7 Questions - East Asian City

7 Questions - East Asian City 

East Asian City – J and S

Introduction

It's a large city: 14 million permanent population, 4 million floating people who live outside and 1 million foreigners. Technologically it is a very modern society. Only 5 government churches inside the city. Only 3 outside. East Asian City International Christian Fellowship: over 70 nations represented.

Home churches are officially illegal. The location must be approved and the content of the preaching must be approved as well. Nevertheless the house church is increasing. The underground church must rise above ground in order to truly influence the city.

In 1949 Mao kicked out the missionaries from China. Almost immediately the house church movement began. When China opened again in the seventies, missionaries were surprised to see these church’s in existence. The last thirty years has seen the longest revival in the world as millions have come to faith. China is still a very rural society (35% urban).

IN the country, revival was happening. In the eighties and early nineties the campus ministry developed. The only thing left is the cities. At the turn of the new millennium there was nothing happening in the cities. 200 cities in china have a million people or more in them.

The premier of China said, “To be rich is glorious.” This sanctions entrepreneurship and economic development. They needed the technology and development from the outside world. This opened China to the rest of the world. With the trade comes the trader; with the mission comes the missionary.

People began to come in. Christian businessmen and tent makers began to enter. China signed the WTO, got the 2008 Olympics and endured SARS. All of this has brought China to a new.

There is a correlation between mega cities and overall economic health. China has mandated the creation of mega-cities. God used Premier Ping for his cause. Mandarin was mandated as the language of the economy. He mandated radios and railroads that helped spread the Gospel.

Chairman Mao cleansed all religion. But the Lord used him to cleanse China of other religions but Christians faced a crisis of belief. This purified the church in China. God is moving in China; people are responding.

What is right?

• In the city there is unprecedented urban evangelism.
• The Church is committed to evangelism.
• Core of committed city reaching people.
• Committed International Fellowship and para-churches.
• Growing international partnership network.

What is wrong?

• Belief that Christians should be the leading anti-govt. voice.
• There is no trust between the three self church; the house church and the expatriate church.

What is confused?

• If the church cooperates with the government, it is compromised.
• What is a one city church?
• Leadership Development Bottleneck: the church can’t assimilate new believers because of a lack of leaders. House pastors are overwhelmed. House Churches are out of space. A Christmas Party strategy produced 10,000 new converts in one week.
• How to build bridges to a suspicious government. There is no word in Chinese for “volunteer”.
• The pace of ministry crowds out preparation for the future. The fruit is overwhelming capacity with no plan for the future.

What is missing?

• A well coordinated city reaching strategy.
• House Church commitment as a whole to send missionaries to emerging cities in China. Those moving to cities are in need and therefore open to the Gospel.
• The Chinese Government did not know what to do with a group of Muslim refugees. The church began to feed and clothe them and they all came to faith.
• No one is asking questions about long term effectiveness. Everyone is focused on numbers, not on long term health and effectiveness. Urban strategies don’t have big numbers so most mission organizations don’t want to engage in urban Strategies. Rural Strategies don’t work in the city.

What is your leverage?

• Olympics
• Family ministry
• Performing artists reach people through thought and culture.
• Dan: Post-Pentecost may have ushered in a new model of leadership development. Not three years with 12 men but 3 months to pick elders and then leave.
• A house church in the city

Some house churches fear the government. They close themselves off because they are afraid of spies and being exposed. Some are as small as 12. Some are networks of 10 or 20 people. There are over a 1000 house churches in the city. When churches get to big, the police will come and break it up. So they may reorganize in smaller cell groups. Most are loosely organized. Many house church converts are women who have no background in leading people.

American Churches can train Chinese Christians to train leaders back in China. Chinese pastors need mentoring in leadership and problem solving.