In this issue of the CSQ we take our first in-depth look specifically at the Pentecostal church in China. To help us weave this strand into the tapestry, we are honored to have contributors who have been active participants in and observers of the Pentecostal church in China.
Seeing how long it takes to recruit and get a worker on the ground in China, I think that we are very wrong to stop recruiting for the Middle Kingdom. China is still a country with many who need Christ. Though the opportunities may be fewer and different, please don’t stop considering China!
We serve an unchanging God whose heart for the nations is unquenchable. New wine needs new wineskins. I encourage my fellow workers to prayerfully consider what these changes mean for…future work among the Chinese people, and to prepare [for] the new roles God has prepared for us.
[The young man] said that about a third of his contemporaries were interested in anything to do with the West, a third were staying with the Party to make sure of a stable future in China and a third, in his words, were “looking for God.”
Changes in China over the past ten years are dictating changes for the church in China. Kim reviews the main areas of change and the ways these have affected the churches. Then he looks at new roles for both workers from overseas and China’s churches.
I suspect that many…have narrowed decisions about the future to one of two possible options: stay in China or return to one’s home country…. I see a compelling third option: relocate to an area outside of China to serve diaspora Chinese or train Chinese missionaries (or both).
Paul yearned to return to visit his fellow believers but he knew there was a moment he would have to leave them to lead their churches without his help…. Likewise, many of us may not get to see our Chinese brothers and sisters on this side of heaven again.
My vision is for training with the goal of fruitfulness. There is a great movement happening in the Chinese church, but there isn’t a great deal of actual church planting happening. How do we help them to bear fruit?
A paradox—closed, yet an openness that I’ve never encountered before.
Since Chinese Christians see evangelism as their most important mission, the author explores the evolving relationship between nonprofits and evangelism, as well as the significant impact on theology and practice that nonprofits can make.
Many of China’s expatriate ministry professionals, increasingly finding difficulties in ministering, are turning to serving the church in China remotely. The author explores the issues influencing whether expatriate Christians can continue to live and minister within China.
I’ve never felt so powerless. I’ve never felt so tired. And I’ve never felt more dependent upon a higher power to be the glue that holds my fragile, fragmented life together.