Editor’s note: This March we are praying for the beautiful tourist city of Guilin in southern China. Several Guilin pastors met with us to tell us about their city, their churches, and some of the common issues they face as they share the gospel and shepherd the flock in their city. The pastors say that there is a strong Buddhist culture in Guilin, and that while people are not completely closed off to Christianity, most people are reluctant to explore further. People turn to faith because they hope it will make their immediate physical lives better. Within the church, the pastors say they are trying to more intentionally train believers to pray for the city, but it’s hard for Christians to pray when they don’t truly understand the issues within their own city. Still, as churches have begun practices like prayer walks, they have been encouraged to see their congregations engage and pray.

China Partnership: What are some common challenges, fears, and struggles that you and your church encounter as you minister to people in your city? How can we pray about this?

People Aren’t Interested

Pang: When we go outdoors and share the gospel, it’s hard to explain it clearly. But even if we explain clearly, people usually don’t show interest. Even if they leave their contact information, they’re often unwilling to come to church or learn more about God.

We haven’t faced much persecution since our church started a few years ago. The biggest challenge is indifference and apathy. It’s like we don’t exist.

People listen intently, but are reluctant to come to church or attend gatherings.

We’ve tried different things, like free medical clinics with some of our church members who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine. Every month or two we go to different communities, providing medical care and sharing the gospel. People listen intently, but are reluctant to come to church or attend gatherings. This is our biggest challenge. Please pray that God will prepare more “children of peace,” and will give us a ripe harvest as we share the gospel.

Superstition, False Religion, and Atheism

Deng: We’ve had several challenges trying to share the gospel. The first is just that people’s hearts are hardened by unbelief. Atheist indoctrination is deeply ingrained, and it’s hard for people to accept and believe the gospel.

Second, there’s a lot of superstition. People may not believe the gospel we preach, but they do believe in their ancestors, idols, ancestral tablets, door gods, temples, and all sorts of strange deities. We also run across a lot of so-called Christians in cults like Eastern Lightning, Jehovah’s Witnesses, or the World Mission Society Church of God. There are also extreme charismatic groups, preachers of the prosperity gospel, and Shincheonji. These cults disrupt true faith. For some people, when they hear about Christianity, they immediately think of these cults and their distorted gospel message.

Secularism is another challenge. People really value material possessions and worldly pleasures. They have a utilitarian mindset. They ask what benefits they will gain from believing in Jesus: will believing in him make them rich or heal their illnesses? If there’s not an immediate, tangible benefit, people won’t believe.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will soften people’s hardened hearts, tear down their idols and false gods, and help them see that what they’re pursuing won’t bring true peace, satisfaction, or joy. Only Christ can satisfy.

Of course, we still face some persecution. The atheistic government, schools, and workplaces pressure believers, especially those who work for the government. Work commitments are also a challenge; a lot of people say work is too busy for them to attend church. Greed is another issue. Many people come to Guilin for pyramid schemes or get-rich-quick projects. I’ve seen entire congregations of people involved in pyramid schemes. They meet together, then after, promote their projects.

Please pray that the Holy Spirit will soften people’s hardened hearts, tear down their idols and false gods, and help them see that what they’re pursuing won’t bring true peace, satisfaction, or joy. Only Christ can satisfy. They may gain the whole world but lose their soul, which profits them nothing.

A Pragmatic Approach to the Gospel

Yu: Like other pastors mentioned, people in our city are pretty comfortable. They are very utilitarian, mostly concerned with making a living. This creates a pragmatic approach to the gospel, leading some churches – including ours – to preach a prosperity gospel or a watered-down message to attract them. This is a challenge.

But the people of Guilin, like many other Chinese cities, are open and tolerant. Because they’ve been exposed to Western culture for a long time, they’re willing to listen, even if they reject the gospel. People also have some understanding of Christian beliefs and culture.

There are many Buddhists in Guilin, and Buddhism has had a big influence here. Some place names even refer to Guanyin.[1] Our church has engaged in dialogue with Buddhists. Recently, we made a booklet comparing Buddhism and Christianity to reach people influenced by Buddhist culture. My own family used to be Buddhist, and we even had a Guanyin statue we worshipped.

We need to learn specifics, so we can pray for people here in a meaningful way. Think about it! How can you effectively pray for the government or for leaders when you don’t even know who they are? If we just stick to our own little circles, how can we serve the city?

How can we pray for people here in Guilin? Their fears and struggles are very practical: being unemployed after Covid, or the constant pursuit of a better, more comfortable life. Please pray God will break down strongholds in people’s hearts and renew their minds. Also pray that we can engage more with the city, understand its people, and build relationships. Pray for us to show care and compassion, and truly connect with the city of Guilin.

Prayer Walking through Guilin

Last year, our church participated in a training that really emphasized prayer walking. Now, we’ve started to practice prayer walking. Before walking, we did a training. I started by asking people if they loved Guilin. But when I asked our congregation if they knew who the mayor or the Party Secretary were, no one knew. This shows how unengaged we are. I shared some Scriptures about why it’s important to pray for our city, then sent people out in pairs to pray in different parts of the city.

God’s Spirit will work through various means – including this interview – to encourage us to truly engage with and care for Guilin.

We had about a dozen points to focus on. For instance, we need to praise God for our city, but we also need to confess we haven’t really cared about it, or taken the time to get to know it. We need to learn specifics, so we can pray for people here in a meaningful way. Think about it! How can you effectively pray for the government or for leaders when you don’t even know who they are? If we just stick to our own little circles, how can we serve the city? We also need to be concerned about whether God’s name is being spread through Guilin. Later, we gathered and shared our experiences: how were we surprised? What made us uneasy? What insights have we gained? This helps us pray with even more passion.

This week, one brother shared with me that, since that prayer walk, he has been praying for Guilin every day. I was touched and encouraged. I don’t necessarily pray for Guilin every day, but he has been faithfully praying. We believe God’s Spirit will work through various means – including this interview – to encourage us to truly engage with and care for Guilin.

[1] Guanyin is a female Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion.

Yang Xi, Du Panhe, and Tan Yexuan are all pseudonyms for Guilin house church pastors.

Pray for God’s Spirit to move Guilin Christians to learn, understand, and passionately pray for their city.