Big Highlights from 2022 to-date
Leadership Institute
This September, the first Leadership Institute cohorts will graduate and the second will begin. As the cornerstone of our five-year plan to go deeper, the testimony coming out of the Leadership Institute has been incredibly encouraging. Pastors have shown great interest in the program solely based on the true gospel change they have seen taking place in the lives of those within the cohort.
Church-Based Theological Training Centers
This year has seen an incredible explosion of interest in theological education. At the end of 2021, there were 20 cohorts pursuing the CTTC certificate program in theological education. But this year, after a retooling of the program structure with partners at Third Millennium and Simeon Trust, interest has flooded in. The number of CTTC cohorts has more than doubled across China: there are currently 55 total groups committed to pursuing theological education together in 36 churches across 20 cities in China!
Prayer Movement
Last year saw the birth of a nationwide prayer movement across China, and this year the second “Prayer Boot Camp” was held, aimed at raising up local prayer leaders who can then launch vibrant prayer ministries inside their local churches. With 79 churches participating from across 35 cities, the prayer movement has been one of the most flourishing ministries within the gospel movement.
Persecution & Prayers
Persecution of unregistered churches unfortunately reached new heights in August 2022. One Chinese believer commented that these recent cases make it “obvious that the police’s law enforcement is very different from previous years or even six months ago.”
An alarming number of church services and events have been raided, including a parent-child camp in which 70 people were arrested. By the grace of God, many of those who are being arrested across China are subsequently released. Yet this trend is a serious cause for concern.
Even in the midst of this surge of persecution, however, there are stories of faithfulness. At the beginning of 2022, a pastor was arrested in central China. But the church did not collapse: faithful brothers and sisters continued the ministry, with his wife leading the church’s in-person gatherings in his absence. This August, she was arrested and detained for two weeks before being released. Even then, she did not desist: she faithfully evangelized, even in prison. Praise God that he is strengthening his people for ministry even in the midst of such increased persecution!
