Editor’s note: This month we are praying for Xiangtan, a Hunan city not far outside of Changsha. Xiangtan church leaders say recent years have brought many ministry challenges: increased persecution and pressure, economic stress, and generally hardened hearts. It’s difficult to evangelize students, and they worry they are losing the next generation. These days, both discipleship and evangelism require intentional relational ministry, and Xiangtan leaders say they must walk with people a long time before they are willing to become open to the gospel.
China Partnership: What are some common challenges, fears, and struggles that you and your church encounter as you minister to people in your city? How can we pray for you?
First Quality, Then Quantity
Brother Hu: How can we build genuine spiritual life among believers? That is an enormous challenge.
Hunan people eat spicy food, are blunt, and tend to be “strong in the flesh.” For instance, 15 years ago I was in a park and saw a woman slap her husband’s face, right there in public. In the Xiangtan church today, we have many sisters, but it is difficult for them to lead their husbands or children to receive God’s word, come to church, and be blessed in the Lord. How can we build life, so we live abiding in Christ’s blessing? There must first be quality, then quantity.
These days, it’s harder and harder to share the gospel. Some elderly believers at our church have been Christians for more than 30 years. They love God and are willing to give. Their children are successful, but not one is willing to come to church. Another man I know brings his 90-year-old mother to church every week, but he himself does not believe.
How can we build life, so we live abiding in Christ’s blessing? There must first be quality, then quantity.
It’s as if there is a door that has been shut. We need God to open a door for the gospel. If God does not open that door, our lives won’t grow and our evangelism won’t bear fruit. The key issue is we are losing young people.
Old Modes Don’t Work
Pastor Li: Our challenges begin with evangelism. We used to share openly, but post-Covid, people are more and more guarded. We used to hand out gospel tracts or small gifts — none of that can be done now. The government doesn’t allow it, and people are more guarded, because there are too many scammers. If you offer someone a small gift, they throw it away because they are afraid. That is the state of society today.
Old modes of evangelism don’t work any longer. University ministry is restricted, and the church can’t go on campus. It’s even hard to organize social charity activities for the church, because our church is “illegal.” Right now, we teach believers to let “life influence life” in the sphere God has given us, because our gatherings are hidden and the church’s social influence is smaller.
It’s as if there is a door that has been shut. We need God to open a door for the gospel. If God does not open that door, our lives won’t grow and our evangelism won’t bear fruit.
We also have to pay attention to the “informant culture” in China. China operates using grid-style management. Oversight works through neighborhoods or local residential communities where people are encouraged to report one another. There are rewards for reporting illegal gatherings – even family gatherings – with too much noise or movement. This means there is immense pressure when we gather, and brothers and sisters feel this.
Although believers grew a great deal after our church was persecuted, not everyone is willing to face warnings from society or the government. If school officials or neighborhood committees or the police come to speak with someone, that’s tough. During the first wave of persecution, probably 70 to 80 percent of our church was called in for questioning. That’s a huge challenge. Although believers have grown, there is still fear. People understand the doctrine of suffering for the Lord – but when the moment really comes, there is still a struggle.
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Fear and Fitting In
Brother Yang: The first challenge is government reporting. The second is government propaganda – in schools and workplaces and communities – about “cults.” Many people misunderstand house churches, thinking we are illegal.
On top of all this, because Xiangtan is the hometown of a great leader [Mao Zedong], a lot of people think their political stance will seem suspect if they enter our community. Some have strong reactions because of that.
In the countryside, where there is a tradition of ancestor worship, people think believing in Jesus means they won’t be able to stay in line with their clan. This makes them unwilling to take this step.
“We Have to Walk with Them a Long Time”
Brother Tan: These issues are partly because persecution is more intense. Many families are zealous and willing to dedicate themselves to the Lord. But some households have only one believing spouse – in those homes, the unbelieving spouse puts a lot of pressure on the Christian.
Because house churches don’t have legal status, our gatherings can be disrupted. Believers who work in public institutions often face pressure, and a lot of ministry can’t go forward.
Many young people are depressed… If we just try to reason with them, they are annoyed. It takes a lot of time and energy to build relationships, and we have to walk with them a long time before we can communicate truth.
Xiangtan people are full of anxiety because of the economy. They can’t keep up financially, and coming to gatherings can be difficult. Some are so occupied just trying to survive that they have no time or energy to hear the gospel.
Students have similar issues. Their culture is online, and it highly values personal entertainment, not social or outdoor activity. It’s hard to enter their world, which has its own circles and highly-stimulating entertainment. When students hear the gospel, it feels too traditional, too old-fashioned. They seek novelty, and tire of things quickly.
Students are influenced by post-modernism, and their schools repress them with constant pressure to study hard. Many young people are depressed or emotionally heavy. If we just try to reason with them, they are annoyed. It takes a lot of time and energy to build relationships, and we have to walk with them a long time before we can communicate truth to them. It is not easy.
“Love Has Cooled”
Sister Jiang: In this age of rampant material desire, people want to eat, drink, and be merry. They don’t have time for Jesus. They just want to have fun, play mahjong, and pursue things that profit them. One woman came to church for a while, but it didn’t seem like her heart ever really came in. She said, “There’s no payoff in going to church – but there is in playing mahjong!”
It’s very hard to shepherd and support people. When you evangelize, you have to be constantly attentive, accompanying people, building relationships. That takes a lot of thought and effort. Sometimes people come, but after a while they stop. It’s like the fellowship life of our church does not suit their tastes or fit what they are pursuing.
Those who share the gospel can feel discouraged, because it’s getting harder and harder. We need to recognize that life-on-life influence is harder than before. Before, if you handed out a tract, someone might show up. But it’s very difficult now.
Even believers have grown cold in heart after the pandemic and the persecution that followed. Love has cooled. What’s more, it’s hard to make money and the economy is sluggish, so some are just focused on earning a living or worrying about finances.
“Not Frightened”
China Partnership: What is the one passage of Scripture you feel is most representative of Xiangtan?
Brother Tan: I feel Philippians 1:28-30 fits our present situation:
“…Not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”
Although the church is under persecution, by God’s grace we are still moving forward in unity. Even though there is persecution, everyone is reflecting on the church’s situation. People are thinking about the relationships among brothers and sisters, and meditating on how the influence of the past is slowly being broken.
Brother Hu, Pastor Li, Brother Yang, Brother Tan, and Sister Jiang are pseudonyms for house church leaders in Xiangtan, Hunan Province.
Pray for Xiangtan Christians to have wisdom and courage as they follow Jesus and share the gospel, even with the restrictions they face.
