Editor’s note: As more and more Chinese leave the country, they are not only moving to the U.S. or Western countries. Many Chinese are settling in other Asian countries, places not so far from their original home, countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and other southeast Asian destinations. Among the current diaspora are many Christians, including house church pastors.

In this season of tumult, Chinese believers are considering how to continue sharing the gospel with other Chinese who are either unsettled or in the process of re-settling. While these changes present challenges to the spread of the gospel, it is also an important opportunity, one the church wants to meet intentionally.

A Tightening Nation

Right now, we are in the process of the “turn” of China. After the pandemic, the government intensified control. Often people feel like they are just a product.

The government also tightened their control of the church, and closed down Christian education for believers’ children. Before, China had a lot of Christian schools.[1] But those schools are now under more pressure. The government arrests pastors and teachers, and sentences them severely. People have no other options. They must either bring their kids to the local schools, or run away from China altogether.

A lot of people see this and run. Christians also see this and say, “I don’t want my kids to suffer these things. I want my kids to have an education.””

In the Book of Acts, not everyone said, “We need to stay in Jerusalem and let the Romans kill us.” A lot of people left Jerusalem. Biblically, leaving China is allowable. It is good to stay, even when facing jail. But not everyone can do this.

Many people feel like China is a big jail, and they need to run away. If they close down, they really close down. A lot of people see this and run. Christians also see this and say, “I don’t want my kids to suffer these things. I want my kids to have an education.”

Also, people see it seems like the government is more strongly controlling all of China. A bunch of businesspeople have run away because they can’t make money in China. The big trend is Chinese people, in general, don’t want to stay in China.

A Big Opportunity

After the pandemic, we have found Chinese people all over Asia. Even before 1949, Chinese people were already in southeast Asia. When the Communist Party took over, a lot of Christians left China. Those Christians laid the foundation for the church, so now, when Chinese people leave China, there are already Chinese living in other countries.

Maybe all this is a good thing! Chinese Christians can spread around the world. This is a big opportunity.

There are probably more than a hundred Chinese pastors in Thailand alone, currently doing nothing. Why not ask them to start a church?

This is a big opportunity. There are many good overseas churches, but we also understand why Chinese people cannot assimilate into local Christian churches in their new country. There is a need to build a bridge and plant churches for new Chinese immigrants. So, we want to try.

The trend is already happening. There are probably more than a hundred Chinese pastors in Thailand alone, currently doing nothing. Why not ask them to start a church?

Church planting in China is important because that is where Chinese people are. But now they are immigrating! There is a lot of opportunity, and right now we are doing too little. We would like to plant more churches, but there are many difficulties.

Not many pastors go to foreign countries with the goal of planting churches. Usually, they go for their children, and their children’s education. But as we talk with them, we remind them that they are still pastors. There is still something they can do.

In China, Persecution; Outside, Distraction

There are several major difficulties. On the surface, the problems are always the same: people, and money.

Where are the people going to come from for the new church plant? Who will give money to support the new church? Usually, when people immigrate to a new country, the first concern is money. They worry about how to figure out how to survive in their new land. They don’t have any income, and are trying to make a new life. There is a certain fear to adding church planting on top of this challenge.

Church planting in China is important because that is where Chinese people are. But now they are immigrating! There is a lot of opportunity, and right now we are doing too little.

Those who give may be worried about how long church planters will stay with their new church, or how well they will do at church planting overseas. Just because a pastor can lead a church very well in China does not necessarily mean he can plant a church very well overseas. These are different skills. You may still be working with Chinese people, but the environment is different. In China, believers face persecution; overseas, they face distraction. Before, you were working in a little room; now, you labor in a big field. People may not come to your church. You have to think about the calling, and the care for lost souls. Finding the right church planter is a challenge.

After you find a church planter, investing is still a challenge. Maybe the planter is not a good learner, or maybe he doesn’t attract people. A lot of people don’t want to start a church plant because they are looking for success: they want to know how quickly the church will reach 100 people. If you begin to list the difficulties, they are really unlimited. But when you find a church planter, you need to train him, teach him to preach and do evangelism, and then encourage people to step out and plant the church. At that point, you really need money to support them.

[1] Although Christian schools have always been illegal in China, for many years, these schools were flourishing and growing. More recently, however, restrictions which already governed these “underground” schools have been tightened, and it is increasingly difficult to give kids a Christian education inside China, although many families continue to strive toward this ends.

Simon Liu is a church planter and works with church planting networks.

Pray for God to use Chinese pastors who are already living outside of China to further the gospel’s spread around the world.