This is the first in a five-part series on localization of China ministry. Each essay centers on a different issue that the author has encountered as his organization goes through the process of handing over key leadership to local believers. The challenges are real, and the process is ongoing, meaning that some essays contain as many questions as answers.
It had been an engaging but exhausting two days. Pastors and ministry leaders from all across China had gathered with a smaller number of expatriate China workers to reflect together on some of the key trends in the mainland Chinese church. The meeting was conducted almost entirely in Chinese, and the range of topics addressed was dizzying, but also encouraging: indigenous mission and sending agencies, social engagement, theological education, Christian schooling, global partnership—in all these areas interest is high and progress encouraging.
The good folks at the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University recently published the results of a survey they conducted among Chinese university students. If you are working with Chinese students in the United States, it is a must-read.
Celebrating Thanksgiving with a food tale from Chengdu!
Fifteen years ago, a Chinese writer who goes by the name of Huo Shui, wrote an article for the ChinaSource Quarterly called "Keys to Effectiveness in an Ever-Changing China." While China has continued to change, the things he talked about have stood the test of time. Or, as a friend of mine used to say, “things are the same, only more so.”
Saying goodbye to China and hello to a new culture and home—and doing it well.
Yes, those are bold words, but if you are newly arrived in China, have been here for decades, or are just beginning preparations to head someday to China, you need to read Mabel Williamson’s Have We No Rights?
Earlier this week we posted a ChinaSource Conversations podcast in which I talked with Jackson Wu, author of Saving God’s Face and Sam Chan, author of Preaching as the Word of God about the issue of contextualization in gospel presentations. In the course of the conversation I asked them ten questions.
A look at the underlying "drivers" that are affecting ministry opportunities and personnel in China.
In this podcast ChinaSource Senior Vice President Joann Pittman interviews Jackson Wu and Sam Chan. Their discussion examines the process of interpreting, communicating and applying the Bible in a particular cultural context. Effective contextualization communicates the gospel message in a way that is faithful to how God has revealed it through scripture but also in a way that hearers can understand in their own cultural setting.
A reader responds to the 2016 autumn issue of ChinaSource Quarterly, "A Call to Partnership in Chinese Returnee Ministry" with encouragement and a reminder of God's love and grace.
Education is a major issue for cross-cultural workers who serve overseas with their families. Most families choose to put their kids in an international school, a local school, or to homeschool full-time at home. All of these have their pros and cons.