Xi'an: New Perspective on the City

Xi’an: New Perspective on the City

Editor’s note: Xi’an church leaders share their challenges in leading other believers in a “season of quiet.” They long to press on with the work of the gospel, but face real obstacles in casting a wider net. Instead, many are choosing to grow deeper and pressing into discipleship of existing believers. They sometimes feel frustration with their city or culture, but as they mature individually and in their faith, they are also coming to see the beauty and riches of their history.

A Quiet Season

Hu Yang: Congregations in Xi’an are small and lack vitality. Everyone is cautious, afraid of security issues. I see a real lack of cohesion and vitality.

Many churches in Xi’an have a lot of children. In our church, children make up almost half the congregation. We need to focus on how to pastor families and parents well, and instill in parents a sense of mission in raising their children. This is quite difficult, because the parents’ hearts haven’t been fully shepherded. It feels like we are just spinning our wheels, going through the motions generation after generation. It’s a pity, because we really need to reach both children and parents.

Right now, my main struggle is the lack of vitality. We also lack pastors. My own church does not have this sense of vitality. Our church has many small, scattered meeting points – some meeting places have just a few people, others have more than 30. We are trying to find solutions, to connect with and serve people. We are looking to rent spaces that aren’t too hidden, and are slowly making progress, seeing new people come and even some seekers. The atmosphere is more open than in homes, but it still feels quite restrained. I think the main factor is the larger environment.

I would not say that Xi’an churches are lying dormant, but this is a season of quiet. How can we, as a church, challenge new co-workers to continue the work in this season?

Slowly, I have discovered beautiful aspects of our traditional culture: deep piety, reverence for the Bible, a thirst for truth, genuine care for others, and putting love into action. These are precious qualities of Xi’an!

I would not say that Xi’an churches are lying dormant, but this is a season of quiet. How can we, as a church, challenge new co-workers to continue the work in this season? How can we expand the house church model more effectively? It’s not easy to transition our small groups into a larger group. It is very difficult to gather everyone together.

Instead, our church is focusing on discipleship, and encouraging lay leaders to serve more actively. We want to establish church governance, and appoint lay workers as elders and deacons. We also hope to bring in full-time workers to train our elders. Although we appear scattered, we are trying to build cohesion and become more active.

The Beauty of Traditional Culture

Wang Hu: Many Xi’an house churches are deficient in church governance, and even in basic common sense. This might be influenced by the traditional house church model, or by Xi’an’s deep roots in traditional culture. This often leads to confusion about church structure, and how to balance love and truth.

Gradually, by studying systematic theology and culture, I have found my own way through these issues. Books by authors like Tim Keller, which addressed many cultural issues, have been very helpful and helped me see my city from a new perspective. This concept of the kingdom of God and the redeemed city have impacted me deeply, and I have been able to apply this perspective to my own church and city.

I have been deeply influenced by the older generation of Chinese pastors, with their respect for Scripture and approach to biblical training. Now, our generation needs to reflect on how to carry these positive aspects forward, using common sense, structure, and theology. We need to organically integrate life and structure. It is crucial that we engage with this generation.

Slowly, I have discovered beautiful aspects of our traditional culture: deep piety, reverence for the Bible, a thirst for truth, genuine care for others, and putting love into action. These are precious qualities of Xi’an!

For awhile, I struggled to find my place in the church. I wasn’t sure if I should become a full-time pastor, or continue with my business. Finally, I’ve found a fulfilling path serving as a ruling elder. I now know I am not called to be a full-time pastor.

This has also borne fruit in my company. The company grew during the pandemic, which is a special blessing from God. I and my company have benefited from trainings I received years ago from teachers like Tim Keller. Those trainings (on things like time and energy management or stress-free work) were intended for pastors, but are very insightful for me. I’ve integrated principles from the trainings into my work, and used them to train my employees.

For me, now work and church service are the same thing. As a Christian, I do the same thing in every area of life, whether is my company or the church. While the context is different, the underlying principle is the same. Still, it is challenging to maintain consistency across different roles and identities. But while challenging, it is also beautiful.

Grace-Filled Fruit

One example of this is how, over the past few years, many people have witnessed how our family’s efforts to homeschool our children have gradually yielded much grace-filled fruit. My wife stays home with our kids. Through this, her own learning, spiritual growth, and biblical knowledge have all rapidly increased. She went from someone who didn’t enjoy reading, to someone who has been transformed and is influencing those around her.

The gospel is nourishing and empowering us to impact those around us, even non-believers. Every day feels vibrant and full of grace.

Another blessing is that about a dozen brothers and sisters from our church participate in a daily morning reading and sharing group. This requires perseverance, but it has become a gospel-centered community for us.

We’ve experienced the difficult beginning phases of growth: some have left, others stayed. As we move into later stages of growth, the gospel continues to grow and flourish within us. The gospel is nourishing and empowering us to impact those around us, even non-believers. Every day feels vibrant and full of grace.

Hu Yang and Wang Hu are elders in their house churches in Xi’an.

Pray for Xi’an believers to see the beauty of their city and their people, and to carry forward the legacy of previous generations of Chinese Christians.