The Lantern

A Season of Change


ChinaSource was founded in 1997 at a time when ministry to China and the Chinese church was still in its initial growth stages. In these 20 years, China has grown into a major global power, and the Chinese church has matured while engaging society inside China and globally. In this time, ChinaSource has also grown from a small US-based operation under the leadership of founder Brent Fulton to a multinational team of staff and associates spread between China, Asia, and North America. We are grateful for Brent’s leadership during these decades of growth.  

As we have celebrated the past 20 years and looked forward to how the Chinese church will engage with the global church in coming years, Brent has been in discussion with the ChinaSource board about future leadership for ChinaSource. Brent has shared he is ready for a change in his responsibilities and role. With deep appreciation to Brent for his steady, visionary leadership of ChinaSource, and in keeping with his request, the board has initiated a search for his successor.   

We want to share with you the steps the board has taken during this process. 

  • Brent is continuing as ChinaSource President while the board carries out a global search for his successor. 
  • The board has formed a search committee to oversee the search for a new leader for ChinaSource.  This is a unique position with global responsibilities and impact.   
  • The board has appointed additional interim leadership to oversee strategy and operations and give day-to-day leadership of the organization during this period to allow Brent time to focus on preparations for his future role and involvement. 
  • We are providing a 10-month sabbatical for Brent that will begin in October 2018. This will be Brent’s first sabbatical in 20 years and his first extended time away from ChinaSource. To help Brent navigate his transition, we are also providing executive coaching support for Brent. 

The board has the highest respect and appreciation for what Brent has done and for his continuing service. We look forward to Brent’s return after his sabbatical as we define his new role and involvement with ChinaSource. 

As readers and supporters of ChinaSource, we value your prayers as we search for the right person to lead this important ministry forward. 

Blessings, 

Victor Hou
Board Chairman 


This month our focus moves to Hong Kong.  We will be having our third face-to-face staff meeting of the year as well as our regular board meeting. This will be a unique opportunity to have all of our staff from China, Hong Kong, and the USA in one place together. We will also have a chance for board-staff interaction that is normally not possible. 

During this time of organizational transition our direction, priorities, and activities remain clear and focused. We continue building bridges to move in the direction of our mission: 

ChinaSource is a trusted platform facilitating the flow of critical knowledge and leading-edge research among the Christian communities inside China and around the world and engaging them in collaborating to serve the Chinese church and society. 

In the past few months we have launched initiatives that flow from and support this mission. For example, we are inviting a few long-term China ministry experts to join us as ChinaSource Associates. They will help expand our reach and range of expertise and knowledge.  

We are looking for new staff to join our team. We have a wide variety of needs, from writers and researchers to IT and marketing professionals. We operate as a virtual team. Where you live is not as important as where your heart is. We are looking for people with a heart and passion for China who are willing to help others serve more effectively. Please email us at admin@chinasource.org if you are interested and want to explore possibilities. 

During our staff team meeting this month we will be planning for 2019. We have been working on a number of internal projects to increase our operational efficiency and allow us to expand what we are able to do. We are thankful for a small team and a lot of technology that allow us to serve a growing readership and network of partners. As you benefit from ChinaSource we hope you will encourage other friends interested in China to subscribe to our publications. New readers often tell us they wish they had found us sooner.  

Later in the autumn on November 1 we will be doing a Missio Nexus webcast “The New Normal for the Church in China.”  You can find out more and sign up here.  

We appreciate your interest, prayer, and support as we engage more deeply with the church in China.  We trust our efforts will result in greater impact for all those involved with China. 

He is faithful, 

Your friends at ChinaSource 

News and Notes 

ChinaSource Quarterly, Autumn 2018 Issue 

The Chinese Bible, guest edited by Joann Pittman. 

As Brent Fulton notes in his post for the ChinaSource Blog, “The Miracle of the Chinese Bible:” 

The story of the Chinese Union Version (CUV), the most commonly used Chinese Bible today, speaks of the complexity, sacrifice and struggle involved in bringing God’s word to the people of China. The product of nine different translation teams working in multiple variations of the Chinese language, the CUV emerged at a pivotal time in China’s history. Had it come out too early, it might have been written in a style that would quickly make it obsolete. Had it been published any later, political developments might have brought the entire project to a halt. 

. . . the autumn 2018 issue of  ChinaSource Quarterlyfocuses on the Chinese Bible, both past and present. As they recount the miracle of the Chinese Bible, our contributors delve into questions such as: 

  • How did China’s scriptural tradition set the stage for the introduction of the Chinese Bible? 
  • Is the CUV still relevant for China’s church? 
  • What about other translations? 
  • Who actually completed the first translation of the Chinese Bible? 
  • Why are there two different versions of the CUV? 
  • Are there enough Bibles in China to meet the demand? 
  • What role did Catholic scholars and missionaries play in Bible translation? 
  • What can “mistakes” in the CUV teach us about undertaking translation projects in China today? 

Go to “The Chinese Bible” to read the full issue or download the pdf version. 

Staff News 

Ways to Pray 

  • Pray for the board search committee as they talk to potential candidates; asking that the right individual is found and able to take up this key position. 
  • Pray for the ChinaSource team as we get together in Hong Kong for face-to-face meetings and a ChinaSource Connect event. Pray for effective follow-up on the work yet before us this year. 
  • Pray for the preparation for the November 1 webcast as we try to give a balanced perspective on the many changes and pressures facing Christians in China. 
  • Pray for churches in China that have been forced to close in recent weeks. Their leadership is under tremendous pressure. Pray for wisdom, guidance and perseverance, especially for believers who have not seen this kind of situation before. 
  • Pray for expat workers serving in China as many are starting new jobs and positions while others are facing loss of visas. 

From ChinaSource Quarterly on “The Chinese Bible.” 

  • Pray for Bible translators as they seek to provide versions of the Bible that are faithful to the original texts yet communicate effectively in Chinese in today’s world.  
  • Pray for those involved in any aspect of translation as they struggle to select the most accurate words to convey the meaning of the works they are translating. 
  • Pray that through a variety of formats, the Bible will be available to everyone in China so that all will have the opportunity of reading the Scriptures. 
  • Pray with thanksgiving that the Scriptures are available in Chinese; pray that people will read them and structure their lives around a biblical worldview. 

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ChinaSource Team

ChinaSource Team

Written, translated, or edited by members of the ChinaSource staff.          View Full Bio


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