Editor’s note: As we continued our conversation with Guangzhou-area believers, they shared some of the areas that have been more difficult for them and their churches. Several mentioned that, while there are many Christians in Guangzhou from other parts of China, they feel that it is harder to share the gospel with local Cantonese. Others talked about the struggles persecution has brought, or the need to focus on discipleship and strengthening the foundations of believers already in their churches.

China Partnership: ⁠As you minister to people in your city, what are the common challenges, fears, and struggles you encounter?

Strong Shepherding Is Necessary

Jiang Aizhong: How to train disciples, how to help brothers and sisters have a genuine relationship with God. They need kingdom perspective. If the church is strong, the city will be strong. If the church is weak, it will be difficult to respond, and ultimately to give an account to God.

The church is the bride: how should the bride make herself ready? We are not just maintaining a gathering. We must constantly adjust the teaching in sermons. When preaching, I connect every message to the ultimate goal: the completion of the kingdom. Everyone is on a journey, a citizen of heaven waiting for the Savior. If you forget this, you don’t know yourself. How terrifying! I strongly emphasize clarity of identity. Who are you? Who is Jesus?

In China, the church needs to be strong. Shepherding needs to be strong. If it is, brothers and sisters will have the heart of a disciple. When they have this heart, they will be able to bring others.

In  discipleship training, we train everyone to be familiar with the Bible and to pray. Prayer is very important. We are all disciples in the school of Christ. What is the daily life of a disciple like? How does my life grow? Disciples need to be trained – in what areas do you need to train yourself? Everyone is different, but our topic is the same: daily practice. Starting today, I will read the Bible every day. Or, starting today, I will learn to count my blessings; or, I will stop scrolling on my phone.

We don’t specifically push for outside evangelism. In the past, we had a lot of people coming and going. Later, I felt the church was exhausted because the fellowship of believers was not stable. This year, I feel we need to cultivate the soil of the church first. They know how to worship God, understand the uniqueness of their identity, and can enjoy and rely on God in their lives. If brothers and sisters have this life of faith, the church will have good soil. When the church has this soil, people will come, and seeds will fall and take root.

The reason people come to church and grow and stay is because the church has the word. Brothers and sisters have love and can connect. People feel something different here: God’s presence. This is not something every church can feel. When people come to our church, can they feel God’s presence?

As Christians, we understand gathering. When we are together, we can worship the Lord – and not just through songs. Through Scripture, you know and see the greatness of the Lord, and truly worship and adore him. From Genesis to Revelation, you see God’s entire work of redemption. You see God’s love, patience, and how his justice and love work together. When we have certainty in God, the foundation of this fellowship is solid. When they are connected, people stay once they come in. Otherwise, people come and go, and it is impossible to pastor them.

I don’t complain. This is what God has given. If this is what God has given China, then the Chinese church must accept it. God is here, he must be doing his work here. It’s useless to complain. We trust his sovereignty.

If you go out to preach, there is no environment to preach. It’s very tight. A brother from our church went outside to preach, and was immediately arrested. He handed out flyers in a nearby town, and was immediately contacted by Guangzhou officials. Then our church was contacted. I don’t advocate for handing out flyers. I tell people: bring others in. We start from the basic entry points into people’s lives: children, family, daily life.

In China, the church needs to be strong. Shepherding needs to be strong. If it is, brothers and sisters will have the heart of a disciple. When they have this heart, they will be able to bring others.

Jesus found Andrew, and Andrew brought Peter. When Jesus found someone, he brought them in. China doesn’t allow you to hold events; the government pressure is very high. I don’t complain. This is what God has given. If this is what God has given China, then the Chinese church must accept it. God is here, he must be doing his work here. It’s useless to complain. We trust his sovereignty.

Cantonese Ministry

Ran Wuliang: Guangzhou is an ancient port, and had earlier exposure to foreign cultures than the rest of the country. In modern times, outside influence also arrived earlier in Guangdong. But I don’t see that this changes – positively or negatively – the way people receive the gospel. In churches I’ve seen, the percentage of native residents is low.

