The Challenges and Strategies of Returnee Ministry in the New Era

China has changed dramatically over the past decade or so. A rise in nationalist sentiment has led to rejection of, prevention of, and disengagement from connection with the West, whether it is with national leaders, intellectual elites, or simply the general populace. The overall economic situation is in a state of decline, with wages being cut and often going unpaid, even for government employees—an inflationary crisis is on the horizon. Chinese people are relatively passive on social issues, lacking purpose, hope, and security. Overall, the pressure on Christian churches (and other religions) is increasing, and there is an upsurge in people reporting church activities to the police. House churches are forced to adopt a small-group, community-based approach, and the requirements of church ministers are increasingly demanding. The church in China in this new era faces new challenges and opportunities, and so it is with returnee ministry.

I. Changes in the Returnee Population

According to the latest Annual Report on the Development of Chinese Students Studying Abroad, released by the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), the return of Chinese students has accelerated significantly over the past decade. From 2000 to 2019, the number of returnees increased from 9,000 to 580,300, with the return rate in 2019 reaching 82.5 percent. The pandemic and changes in international relations further boosted the number of returnees. In 2021, the number of international students returning to China exceeded one million for the first time,¹ making returning the preferred choice for most overseas Chinese students.

In recent years, there has been an increase in younger returnees, between the ages of 20 and 30. Many returned home after their overseas studies and are facing significant challenges, including finding jobs, being pressured by their families to get married, and the effects of reverse culture shock. They need to transition from being students overseas to becoming young professionals who take on more social responsibility. In the church, they need to shift from being served to serving others and adapt to the current small-scale, multi-site gatherings of churches, which are markedly different from the large-scale gatherings in formal church buildings overseas. Although some consider returning to their hometowns, most returnees choose first- and second-tier cities where they can develop their careers, and so they need to face the challenge of adapting to life in an unfamiliar metropolis.

Many who were first exposed to the gospel and came to faith in Christ overseas are still quite young in their faith. A study shows that more than 65 percent of returnees were baptized or heard the gospel for the first time overseas, and roughly 30 percent of them each year are relatively new believers who have not yet been baptized.² The first one to two years after returning is the most critical period for them to adapt and keep their faith. During this time, finding ways to help them settle into a church and continue to grow is crucial. In recent years, some returnees, because of the additional pressures of having government jobs, do not dare to publicize their faith and choose to stay away from local churches. The pandemic opened the door to the widespread use of virtual communication, saving time and transportation costs, but also fostering a reliance on online tools. Many returnees are now unwilling to venture out and participate in in-person meetings and are therefore unable to grow spiritually and be built up through interaction with other believers.

The church in China is often viewed from the outside as one facing significant persecution. But no matter where you are, any Christian serious about following Christ is bound to experience some degree of pressure and hardship. Before returning, many feel uncertain and worry about the pressures and persecution they may face. However, when they witness the steadfast faith of believers facing adversity in China, they rejoice in the power of the gospel for those who are rooted in Christ. This realization inspires them to be willing to live out their calling in the Lord. After adapting to life back home, many returnees begin to participate in the broader ministries of the church and Christian organizations, and some even have gone into the mission field. This exceeds their expectations when they first return and reveals God’s grace and guidance.

The goal of the returnee ministry is not only to help returnees integrate into local churches and continue to grow in their faith, but also to connect brothers and sisters who have similar experiences so they can encourage one another and journey together. In such a community, returnees can use their gifts and experience and celebrate how their passion for God has evolved from mere ideas to practical reality, inspiring each other to keep growing. In the face of challenges, Christian returnees can practice loving one another and working together. We hope that in the future, we will be able to continue to journey with more and more returnees, sharing experiences and strengthening each other’s faith, encouraging more young people to be salt and light in all levels of society.

II. Challenges and Strategies

Returnee ministry exists to facilitate community among returnees, acting as a bridge to connect and serve them. Those involved both serve and are served by churches and Christian organizations at home and abroad.

Helping returnees acclimate to the church environment in China is crucial. Ensuring they find and integrate into local fellowships is the main mission of the ministry. This effort has led to a growing appreciation among local pastors for both returnee ministry and returnees, especially after the pandemic. It is the goal of returnee ministry to help returnees who go back to different cities to find suitable churches and build a broad network. It is a challenge for local churches to minister to returnees who are relatively weak in their faith. And to do so with a kingdom heart, supporting the development of local returnee ministries, is not easy.

