Much of the program at last week’s Fourth Lausanne Congress was structured around 25 issue areas, or gaps. Yet some have pointed out that this granular approach to the overall mission effort ignores the context of each of the gaps, as well as the ways in which they interrelate.
Looking for a good end-of-summer book? Check out this roundup of the book reviews we’ve done over the last year, from memoir to biography to in-depth history to analysis of the current situation in China.
![A family checks out the arrivals and departures at Hong Kong International Airport. The arrival of so many new immigrants [from Hong Kong] in a short period of time has presented both local and Chinese churches in the UK with some unique opportunities and challenges. Lau Wood Yin, a student at Singapore Bible College, conducted research into this situation for a class on mission research.](https://media.chinasource.org/uploads/2024/07/RS-Zipporah-header-ChinaSource-Chinese-Christianity-Hong-Kong-Chinese-Immigrants-British-National-Overseas-BNO-passport-300x150.jpg)
The arrival of so many new immigrants [from Hong Kong] in a short period of time has presented both local and Chinese churches in the UK with some unique opportunities and challenges. Zipporah, a student at Singapore Bible College, conducted research into this situation for a class on mission research.
Overseas Chinese churches need to equip immigrant congregations to become people on the move, learn to grow and blend together in mixed groups, achieve cross-cultural missions together, and establish gospel partner relationships with other churches, instead of going it alone.
Given that the small community of the Chinese diaspora and the East Asian societies and Western societies that host it are all facing crises and challenges brought about by various changes, the ministry work done by churches in this context can provide a powerful witness, allowing the grace experienced by this small community to bless the much larger Chinese and Western populations in which it is embedded.
Today, faced with the opportunities and challenges of diaspora missions brought about by globalization, the church should actively participate. We hope that God will give the church the spiritual vision and kingdom-mindedness to take part in diaspora missions, and that we will see opportunities for encouraging lay missions.
More Chinese people, both believers and non-believers, are looking for ways to leave China. Some people are leaving because of persecution, while others want to escape the imposition of “Xi thought.” As Chinese immigrants arrive in our communities, we need to look for ways to welcome the newcomers and show them the love of Christ.
Today it is difficult to talk about the church in China without referencing China’s church outside China. Many leaders operate with one foot on Chinese soil and the other abroad, either by virtue of their frequent international travel or via offshore organizations through which their voices are amplified, making them spokespersons for a movement that transcends China’s borders.
Our Lord is the lord of history, and everything happens according to his plan. The recent political developments in and related to China have impacted the movement and dynamics of the global Chinese diaspora. They have closed some doors for mission while opening others.
Due to a number of monumental changes in politics, economy, and society in mainland China over the past decade, Chinese emigration has apparently been accelerating steadily…. What caught our attention is the very obvious and strong presence of Christians in ongoing emigration from China. A couple of unofficial estimates put the percentage of Christians…at 15-20%.
The new group of immigrants from mainland China is very different from Chinese immigrants of the past decades. Are Chinese churches in the US aware of this new trend? Do they have plans to adapt mission strategies and approaches in response?
As mission in China goes through changing circumstances, it is important to remember that the growth of the Chinese church is primarily the missio dei (mission of God) rather than our mission.