The Three-Self Patriotic Movement, the government agency that oversees Protestant churches in China, celebrated its 70th anniversary last month. This write-up from China Christian Daily gives a snapshot of celebrations surrounding the event.
To learn more about the Three-Self Church, check out the most recent ChinaSource Quarterly, “China’s Registered Church: One Body, One Spirit, One Hope.“
Registered Churches across China Celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Three-Self Patriotic Movement
This month [September] registered churches across China will hold celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of Three-Self Patriotic Movement Protestant in China.
Promoting self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) was officially founded on September 23, 1950 when “The Three-Self Manifesto” was signed by many Christian leaders and laypersons and was published on the front page of the People’s Daily. Together with the China Christian Council, founded in 1980, they are often abbreviated as “CCC & TSPM.”
On Wednesday, Jilin Christian Council & Three-Self Patriotic Movement held a symposium to commemorate the day. A total of 50 church staff and local officials shared topics including the past 70-year history of the registered church in Jilin, the Sicinization of Christianity, and church and Chinese culture.
The Shanghai CCC & TSPM conducted a worship service on Monday, attended by about 400 local pastoral workers and volunteers in the Moore Memorial Church. Rev. Xu Yulan, chairman of Shanghai Municipal Three-Self Patriotic Association, presided over the worship. Rev. Geng Weizhong, president of Shanghai Christian Council, preached a sermon entitled “Commended for Their Faith,” citing Hebrews 11:1-2.
A week ago, the Beijing CCC & TSPM started to publish papers about the TSPM on WeChat. Some articles were written by older generation church leaders, such as Y. T. Wu and Bishop K.H. Ting.
There are more than 38 million Christians in China, according to the white paper, China’s Policies and Practices on Protecting Freedom of Religious Belief, released by the Chinese government in April 2018. However, this number is believed to be too low as there are also house churches independent from the state-sanctioned TSPM.
Original Article: Registered Churches across China Celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Three-Self Patriotic Movement by China Christian Daily.
Edited and reposted with permission.
Header image credit: Moore Memorial Church exterior by Daniel Case / CC BY-SA.
Text image credit: Shanghai CC & TSPM via China Christian Daily.
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