International cooperation is necessary to reach the goals and resource returnee ministry. Facilitating returnee referrals requires extensive cooperation between ministry workers in China and those overseas. Timely and targeted pre-return preparation can greatly enhance returnees’ ability to adapt to changes both before and after they return. There is much to do to help returnee ministries in China to effectively collaborate with overseas churches and Christian organizations. Returnee ministries in China should participate in overseas pre-return training with a willingness to go the extra mile. Overseas churches and Christian organizations should seek to proclaim the whole gospel, to lead people to Christ, to grow them as disciples, to prepare those who are returning, to establish a ministry strategy tailored to different locations, to respect local churches and ministries (helping them to succeed), and to fulfill God’s mission for returnees.

Raising up returnees to serve other returnees is one of the important strategies of the ministry. Returnees do not have a special social status, but they do have special experiences at home and abroad. And because they share similar backgrounds, it is easier for them to build relationships with other returnees, and to understand and help them. Relationship building requires face-to-face contact, which entails the participation of many returnee co-workers. To ensure the stability of the returnee ministry in China, there is an urgent need for more full-time co-workers.

Building future leaders is an important goal of the ministry. Many returnees who have been ministered to as they returned have grown into leaders in the ministry. We are happy to see post-90s Christians (millennials) becoming a majority of our team members in returnee ministry. It is a goal of the ministry to identify, journey with, connect, and lead young returnees into the ministry God has prepared for them.

III. Future Development and Outlook

Returnee ministry can be broken down into three stages:

1. Return to China. We encourage returnees to return with a mission. We seek to prepare them while overseas, establish reliable referral channels, connect them with a network of church ministries that have a burden to serve returnees, and encourage and help returnees to integrate into the local church.

2. Grow in Christ. We recognize returnees are at different spiritual stages and aim to connect them with suitable Bible studies and offer spiritual training in keeping with their needs, journeying with them in various ways, including both individual mentorship and small group ministry, helping them to be rooted in the gospel, grow in Christ, and influence this generation.

3. Go for the kingdom. With the Great Commission as our guide, we mobilize, journey with, and support returnees to live for the sake of the gospel and to participate in global missions, wherever they are. We see returnee ministry as a timely part of the Great Commission call, an extension of overseas campus ministries, and one of the crucial strategies for mission to China.

In the 1920s, Chinese students accounted for one quarter of the total number of international students in the US; this was due to the Chinese Educational Mission initiative.³ In 1949, the door for Chinese students to study in the US closed. However, in the 1980s the fever and opportunity to study abroad surged. In 2016, Chinese students studying in the US accounted for one third of the total number of international students in the world.⁴ In 2019, the number of Chinese students studying abroad exceeded 700,000, and China became the country with the largest number of students studying abroad in the world.⁵ As noted earlier, the number of returnees to China exceeded one million in 2021. We don’t know if or when the door to study abroad will be closed again for Chinese students, but returnee ministry is clearly for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) and stands as a God-given opportunity in this generation. We thank the Lord that we can have a part in witnessing his marvelous work.

Editor’s note: This article was originally written in Chinese and was translated by the editorial team.

1. “2023 Survey Report on Returnees Employment (2023 中国海归就业调查报告（2024年3月26日）,” Human Resources and Social Security Information Network, March 27, 2023, accessed November 19, 2024, https://www.hrssit.cn/info/3208.html.
2. Data from a 2023 survey of a few dozen returnee Christians by a returnee ministry organization in China.
3. “The Chinese Educational Mission (1872-1881),” Chinese Students at Andover Project, accessed November 19, 2024, https://chinesestudents.andover.edu/exhibits/show/historical-context/the-chinese-educational-missio.
4. “Studying in the United States: Chinese Students Account for One-Third of All International Students (美国留学：中国留学生占国际留学生总量三分之一),” new.chazidian.com, October 19, 2016, accessed November 19, 2024,  https://mnews.chazidian.com/news320698/.
5. “Number of Students from China Going Abroad for Study from 2010 to 2022,” Statista, March 2024, accessed November 19, 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/227240/number-of-chinese-students-that-study-abroad/#statisticContainer.