Sister Bao En: There is not a lot of Cantonese ministry. For middle-aged and younger generations, Mandarin is the main language. The government actively suppresses local culture, promoting Mandarin and centralized education for easier control. There is a definite push to erase Cantonese culture. Many children of the younger generation can no longer speak Cantonese. In the future, Cantonese ministry may not be as crucial.

The challenge of evangelism, to integrate into local circles, is large. I am in quite a few local circles, but when it comes to evangelism, the proportion of people who truly believe is small. At most, they say, “I respect you; that’s good. But don’t talk too much about it.””

Jiang Aizhong: The movement of people brings the exchange of information and the sharing of resources. But it also brings a mix of good and bad. Outsiders like me don’t speak Cantonese. When we share the gospel with Cantonese speakers, we must have someone who speaks Cantonese and has connections to help us. For example, our church planted in [a smaller city in Guangdong Province]. When I preached there, everything was translated into Cantonese.

Zu Jianyu: Local people, especially, are very serious about idol worship. Their hearts are quite hardened. When we share the gospel, people ask, “What benefits can it bring me?” They think talking about the soul, eternal life, and values is too abstract. They value immediate benefits more. They are calculating and practical. They are particularly good at enjoying food and clothing. When they talk about something, they talk about immediate things.

The challenge of evangelism, to integrate into local circles, is large. I am in quite a few local circles, but when it comes to evangelism, the proportion of people who truly believe is small. At most, they say, “I respect you; that’s good. But don’t talk too much about it.”

What Is Our Foundation?

In recent years, the government has pursued the church, especially in the area of Christian education. We think about the future of our children, who are the future of the church. If you don’t educate, there is no future; the next generation will assimilate to culture. We see the same thing in Western countries.

The government has been monitoring us for 20 years. But our church doesn’t have much contact with overseas groups,[1] so they just told us not to cause any trouble. But Christian education makes things increasingly difficult.

Marital incidents are also an issue. Over the past seven or eight years, we’ve perhaps been too permissive regarding marriage and family building for our ministers. Society’s disregard for marriage is evident in the rise of gender fluidity, homosexuality, and divorce rates. Those trends also impact the church.

We must pray, entrust ourselves to God, and seek his will. Will some brothers and sisters be unwilling to continue on this path? It’s understandable; many struggle under the pressure. It will not be easy to return to the ancient paths of the covenant. It will take time, and will cost something.

Another fear stems from internal divisions. Because we have had so much pressure from crackdowns, our church has disagreed about what to do and what not to do. Those in education remain under a lot of scrutiny. Threats continue, and there will be more trials. The pressure of children being forced into public schools weighs heavily on everyone.

We must pray, entrust ourselves to God, and seek his will. Will some brothers and sisters be unwilling to continue on this path? It’s understandable; many struggle under the pressure.

It will not be easy to return to the ancient paths of the covenant. It will take time, and will cost something. Even among those who work in the church, there are different opinions. But this is a refining process, to help us examine our foundations. What do we hold onto?

Before these difficulties, I thought we were ready to grow and plant churches. But this blow has forced us to reflect on our foundation. How strong is our faith? How do we respond to pressure? Although battered and bruised after a year of attacks, I’m grateful our foundation is still there.

[1] Chinese churches who have ties to foreign funding or foreign leadership face a lot of pressure. This is because one of the government’s main worries regarding house churches is that they are more loyal to the global body of believers than to their nation. House churches who receive money from outside the country, or who work closely with overseas groups or churches, tend to face a lot of pressure.

Wong Meijing, Ran Wuliang, Jiang Aizhong, and Yang Qiangdong are Guangzhou area house church pastors. Zu Jianyu is an elder in a local house church. Sister Bao En loves to pray and to share the vision of prayer with others.

Pray for Chinese house churches to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit so they can continue to walk in the path God has called them to.