Editor’s note: We are continuing our September of prayer for the northwestern China city of Lanzhou. Several Lanzhou house church pastors talk about common fears and struggles they see in their city and among their own congregations. They ask for prayer for families struggling to raise children in a difficult environment, for developing a heart for the lost, and loving those who persecute them. They also hope that the Lanzhou church can repent of its sins in failing to love their Muslim neighbors well.
Common Challenges
China Partnership: As you minister to people in your city, what are the common challenges, fears, and struggles you encounter?
Jiang Mingyun: Young people can’t find jobs, and are unwilling to get married or have children. Children’s education is high pressure and extremely competitive. This also exists in the church, where young parents feel the stress of educating their children. They still hope their children will have a good future, but feel pressure because of the intense competition. I am trying to help young parents focus their worries on how their children can grow up in Christ.
Because of the pandemic, we’ve seen changes in the church’s fervor. Some people have come to a deeper understanding of faith, realizing it’s not just about personal benefit or spiritual well-being. They understood that God is the one we worship. The other group are those whose faith was already relatively weak. Although they were once very active, they have now become temporarily – I believe it is only temporary – weak in the face of trials.
Tan Changrui: Faith cannot be inherited, but the spiritual atmosphere Christian families create makes it tough for children to inherit faith. I minister to college students. Under China’s education system, it is difficult for students to attend church during middle and high school, because it is illegal. This is a huge challenge. If parents prioritize academics over faith, their children will likely reach college in a poor spiritual state. I see this in many families.
Under China’s education system, it is difficult for students to attend church during middle and high school, because it is illegal. This is a huge challenge. If parents prioritize academics over faith, their children will likely reach college in a poor spiritual state.
Many second-generation Chinese Christians are experiencing a rapid decline in faith. This is a bad sign, meaning the Chinese church is aging prematurely, without accomplishing much. I am burdened over this and pray for it a lot. We work hard to spread the gospel outside – but families who already believe are failing to pass on their faith.
The second challenge is that, when sharing the gospel with people who have no Christian background, the conversion rate is extremely low. Our church works hard to evangelize. We might have 30 to 40 people attend Sunday services, but not one is willing to believe. They might be interested or think the church is a loving family, but they are not truly reborn. This makes me feel very discouraged. Why is it like this now? The barriers between believers and unbelievers seem so high.
I hoped this was only our church, but when I talk to other churches, many don’t even have new people coming. So, another struggle is that the number of people with no Christian background who come to church – or to faith – is rapidly declining.
Li Jun: I come from an elite city, a city with an elite educational system and a focus on intellectual pursuits. But because many intellectuals have left Lanzhou, brothers and sisters who remain in the church are passive when thinking about and knowing God. This often frustrates me as I think about how to deepen their faith and help them grow. In my previous city, people were interested in discussing theology and Scripture. But no one here is interested in talking about these things. This has been very lonely.
Another challenge is that, because Lanzhou is very laidback, it’s difficult to build a sense of mission. Our church’s core value is to go to the ends of the earth for the Lord. But leading brothers and sisters toward mission is slow, because there’s not much pressure. The biggest pressure comes from their children’s education and future. When you church is comprised of people who work in public institutions and state-owned enterprises, you feel you’re running alone, without a sense of partnership.
We have a lot of children in our church, and everyone values children very much. Almost one-third of our congregation is children! We are also actively running a youth ministry. But Lanzhou is a city that people leave. When you work with youth, you are essentially raising them for other churches, because they will all leave. I believe 90 percent of these children will not stay. Sometimes I wonder, “We’re putting so much effort into the children’s ministry, but what happens when they grow up and leave? Will it be sustainable?”
The number of people with no Christian background who come to church – or to faith – is rapidly declining.
How to Pray
CP: How can we be praying for your city and for Christians in your city? How can we be praying for your churches and families?
Li Jun: Pray for spiritual barriers. Although there is a large Muslim population in this city, because the church is made up of Han Chinese, the church turns a blind eye to them. This has become a hidden sin, and is something the church needs to break through. If the church does not see this, it is living under sin’s curse, and will not be able to move forward.
Second, pray for the laidback atmosphere that prevents people from facing difficulties. Pray that God will break through and shine his light on the fear and worry that lies behind it. May the light of the gospel create opportunity for change.
For my own church, I pray God will build a heart for missions. May he use brothers and sisters to enter into God’s mission and be touched by the gospel of Jesus’s death and resurrection.
Also, many sisters in our church have non-Christian husbands. Pray that families, especially brothers, will be raised.
Tan Changrui: For our church, first pray that the Lord will help us have new breakthroughs in your youth and children’s ministries. We need better ways to put the gospel into practice.
Second, pray the Holy Spirit will move in a special way when interacting with those who have never heard the gospel. Without the Spirit’s, people will only remain interested and feel loved. This is very draining for us. It is right to invest, but it is very hard to maintain that kind of relationship. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help us where we are weak.
Personally, pray for my wife, who has a burden for a large school near us. She wants to have gospel conversations with and lead these children to Christ when she is able to interact with them.
Finally, pray the gospel will restore trust in Lanzhou churches. Because of the past, and because of divisions caused by the Local Church movement[1], churches here are struggling to reunite. Pray that God will unite the church so we can work together to advance his kingdom.
For my own church, I pray God will build a heart for missions. May he use brothers and sisters to enter into God’s mission and be touched by the gospel of Jesus’s death and resurrection.
Jiang Mingyun: I’ve seen persecuted churches in China respond to government persecution. They don’t harbor anger, but instead love them through the gospel.
Others have mentioned the separation from Muslims. The gospel should be able to break through our own limitations and reach the Muslim community, transcending cultural barriers. Perhaps we still lack gospel training, foundation, or renewal. I believe that, as the gospel renews our lives more deeply, it will become possible to step out of ourselves and into the Muslim community.
Pray the gospel will renew churches here in Lanzhou, so the gospel can renew the city. Also pray that the gospel will renew us, and that brothers and sisters will have courage in the face of persecution . Many in the workplace are facing pressure. We acknowledge their fear, but want to encourage them to be strong and bold in expressing their faith, passing it on, and demonstrating Christ through their actions.
As for my family, I ask God to give me wisdom to raise my child so they have a resilient, enduring faith. I worry about faith challenges they might face after middle school.
[1] [1] The “Local Church” movement refers to a Christian group founded by Watchman Nee and developed by Witness Lee, which has been controversial in some circles.
Li Jun, Jiang Mingyun, and Tan Changrui are house church pastors in Lanzhou. All names are pseudonyms.
Pray for Lanzhou churches to have wisdom when facing challenges, and that’s Christ’s power will be made perfect in weakness.
