Editor’s note: Join us as we wrap up 2024 by praying for the beautiful coastal city of Xiamen in eastern China. In today’s segment, Xiamen pastors shared how the past five years have changed their churches and the believers to whom they minister. They say that financial pressure has been a big challenge for brothers and sisters in their church, making people more focused on survival, and with less time and energy to devote to spiritual pursuits. As pastors, these shepherds are trying to discern how to best care for their people through these challenging times, and have realized how important deep discipleship is.

China Partnership: How has your city changed over the last five years? How have things changed for your church?

Financial Pressure

Jing Hui: First, housing prices have dropped. What used to cost five million renminbi [about $690,000] is now four million [about $552,000] – back to the prices of seven years ago. This has caused significant financial pressure for some people.

Second, Xiamen is experiencing population loss or – at the least – very slow growth. Since the pandemic, the city has put in place many policies meant to attract people, but the population hasn’t increased.

On the contrary, many people who have lived here for years feel they can no longer to afford to stay. Even in our church, some people have begun to return to their hometowns or move to other cities to earn more money. This has affected us. We’ve noticed many brothers and sisters talking about their financial pressures. Some are unemployed and having a hard time finding suitable work. This has impacted their spiritual state, shifting their attention to basic necessities. It is harder to get people involved in ministry, because they are working longer hours to earn more – or are afraid of losing their jobs if they don’t. Spiritual pursuits have been pushed lower on the priority list.

Persecution and Perseverance

Ye Peng: In the past five years, churches in Xiamen have experienced multiple waves of persecution, to varying degrees of pressure. Some churches have been forced to close or split; some brothers and sisters have become discouraged as their sense of security in their faith has been challenged.

We’ve noticed many brothers and sisters talking about their financial pressures. Some are unemployed and having a hard time finding suitable work. This has impacted their spiritual state, shifting their attention to basic necessities.

In response, Xiamen churches have made adjustments. Churches that have persevered have begun to shift. Instead of mainstream theological education and church structure, these churches have focused on building up the inner life. A popular book among us recently is The J Curve. We hope to find a better balance between the gospel and life, and to build stronger relationships within the church.

My own church lost one of our locations several years ago. After that, we merged and held two services. A few years later, we were raided again. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, then we became two independent churches. This year, we lost another location.

Within our church, our focus has shifted from emphasizing gospel DNA and justification by faith, to biblical counseling and sanctification by faith. We hope to help brothers and sisters believe and live out the gospel more holistically.

Preacher Yang: In 2019, the government began to ban house churches in the Xiamen area. All house churches that met publicly turned to underground gatherings. It became normal for churches to move their gathering places or gather online.

My church experienced the first wave of impact, and planted six churches two years later. Our church encountered four shocks [raids] during this period, and the congregation exercised their faith, from fear at the beginning to getting used to it later. During this period, the number of people also increased, more kingdom ministries were participated in, and the relationship with the churches became closer.

Divided Focus

Tian Ming: Xiamen’s economy used to rely on tourism and trade, but the pandemic hit us hard. A lot of people left. Since then, though, quite a few have come back.

There is growing division and cultural tension, especially among young people. There is antagonism between men and women, and also between bosses and employees. From the employees’ perspective, it seems like all bosses are jerks. These types of conflict are becoming more intense.

Churches that have persevered have begun to shift. Instead of mainstream theological education and church structure, these churches have focused on building up the inner life.

Unemployment is a huge issue – not just in Xiamen, but in all of China. The economy is down, and people are constantly threated with job loss. Many people have huge loans, but could lose their jobs any day. Anxiety is everywhere. More and more families are on the verge of collapse. Everyone is busy trying to make money just to survive.

This also leads to another issue: reckless entertainment. People are glued to watching short videos, playing video games, and things like this. All this poses a serious threat to spiritual health.

As for our church, because of persecution, we had to leave and sell the property we used to own. Since then, we have moved several times. Besides persecution, our church structures have gotten better. But overall, the church feels increasingly lukewarm. Under the pressure of daily life, people are slowly losing their spiritual vitality. Their focus is divided, and they can’t concentrate on faith.

Another change in our church over these years is we’ve grown from just one pastor – me! – to three.

Xiamen’s Unique Appeal

Nathanael: I agree with these brothers, but for me, the most obvious change in Xiamen over the past five years is the city’s development. I still believe the city has benefited from favorable policies.

For example, the subway construction has been a huge improvement. For those of us who don’t drive, it’s much easier to get around. It has expanded the areas we can reach, which has helped us think about places to plant a church. Now, places that used to be far away – places you had to take a long bus ride to get to – are easily accessible by subway.

Another thing is Xiamen’s diverse population. There has been some population loss, but there is also a constant influx of new people, such as recent graduates, some of whom have joined our church. This shows how dynamic the city is.

Even though the overall economic environment and income levels in Xiamen aren’t high, the city has a unique appeal that keeps people here. I’ve talked with recent grads who have a love-hate relationship with the city. They hate their low salaries and limited career prospects, but love Xiamen’s laidback atmosphere, comfort, and unique charm.

We are aware of the employment and financial pressures our members face. This shapes our pastoral approach. We need to address both weariness and practical needs.

Our church has grown a lot in this time, tripling from when we started. Most of these new people are young, which gives us new pastoral challenges. We are thankful that one brother in our congregation is answering the call to full-time ministry; right now, he is in the process of resigning from his job. An older pastor planted the church with me, and now he is considering retirement. This is new territory! We haven’t heard of any Xiamen churches whose pastor retired, so we are learning as we go.

Some church members have dealt with unemployment, and we definitely feel the pressure of job loss. One brother, who used to have a great job with a foreign firm in Shanghai, has not been able to find stable work since coming to Xiamen after the pandemic! It’s unbelievable – especially when you factor in the age discrimination he faces since he is older than 35. Another brother works in a low-paying job, and was injured while delivering food. Our church is trying to figure out how to support him.

More and more, we are aware of the employment and financial pressures our members face. This shapes our pastoral approach. We need to address both weariness and practical needs.

Wei Yan, Huang Minzhu, Jin Dajun, Zu Dong, and Preacher Yang are all pseudonyms for house church pastors in Xiamen.

Pray for Xiamen churches ministering to Christians who are weary, stressed, and struggling to persevere through a season of anxiety and pressure.