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Post-Conference Reflections on Expatriate Ministry in China


The conference season for China workers is drawing to a close: tan, rested and ready, thousands of expatriates are passing through immigration control returning from Thailand to their homes in China. It is still a mystery to me why so many men and women whose lives are committed to building deep and meaningful relationships with Chinese people would choose to leave the country during the one time of the year when their Chinese friends want nothing more than to sit around and talk about life and family. But hey, who doesn’t enjoy warm beaches, cheap shopping, donuts, Swensons ice cream, and unhindered Google access? The yearly Thailand exodus is now so much a “normal” part of China service that one wonders how large a role it plays in recruiting short-term teachers. And what does the Chinese security bureaucracy think of all this? There are no doubt many security officers who also look forward to their annual Chiang Mai trip, and all the clean air and sunshine it affords. For those Chinese officials left behind, at least there are far fewer foreigners to have to keep track of over the holiday—one less foreigner is one less headache.

This year marked my return to the conference circuit after several years’ absence. Apart from my discomfort over the scheduling, and my doubts regarding the “security advantages” of going to the same handful of resorts each year at the same time to talk with the same people, I readily admit to the great benefits of gathering with like-minded coworkers once a year to swap stories, share ideas, and generally encourage one another. Having missed the last few years of meetings, this time of restored fellowship was especially welcome. As I caught up with coworkers I had not seen for several years, I observed a number of trends.

In the wake of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the China ministry world was in a panic. Many expatriates had lost their visas. We will never know just how many were affected, but observers say that somewhere between 10% and 30% of foreign Christians working in China were forced to leave the country or find a new way to secure residency. Perhaps more pressing, many so-called “platforms” for expatriate Christian ministry in China were shut down. Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, and Xinjiang were hit especially hard, as foreign representative offices and shell companies were accused of operating outside their legally registered scope of business. For several years afterwards, the topics of discussion amongst all expat China workers were always the same: What kind of visa are you on? How did you get it?

Returning to conference after many years’ absence I was impressed to note that for at least some China workers, this conversation is receding in importance. One China-specific organization I spent time with this past month has about 150 people spread all across the country, with many workers located in those western provinces which seemed to feel the brunt of the post-Olympic official constriction. The work of the associates of this organization is incredibly varied, with Americans making up only a minority of their membership.

Like most other western sending agencies, this organization now has fewer members than it did ten years ago. However, the number of long-term (4+ years) workers they support has dropped off much less dramatically than their number of short-term workers. This was evident in the over all tone of the conference which placed more weight on the strategic priorities and support needs of those “in it for the long haul.”

While the subject of visas did come up—especially in discussions with new workers preparing to move out of language school—most of these associates in this organization have found their place within the new Chinese regulatory context. If anything, the pressures of 2008-2010 resulted in many of these people moving into more legitimate forms of work in China. A surprising number of associates who are not teachers now receive their visas—and their salaries—from Chinese work units (not schools!). Some even receive work visas through registered Chinese “charities.” Many professionals in this organization, especially those over 60 years of age, have successfully registered businesses in China and are generating income, paying taxes, and hiring local staff. While the vast majority are now officially in a different position than they were 10 years ago, they are still in China doing things very similar to what they were doing before—only now with much more legitimacy in the eyes of the local bureaucracy and much closer ties to local Chinese entities and coworkers.

Finally, it was striking how much more connected these expatriates are to the existing local Christian communities in their regions. In some cases, this was reflected in their professional work as employees of local Christians. In other cases, it showed in the ways their own personal ministry was happening within those local Christian communities, in some cases directed by local Christian leaders. A large number, compared to ten years ago, are now worshipping openly in various registered Chinese fellowships.

I doubt we will see any substantial changes to the patterns of the Thailand exodus in the foreseeable future. But the observations gleaned from this year’s Thailand conference circuit provide a very clear indication of the trends that will shape expat ministry in China over the next few years.

  • The number of expatriate workers is dropping and may continue to drop, but there will be much higher attrition amongst short-term workers.
  • The remaining long-term workers will have the job skills that allow them to legitimately enter the Chinese work force and compete for positions in Chinese entities or to enter the Chinese market and compete with at least some success against Chinese companies.
  • And all of this expatriate Christian activity will increasingly take place within and even under the authority of the Chinese church.

Welcome to the future of China ministry. Are we ready?

Image Credit: Julian Williams

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Swells in the Middle Kingdom

"Swells in the Middle Kingdom" began his life in China as a student back in 1990 and still, to this day, is fascinated by the challenges and blessings of living and working in China.View Full Bio


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