Editor’s note: Several Wuhan pastors share about the challenges and struggles they face ministering in the central Chinese city, especially in the years following the pandemic. They agreed that more connection between churches is needed, and that many in their congregation are stressed and stretched by economic and family pressures. Most churches want to reach the many university students in their area, but are uncertain how, with increasing restrictions. To solve these issues, prayer is necessary.
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?
The Middle Generation
Xu Yao: Our church isn’t large, and we don’t have many young people. Our ministry focuses on middle-aged adults, who care for both parents and children. They need to honor their parents, but their children are in high school or college, and they need to fulfill parental duties and educate their children.
This group faces several challenges. The economic downturn caused by the pandemic forced people to focus on making money so they can survive. With the economic decline, materialism is quite serious. This is true of Wuhan, and is probably the same in other cities.
Many of these middle-aged adults are filled with fear and anxiety. They worry about social security, education, healthcare, medical insurance, and employment. They feel lost, and uncertain about the future.
Another challenge is that people have become indifferent. There’s a lack of trust. If you try to share the gospel or talk about faith, they want to focus on practical matters, like making money. This ties back to the economic downturn.
Our church is on the city outskirts. We used to have many more members. But because of the pandemic and persecution, some people left, others went abroad, and some couldn’t attend regularly because they had to focus on making a living.
Our church faces the challenge of persecution. We’ve moved many times, which I dread. Every time we find a new place, the authorities find us, invite us for “tea,” and show their “concern.” I’ve been invited to “drink tea” many, many times. [The phrase “drinking tea” refers to being questioned by authorities.]
We constantly deal with police. Of course, by God’s grace, we are not afraid. But the constant relocating and having to find and rent new places has made our members weary and discouraged. Everyone longs for the stability and comfort of the past, to have a church building as a central gathering place. But having a large building where hundreds of people can gather – we may not be able to return to those days.
We constantly deal with police. Of course, by God’s grace, we are not afraid. But the constant relocating and having to find and rent new places has made our members weary and discouraged.
Weak Connections Among Churches
Ben: Salaries in Wuhan aren’t as high as in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Shenzhen – but the cost of living isn’t low, either. So, overtime work is very common. If brothers and sisters can attend Sunday service, that is already good – asking them to commit to fellowship activities during the week is challenging. This is especially true for the people in our church, like young professionals, and young families with newborns and toddlers. This makes pastoral care challenging.
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On the other hand, I see God’s grace and opportunities. In my opinion, having served in other cities for many years, control in Wuhan is relaxed compared to other places. There is a degree of flexibility and freedom.
Although there are many churches in Wuhan, the connection between them isn’t very strong. If there were more connections and more resource sharing, I believe God’s work here would be even more fruitful.
An Atmosphere of Fear
Pastor Yan: Before 2018, all of Wuhan – including our church – was pretty comfortable when it came to faith. The economy was okay, and persecution was relatively mild. But after the pandemic, especially with changes in religious policies, things have become difficult for our brothers and sisters, especially those with sensitive jobs. Our church has many university professors and government officials. Since the pandemic and policy changes, they have been subjected to all kinds of meetings and indoctrination, leading to lots of fear and anxiety.
There are two types of fear: political fear, and health-related fear. If anyone hears of a cold or cough, church attendance drops. People say this is to avoid infecting others, but the pandemic has affected everyone’s psyche, and led to fear. This is especially true for people in sensitive positions. I don’t think this is unique to our church, either.
Second, there is the issue of an aging congregation. Like the rest of China, Wuhan faces the significant challenge of an aging population. Our church used to be full of middle-aged families who have now gradually entered their senior years.
This leads to the next issue: evangelism. Wuhan has many universities, with 1.2 million students annually. But evangelism is a major problem. University ministry is incredibly difficult. Wuhan used to be a key city for student ministry, but this has been severely impacted. Evangelism isn’t as vibrant as before, when churches could plan activities to share the gospel throughout the city. But now we have many restrictions, and large-scale events are impossible. Even small events can bring trouble. The mindset of brothers and sisters has also changed – they are hesitant to invite people, and afraid of rejection.
We’ve even had experiences where elementary school students reported us! We once went to a school to share the gospel with elementary students, and even fourth and fifth graders called us a cult, took pictures with their phones, and called the police.
So, how can the gospel flourish in Wuhan? How can we revive it? This is a difficult question.
It’s not just about reaching unbelievers – we also need to re-evangelize those already in church.
Wuhan has many universities, with 1.2 million students annually. But evangelism is a major problem. University ministry is incredibly difficult.
We Need to Impact Our Community
Pastor Fan: Overall, the church’s social influence is insufficient, at least for our church. We are in the city center, but our impact on the surrounding community, including universities, is disproportionately small.
Second, marriage ministry is challenging. It’s difficult for single brothers and sisters to find spouses, and there are many marital problems among married couples.
Third, evangelism is not as fervent as before. Recently, I attended a city pastors’ prayer meeting, and everyone observed that church growth in recent years has not been encouraging. Our numbers have stabilized and even slightly increased, but overall, the situation isn’t good.
Finally, I think we need more professionalism for church governance and preaching.
The Church Must Pray
Pastor Wong: It’s difficult to enter universities and reach students with the gospel. It’s also challenging for the church to engage with and influence society. The church is unable to exert its influence. This is all related to the church itself. People’s hearts are restless, and information is fragmented. Mobile phones and the Internet are a big distraction and influence, and work and finances have become idols. The “involution” and “lying flat” mentalities put a lot of pressure on the church.
There’s a lack of trust and connection between people, and it’s hard to build relationships. Many believers are reluctant to have pastors visit their homes. If they are unwilling to open their doors, they are also unwilling to open their hearts. Political control and propaganda has isolated the church from society.
As for prayer, every era is God’s era. The problem isn’t how big the problems are, but the church’s failure to rely solely on God, to be rooted in truth, and to live out our faith. Churches need to connect and unite, to be open and accepting of one another, and come together to form a unified body to impact the city. Finally, the church must pray. Through connected prayer, we can move God’s hand and influence this city.
Xu Yao, Ben, Pastor, Yan, Pastor Fan, and Pastor Wong are pseudonyms for Chinese house church pastors in the central China city of Wuhan.
Pray for churches in Wuhan to be connected and rooted in prayer.
