Resources on Church Life

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Chinese Church Voices

Conversations from Reformation 500, Part 2

In May of this year, ChinaSource attended the Reformation 500 and the Gospel conference organized by China Partnership. The three-and-a-half day conference in Hong Kong brought together over 3,700 believers (over 3,000 from China) to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Along with hearing from international and mainland Chinese pastors, we interviewed several Chinese attendees to learn more about what drew them to the conference, their take on the current state of the Chinese church, and to hear their impressions of the conference. We’ve selected excerpts of those interviews showing different perspectives on current church life in China. This week a brother from a reforming church in Shenzhen testifies to faith and reliance on God and a returnee from Chengdu talks about the need for mentoring and adjusting to church in China.

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Sep 19
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Chinese Church Voices

Conversations from Reformation 500

Excerpts from conversations with mainland attendees of the Reformation 500 and the Gospel conference held in Hong Kong in May 2017.

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Sep 12
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Blog Entries

Too Quickly to Be Astonished

Surveying China’s extraordinary rise over the past decade, Graham Allison, in his book Destined for War, paraphrases former Czech President Vaclav Havel when he says, “It has happened so quickly, we have not yet had time to be astonished.”

Brent Fulton ⋅ Aug 9
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Chinese Church Voices

Massive Church Building Project Underway in Ningbo

A remarkable church building project in Ningbo, China.

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Aug 8
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Blog Entries

China’s Church and Its Future

A fundamental question for Christians in China—who will lead the Chinese church of the future.

Brent Fulton ⋅ Aug 2
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Articles

Towards More Effective Youth Ministry

The 2015 Survey on the Current Situation and Future Prospects for the Church in China, undertaken by the China Gospel Research Alliance, indicated that pastoring the next generation is a priority for Christian leaders in China. The needs of youth in China are great and the church in China must reach and minister to them or risk losing the next generation of believers—which will not just be the loss of individual believers but also the potential loss of Christian families and church leaders. 

Young at Heart ⋅ Jul 31
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Chinese Church Voices

20 Things a New Chinese Pastor Needs to Learn About Ministry

Christians in China today are able to share relatively easily about ministry on social media. Pastors’ personal blogs are one unique vantage point into church life in China. In this article, Chen Fengsheng, a Three-Self pastor in Wenzhou, provides budding pastors with timely advice on how to prepare for a healthy pastoral ministry. He gives “twenty realities” of ministry life that will help set up fresh seminary graduates for the pastorate.  

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Jul 25
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Supporting Article

Three Changes in Urban Churches

The author sees two major categories of urban churches in China that are experiencing transformation and goes on to discuss three main areas where he sees this transformation taking place. Viewing these changes as positive, he also believes they are growing stronger.

James He ⋅ Jun 19
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Supporting Article

Urban Public Space and New Media Ministry

After defining “new media” and what it encompasses, An looks at the various ways the church in China views it, what it means for the church, and how it can affect the church. He then gives some thoughts on how the church should deal with it—not only the challenges it brings, but how it can be used positively.

Jerry An ⋅ Jun 19
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Articles

Pastoring a Charismatic Church in Shanghai

Pastor Cui shares how his church has dealt with a growing congregation and the need for room by adopting a “big church, small congregations” model. He explains this concept and details the benefits this model has brought to the church, the pastors, and the congregations.

CUI Quan ⋅ Jun 19
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Articles

Conversation with a Migrant-Worker Church Minister

An interview by Dr. Mary Ma with the minister of a migrant worker’s urban church which identifies a number of issues characteristic of urban churches comprised of migrant workers from rural areas. These concerns include living conditions, economic status, long work hours, mobility, and other factors that all contribute to the church’s spiritual health and stability.

Mary Ma ⋅ Jun 19
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Articles

A Much-Needed Update about Chinese Christianity

China’s Urban Christians: A Light that Cannot Be Hidden by Brent Fulton Reviewed by Li Jin Due to urbanization and social change, China’s churches look different today than they did a number of years ago. Urban churches, with unusual diversity, now comprise a major part of Chinese Christianity. Fulton identifies many of the changes the church has experienced that now characterize it and discusses challenges it faces in current society.

LI Jin ⋅ Jun 19
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Blog Entries

Reflections on the Reformation 500 and the Gospel Conference

We caught up with our friend Jackson Wu at the Reformation 500 conference in Hong Kong and asked him to share his reflections on the conference.

Jackson Wu ⋅ May 26
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Blog Entries

The Church’s One Foundation

Singing together with 3000 believers—The Church's One Foundation!

Joann Pittman ⋅ May 23
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Chinese Church Voices

Rethinking Youth Ministry

Do Chinese parents and pastors need to rethink how they raise their youth in the faith? In this article, originally posted on at Gospel Times, a pastor encourages believers to challenge traditional views of ministry to youth. The pastor sketches modern challenges to youth ministry and then offers practical recommendations for ministry workers.

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Mar 28
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Chinese Church Voices

Church Staff Salary—How Much Is Enough?

Chinese Christians have traditionally expected their pastors to live frugally and to receive little to no compensation for their pastoral duties. It was expected that those in the ministry would endure much suffering as a result of their call to ministry. As a result, some pastors and ministry staff live on quite meager means and many are bi-vocational in order to make ends meet. As China modernizes, many congregations, particularly urban churches, recognize a need to better financially care for their pastors, as well as to invest in the well-being of the congregation as a whole. Congregations are starting to see the health of a church improve when the entire body is spiritually and financially committed to compensating their ministry staff. So, how much should a pastor in China make?

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Mar 21
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Chinese Church Voices

The Hardships of Pastoral Ministry in China

Pastoral ministry is typically not a desired vocation among Chinese Christians. Although pastors in China are revered for their rich spiritual gifts and selfless service to the church, pastoral ministry itself is poor, lonely, and draining. In this article from Green Olive Books, the author, a layperson, highlights the difficulties of being a pastor in China, as well as the need for Chinese Christians to better support their pastors. 

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Feb 14
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Chinese Church Voices

Top 10 Christian News Stories in China in 2016

China Christian Daily recently posted a list of the most popular news stories from the China Christian Times. Some may be surprising.

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Jan 10
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Chinese Church Voices

Why Don’t Chinese Pastors Write Books?

Theological books and resources from the West are widely available in China today and have become increasingly popular. What the Chinese church lacks, however, are books written by Chinese pastors and theologians. In the article below, originally published in Gospel Times, a pastor gives his thoughts on why Chinese pastors don’t write books.

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Dec 27 2016
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Chinese Church Voices

Haidian Christmas Tree

If you happen to find yourself in Beijing this Christmas, be sure to stop by the Haidian Christian Church to see the Christmas Tree in the square in front of the church. This is a report from Gospel Times about the lighting of the tree.

ChinaSource Team ⋅ Dec 13 2016