Editor’s note: The city of Wuhan sits in the heart of China, connecting the country from north to south and east to west. Local house church pastors say Covid had a big impact on the city: the epidemic began in Wuhan, but Wuhan was also the site of some of the protests which led to the end of China’s draconian zero-Covid policy. The economy is down in recent years, and many people have left Wuhan to seek a better life elsewhere, either domestically or abroad. The church has faced increased persecution, and believers were among those living the city for greener pastures. But local pastors say this, together with reflections on the church’s failures during Covid, has purified Christ’s body and helped her unite with other believers to bless the city.
China Partnership: How has your city changed in the last five years? What changes have occurred in your church?
Rising Pressure
Xu Yao: The city developed rapidly during this time. Our district is an example: living conditions improved in every way, and there are high-rise buildings everywhere. Many developers have built numerous residential complexes.
Transportation has developed rapidly. Wuhan is the thoroughfare of nine provinces, and has convenient transportation to the capital city of every province – “all roads lead to Beijing.” China’s leaders often come here for meetings.
But after the pandemic, there has been a serious economic downturn, and rising unemployment. Many people can’t find jobs. So, there are unsettling factors.
As for the church, everyone knows persecution has intensified, for both Three-Self and house churches. In our district, we often hear that persecution in the Three-Self system is substantial. House churches also experience more persecution. Host families in each community offer their homes, and then 10 to 20 people gather. This is how our church is – as far as I know, most house churches in Wuhan have gradually become small groups. it’s not possible anymore to have large gatherings in rented office spaces or your own building. That model may not come back for a long time.
After the pandemic, there has been a serious economic downturn, and rising unemployment. Many people can’t find jobs
The congregation is also under pressure. Because of persecution, if the church doesn’t clearly explain the truth and the Word, believers will be pressured and may leave the church. We pray that God grants us grace to clearly explain the Word, and to stand firm in him.
God’s Protection through Pandemic
Ben: If you talk about the past five years, Wuhan is certainly worth mentioning. Covid affected the entire world, and Wuhan was where it all began. We were the first to experience lock-down, for over two months. The pandemic deeply impacted this city.
Before the pandemic ended – after the White Paper movement, and before restrictions were lifted nationwide – there was coordinated action in five cities: Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. These cities had protests on the same night, which ultimately led to the shift from zero-Covid, to reopening. From beginning to end, Wuhan played a significant role.
The church experienced a lot. Some changes, like meeting on Zoom, are common across the country. Especially during the lock-down months, Zoom meetings were not optional, but necessary. After lock-down, as soon as people could leave their neighborhoods, our church immediately resumed in-person gatherings. We only had two months without physical meetings. We saw God’s protection. Even though we met secretly, he protected us from being discovered or restricted by pandemic control measures. He also protected us from spreading the virus or getting infected.
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After the pandemic, one change in the church is that some people have become dissatisfied with the country’s current state. There has been a small wave of emigration, and those who can afford it are thinking about or preparing to emigrate. Unemployment and salary reductions also impacted the church – almost every church I’ve heard from has seen a decrease in offerings.
Where Did All the People Go?
Pastor Yan: The main event of the past five years was first the pandemic, then the impact of the pandemic. This had an enormous impact on the city and society. Before Covid, Wuhan’s development was quite good. But the economic situation now is very serious. The church is affected; many people have left. By God’s grace, our church has been preserved, although I guess maybe half of our members have left.
Everyone thought that under the tremendous impact of the pandemic, the church would be able to do something significant, or experience growth. But the results were disappointing. The church wasn’t strong enough. We weren’t prepared for such a shock
Where did all these people go? Many companies couldn’t survive the pandemic, going bankrupt or significantly cutting salaries. So, some people returned to their hometowns, or moved to places with better economies to make a living.
Many from our church have emigrated in recent years. Anyone with a little means is going abroad. Those in business are trying every possible way to leave – even some who work in the church are going abroad, if they have the chance. Most people are headed to the U.S., Australia, Canada, or New Zealand. This is my experience, but we have heard similar stories from other churches.
Adjusting to Persecution
Pastor Fan: Even before the pandemic, we faced issues with foreign relations, and a large number of missionaries were expelled. Right after that, the pandemic hit, and the churches were forced into very confined spaces. Most of us went online, and that lasted a long time. When we finally could meet in person, people’s faith had weakened, and many churches suffered losses.
Our church was no exception. We were targeted because we had purchased property. The Religious Affairs Bureau tried to entice us to register and come under their control. They wanted us to incorporate things like the flag, the national anthem, religious regulations, socialist core values, and so on – all very secular things. We flatly refused, and that led to persecution. We couldn’t use our property, and had to move from place to place, constantly changing locations for both in-person and online gatherings.
Today, we’ve finally found a temporary meeting place. We have two services – our attendance went down some during the whole process of moving around. Our giving has not been severely impacted. The church has faced difficulties, but has persevered and shown great vitality. We’ve even seen growth recently. Through all this, we’ve been developing wisdom in navigating the church-state relationship. We’ve managed to survive, and brothers and sisters have been greatly refined.
Our church has met online and in-person; we’ve had large gatherings and small groups. We’ve done it all. We’ve trained many workers, and they are handling things well. Although our tension with the government has not ended, we have gotten used to it. This is our reality, and we take it one step at a time as we rely on God’s grace and move forward.
What Happened to Our Churches?
Pastor Wong: If you picture China as a rooster, Wuhan is at its heart. It’s a central location.
Wuhan’s infrastructure has developed rapidly recently; they’ve built almost 500 kilometers of subway lines, and have three high-speed rail stations. Because of this, Wuhan has become a tourist city, a place people from all over want to visit.
What happened to our churches? Why didn’t we build a strong foundation? Why haven’t we influenced the world? Instead, we ourselves were influenced by society. Wuhan churches now focus on building a solid foundation, connecting with one another, and working together to bless the city.
Initially, everyone thought that under the tremendous impact of the pandemic, the church would be able to do something significant, or experience growth. But the results were disappointing. The church wasn’t strong enough. We weren’t prepared for such a shock. As a result, we experienced significant losses, in both attendance and giving. Many churches disappeared.
This has led to a lot of self-reflection. What happened to our churches? Why didn’t we build a strong foundation? Why haven’t we influenced the world? Instead, we ourselves were influenced by society.
Wuhan churches now focus on building a solid foundation, connecting with one another, and working together to bless the city. Unlike before, churches are no longer focused on impressive buildings, or comparing attendance numbers, or tithing amounts. The focus now is more practical: helping brothers and sisters deepen their faith and better fulfill the church’s purpose in 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 Wuhan churches to work together to bless their city.
