From Entrepreneur to Catalyst
The final article in a series by Brent Fulton exploring seven trends that are impacting the way foreign Christians can effectively serve in China.
Ideas
Editorial reflection and analysis on issues shaping Chinese Christianity.
Latest
10 Things NOT to Do on a Short-term Trip to China
Going to China this summer? Here are tips for preparing well for your trip.
Financial Considerations in Chinese Missionary Sending
The Chinese church passionately desires participation in missionary sending. A study performed with long-term Chinese missionaries reveals four main current sources of support for Chinese mission activity. Common methods of missionary fund-raising are examined and frequently encountered fund-raising difficulties are reviewed. The Chinese church has difficulty financially supporting mission service and at the current time alternative strategies for Chinese missionary funding are still needed.
From Sending to Receiving
The fifth article in a series by Brent Fulton exploring seven trends that are impacting the way foreign Christians can effectively serve in China.
From Solutions to Shared Innovation
The fourth article in a series by Brent Fulton exploring seven trends that are impacting the way foreign Christians can effectively serve in China.
From Doing to Paving the Way
The third article in a series by Brent Fulton exploring seven trends that are impacting the way foreign Christians can effectively serve in China.
The Chinese Church: Great Progress and Great Work Yet to Be Done
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.
From Leading to Modeling
The second article in a series by Brent Fulton exploring seven trends that are impacting the way foreign Christians can effectively serve in China.
From Training to Mentoring
A new series from Brent Fulton exploring seven trends that are impacting the way foreign Christians can effectively serve in China.
Church Staff Salary—How Much Is Enough?
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?
Insurance? Retirement? Shouldn’t We Just Trust God?
When I first went overseas, I thought things like medical insurance and retirement planning weren’t too important. Further, as funding for those two items added to the overall budget and that budget needed to be raised through supporters I personally contacted, I felt that these items were excessive. It seemed to me at the time that these items only delayed my matriculation to the field and added to the church’s financial burden in sending me and my family. I reasoned that God would take care of us anyway. Twenty years later, with retirement age nearing, (which won’t necessarily cause me to retire), I am grateful for the foresight of organizational leadership. And with my family members needing multiple previously unforeseen surgeries, I am grateful for the care we have received.
Financial Expectations of Prospective Chinese Medical Missionaries
Financial issues significantly impact Chinese missionary-sending sustainability. For those Chinese physicians with mission field experience, greater degrees of field experience correlate with a greater ascribed degree of importance placed on these financial issues. Currently prospective Chinese medical missionary financial expectations are high. These expectations do not necessarily match with the lived reality of Chinese non-medical missionaries. Financial support models which can facilitate sending of Chinese missionary physicians need development.