Editor’s note: Changsha pastors say their city is somewhat “red” (i.e. Communist), and that people in their city are rather hostile to Christianity. For these churches, fear of bad interactions with authorities is normal. But God gives new strength for new challenges, and his grace is sufficient. They ask for prayer that their congregations will be mature enough to face the storms that come, and that he will protect them in trial.
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?
Security and Rural Ministry
Huang Anping: In the past, we used to hand out gospel tracts in public places and shops without interference. But a few years ago, some of us were caught doing this on street surveillance cameras. Several of us were detained and threatened, and the church was hit hard. The biggest challenge now is that distributing tracts or even gospel fans or masks is very sensitive and no longer allowed.
Religious authorities have also threatened to make an example of us. Eventually, we reached an agreement – they leave us alone, and we don’t make noise and don’t have visible signs or pulpits or posters.
As for fear? We always pray for protection at every gathering. There is always some anxiety. The older co-workers can’t serve anymore, and the younger ones aren’t mature yet. I would like to retire, but I need to keep going for a while, until the younger leaders are ready.
As for fear? We always pray for protection at every gathering. There is always some anxiety.
In the past, I used to do trainings for rural churches, but not that has almost stopped.
Sister Liang Mei: It’s easier to hide in the city than in the countryside, where everyone knows when you arrive.
Huang Anping: Rural ministry has basically stopped in the past five years.
“More Resistance to Christianity”
Sister Liang Mei: Evangelism is the biggest challenge. If you openly hand out tracts, you will be noticed.
Another challenge is the lack of trust between people. If you try to share the gospel with strangers, they are immediately on guard. I think about how I would react if a stranger enthusiastically introduced something to me – I would be suspicious, too. So, evangelism now has to focus on people we already know, within relationships of trust.
Never miss a story
There is also more resistance to Christianity than before. Many people immediately associate faith with the West, and become defensive. That makes evangelism much harder now than before.
As for fear, there is always anxiety about the police knocking on the door. Even though we know what to do, it’s still scary when it happens. For example, this year we were meeting online with a group in another city. Then suddenly, the screen went blank – and they messaged us that the police were knocking. We stopped everything to pray for them. It’s a real fear.
There is also more resistance to Christianity than before. Many people immediately associate faith with the West, and become defensive. That makes evangelism much harder now than before.
Some of our church members work in government jobs. They are even more afraid, and so they hide when the police come. So when we rent places to meet, we have many things, like soundproofing, to consider if we want to avoid trouble. Sometimes we get harassing calls from authorities, and it’s always nerve-wracking. The more you interact with authorities, the braver you get – but it’s still a struggle.
Every time, I have to pray for new strength. The old strength isn’t enough for new challenges. I often pray, “Lord our congregation is still young and can’t withstand storms. Please protect us from trouble.”
Please pray for two things: first, for a freer environment, so we are not always being harassed. Second, pray for the mental health of pastors, especially those in midlife, who face preacher from family, church, and the outside world.
Human- or God-centric Faith?
Sun Guanghu: Besides the challenges in evangelism, there are also big challenges in shepherding. For example, our church sometimes meets in-person, with gatherings at varied locations, which we rotate to avoid being too predictable. Other times we meet in small groups, either online or in home.
Online meetings are very different from in-person meetings. Because we don’t have a fixed location, we have had to stop things like Sunday school. It’s also hard to keep track of members, and sometimes you don’t realize that someone hasn’t attended for a long time.
Another challenge is that we live in a post-modern era. People focus on their own feelings and experiences instead of God’s glory. The focus has shifted from God-centered to human-centered faith, and that is a big challenge.
When church members call me, I get nervous. It’s not usually with good news. Just like with lawyers or doctors, people only call their pastor when there is a problem. So the pressure on pastors is high, and usually we hear negative news: job losses, failed investments, parenting issues, marriage problems. Sometimes, though, there is good news, like when someone’s wife finally gets pregnant.
Every time, I have to pray for new strength. The old strength isn’t enough for new challenges.
Many people become Christians expecting everything to go well. They think they will have a happy marriage and a successful career – but that can lead to human-centric faith, not a faith focus on God’s glory. The challenge is to return to the essence of the gospel and the Reformed faith.
Right now, I’m studying church history [in seminary], and I can see how many Christians were martyred in Europe – actually, there were many more martyrs there than there have been in China. The challenge is to move away from human-centric faith.
As for fears, I haven’t ever been called in for questioning since I started full-time ministry many years ago. But the authorities have knocked on my door, and I didn’t open it. They haven’t come back since then.
Although our church used to be heavily involved in working with university students, we can’t do university ministry any more because of the environment. Children’s education and student ministry seem to be “red lines” for the authorities. [1] I try to avoid direct confrontation with the authorities. For me, the struggle is to balance ministry, family, and theological studies. Time is tight, but I’ve benefited a lot from my studies.
[1] In China, “red lines” are sensitive topics or areas that are strictly controlled or forbidden by authorities.
Huang Anping, Sister Liang Mei, and Sun Guanghu are pseudonyms for house church pastors in Changsha.
Pray for Changsha pastors to have fresh strength for each new challenge.
