Articles
Peoples of China
Women in China’s Protestant Church and Missions
In both church and mission in China, women make up the majority of workers; however, their contributions and circumstances can sometimes be overlooked. The author looks at how God has used women of bygone days to build his church in China. She discusses three examples of women as well as a trio of women who provided leadership and greatly impacted the development of China’s Protestant faith. She also provides a bibliography for those interested in further study of this topic.
Resource Corner
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity
A significant resource, this website offers the names and life stories of significant figures in Chinese Christianity including those who pioneered and nurtured the churches, led independent Christian movements, and applied biblical values to Chinese social and political challenges across the centuries and around the world.
Book Reviews
Ecclesiology, History, and the Identity of the Chinese Church
A Book Review
Using a historical approach, this book looks at the early stages of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and Chinese Protestant Christians’ responses to changing church-state relations from 1949-1958. The author proposes that to understand the conflicts between the early stages of TSPM and the Chinese church leaders, theology and Christian identity are significant factors. This work provides valuable insights to keep in mind while studying the history of Chinese Christianity.
The International Church Role in Chinese Missionary Sending, Part 2
Strategies for Financial Partnership between Chinese and International Mission Senders
The Chinese church passionately desires participation in missionary sending. The international church seeks to partner with Chinese missionary senders. Finances are one key, but controversial, area of possible collaboration. Funds can become a stumbling block to mission efforts. Discriminating, time-limited use of money to support Chinese missionary sending in the framework of sound principles of financial giving decrease risks of dependency.
The International Church Role in Chinese Missionary Sending, Part 1
Strategies for General Partnership between Chinese and International Mission Senders
The Chinese church passionately desires participation in missionary sending. The international church seeks to partner with Chinese missionary senders. In addition to prayer, the international church can support Chinese missionary-senders through resource sharing, mission-sending organization support, and through business cooperation. Chinese medical missionary tentmaking as a business opportunity is examined as a prototype for other potential Chinese tentmaking missionaries. Leadership of Chinese missionary sending efforts must remain in Chinese hands.
Towards More Effective Youth Ministry
The 2015 Survey on the Current Situation and Future Prospects for the Church in China, undertaken by the China Gospel Research Alliance, indicated that pastoring the next generation is a priority for Christian leaders in China. The needs of youth in China are great and the church in China must reach and minister to them or risk losing the next generation of believers—which will not just be the loss of individual believers but also the potential loss of Christian families and church leaders.
Difficulties with Church-Based Models in Chinese Missionary Sending
Understanding the Need for Mission-Sending-Organizational Development in China
The Chinese church passionately desires participation in missionary sending. In China, there are problems with current church-based mission-sending models. Mission-sending organizations can deal with many of the unmet needs of the Chinese missionary and facilitate missionary sending.
The Impact of Family Issues on Chinese Missionaries
Thinking Through an Approach to Spouse- and Children-Needs of Chinese Missionaries
The Chinese church passionately desires participation in missionary sending to unreached peoples. Field research findings with Chinese missionaries and with prospective Chinese medical missionaries highlight issues related to the needs of the Chinese missionary’s nuclear family. Although mission-sending organizations can help, much of the impetus for resolving difficulties faced by the Chinese missionary’s spouse and children must come from the Chinese missionaries themselves.
Supporting Article
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.