Ownership and the Church in China
The question of church property ownership points to a much deeper issue within the unregistered church.
Urban Church
Latest
A New Tool for Suppressing Churches?
Rental leases being used to suppress Chinese house churches.
Changing Dynamics of Church Growth in China
What might affect church growth in China today?
As the Migration Pendulum Swings
The temporary shift of church members from urban to rural and back to urban again during the Chinese New Year causes a Chinese Christian to reflect on the long-term challanges of China's urban migration.
Chinese Christians Look Back, Part 4
Sound teaching and biblical exposition are more a focal point of the church today than in the past.
Anticipating Urban China
As ChinaSource celebrates 20 years of service we are digging into our archives for articles chronicling the myriad far-reaching changes in China during the past two decades. Here we look at urbanization.
Too Quickly to Be Astonished
Surveying China’s extraordinary rise over the past decade, Graham Allison, in his book Destined for War, paraphrases former Czech President Vaclav Havel when he says, “It has happened so quickly, we have not yet had time to be astonished.”
Toward an Urban Church Theology
When I wrote China’s Urban Christians: A Light that Cannot be Hidden, it was with the conviction that massive urbanization in China had significant implications for China’s church. The emergence of a new kind of church in the city was not merely an extension of the experience of China’s primarily rural house church movements or of churches affiliated with the TSPM. Rather, a fresh set of dynamics was impacting the development of China’s newly forming urban Christian communities.
The latest issue of ChinaSource Quarterly, with its theme of urban church theology, delves into these dynamics. Guest editors Mary Ma and LI Jin have pulled together an impressively well-rounded look at the increasingly complex urban church environment.
Three Changes in Urban Churches
The author sees two major categories of urban churches in China that are experiencing transformation and goes on to discuss three main areas where he sees this transformation taking place. Viewing these changes as positive, he also believes they are growing stronger.
The City and the Church
As China becomes increasingly urbanized, an urban theology for ministry is needed. As modern man finds himself slowly enmeshed in urban living, he experiences materialism, relativism, and an increasingly segmented society. He questions what is real and true, and who God is. These questions can become points of contact for urban ministry. Dr. Ma provides some guidelines for forming an urban theology for ministry in urban China.
Pastoring a Charismatic Church in Shanghai
Pastor Cui shares how his church has dealt with a growing congregation and the need for room by adopting a “big church, small congregations” model. He explains this concept and details the benefits this model has brought to the church, the pastors, and the congregations.
Conversation with a Migrant-Worker Church Minister
An interview by Dr. Mary Ma with the minister of a migrant worker’s urban church which identifies a number of issues characteristic of urban churches comprised of migrant workers from rural areas. These concerns include living conditions, economic status, long work hours, mobility, and other factors that all contribute to the church’s spiritual health and stability.