many congregations, particularly urban churches, recognize a need to better financially care for their pastors, as well as to invest in the well-being of the congregation as a whole. Congregations are starting to see the health of a church improve when the entire body is spiritually and financially committed to compensating their ministry staff. So, how much should a pastor in China make?
A sneak peek at longtime China journalist Ian Johnson soon-to-be-released new book The Souls of China: The Return of Religion after Mao. A must-read for those who want to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture and religious life.
An infographic for understanding the needs and perspectives of the 1,200 Chinese church leaders voiced in the 2016 survey of the China Gospel Research Alliance.
China’s churches desire partnerships with overseas entities. However, as the church has become increasingly urban, the nature of those partnerships must change in response to the changes occurring in society and thus, in the church. Overseas organizations must understand these changes and consider carefully how they can best partner with the church in China.
China’s elderly population is burgeoning and the question becomes, “Who will care for them?” Families are finding this difficult, and neither the government nor society are currently prepared to provide the resources needed to address this. However, China’s Christian community has several advantages that would allow them to meet this need. Urban Christians could care for the elderly in their midst and also offer a service to the larger community which would enhance the church’s standing in society.