Returnee Ministry: Reflecting on Developments

In recent years, returnee ministry has become an increasingly important aspect of Chinese diaspora mission and international student ministry. Even during the COVID pandemic, when the number of Chinese students studying abroad dropped (it is now rising again), the number of Chinese students and scholars returning to China has remained high—around 700,000 per year. In 2021, the total number of returnees to China exceeded one million. There are no clear statistics on how many of these returnees are Christians, but assuming the most conservative estimate of 5 percent would mean that there are hundreds of thousands of Christian returnees in China today. The opportunities remain significant for the church and international student ministries to reach and disciple Chinese students and scholars, the majority of whom (about 80 percent) will go back to China.

The purpose of this issue of CSQ is to revisit the topic of Chinese returnee ministry. This issue includes biblical reflections on returnee ministry, reviews of history and updates on developments in returnee ministry, reflections from returnee ministry workers, exhortations from a pastor in China, as well as a book review.   

In his lead article, David Byron reviews and comments on the last eight years of developments related to returnee ministry since the autumn 2016 issue of CSQ focused on returnee ministry. James R. reflects on the example of Onesimus in Paul’s letter to Philemon, elucidating our calling and hope for returnee-focused ministry. Bill Hu, a returnee pastor in China, shares his understanding of returnee ministry based on the life of Jacob and offers suggestions and advice to overseas churches, churches in China, and Christian returnees. Lydia S. and her team of returnee workers in China share their views on the challenges and strategies of returnee ministry in the current context. Sean Cheng and Stacey Bieler review the contributions of Chinese Christian returnees in the first half of the twentieth century, noting the difficulties they faced and considering what today’s Christian returnees and returnee ministry workers can learn from their lives. Lisa Espineli Chinn gives a helpful review of the new bilingual Returnee Handbook （海归手册）and shares how returnees and international student ministry workers can be equipped and benefit from its contents.

We hope that you will be blessed by this issue, encouraged to pray for returnees, and inspired to reach out to international student ministries.