Joann Pittman

Joann Pittman

Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs.

Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and Chinese Culture and Communication at Wheaton College (IL) and Taylor University (IN).

Joann has a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and an MA in teaching from the University of St. Thomas (MN).

She is the author of Survival Chinese Lessons and The Bells Are Not Silent: Stories of Church Bells in China.

Her personal blog, Outside-In can be found at joannpittman.com, where she writes on China, Minnesota, traveling, and issues related to "living well where you don't belong."

You can find her on Twitter @jkpittman.com and on Facebook at @authorjoannpittman.

She makes her home in New Brighton, Minnesota.

ChinaSource Perspective

A Glimpse of What God Is Doing Down Under

There is a renewed sense that God is calling the Chinese church in New Zealand to be part of the global advancement of the gospel.

Blog Entries

The Chinese Diaspora in New Zealand and the Gospel

There is a renewed sense that God is calling the Chinese church in New Zealand to be part of the global advancement of the gospel. They may be geographically isolated, but they have a key role to play in what God is doing worldwide.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | June 9, 2022

Why the sparsely-populated South Pacific islands have become the next US-China contest (June 6, 2022, CNN) The island nations that stretch across the South Pacific – sparsely populated atolls and volcanic archipelagos, known more for tourism than lucrative natural resources – may not seem, at first glance, to be a major geopolitical prize. Yet, Pacific Island countries have become the latest arena for a great power contest between the United States and China.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | June 2, 2022

"Runology:” How to "Run Away" from China (June 1, 2022, Council on Foreign Relations) China's forever lockdowns have caused some to look for a radical solution: to emigrate, or run away from what they see as a lost future in China.

Blog Entries

Free Webinar: Where Are the Churches in China? And Why?

In this lecture, Professor Yang will present the geographical distribution of Catholic and Protestant churches in China, discuss several characteristics, and trace some of the historical and social patterns of church development.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | May 26, 2022

Video: From Matteo Ricci to Pope Francis: Jesuits and Christian Dialogue in China (May 16, US-China Catholic Association) In his reflections, Dr. Anthony Clark examined how Jesuits have maintained Christian dialogue with China from 1582 until the present. As representatives of this uniquely Jesuit approach, Matteo Ricci and Pope Francis frame that exchange.

Blog Entries

Partnerships: “Cooperate and Graduate”

Our commitment to collaboration is rooted in our belief that unity in the ministry community comes through recognizing the unique roles, gifts, and resources that each individual and organization brings to advance the kingdom of God in China and globally, and that working together for their strategic deployment results in multiplied effectiveness.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | May 19, 2022

Here’s What Thousands of Christian WeChat Accounts Reveal About Chinese Internet Evangelism (May 13, 2022, Christianity Today) WeChat is a powerful digital media outlet with more than 1.2 billion users worldwide and tens of millions of “public accounts.” Over the past decade, WeChat accounts have been an important platform for Chinese Christians to speak about their faith and communicate the gospel.

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | May 12, 2022

A Teacher in China Learns the Limits of Free Expression (May 9, 2022, The New Yorker) How had the country experienced so much social, economic, and educational change while its politics remained stagnant?

ZGBriefs

ZGBriefs | May 5, 2022

Chinese Food Is a Celebration of Time and Place (April 19, 2022, Epicurious) “Authenticity” is a loaded word that many chefs like Tong stay away from, because the very concept discriminates against food that has evolved over years and generations.