Editor’s note: In recent years, Taiyuan has been a center of persecution for Chinese house churches. That pressure is difficult for families and churches to face, and leaves an imprint on all it touches. Today, Taiyuan pastors share about how the global church can pray for them, their families, and their churches.
China Partnership: How can we pray for your churches and families in Taiyuan?
Recovering from Persecution
Tan Jian: After we were persecuted, many areas in my family need healing, recovery, and restoration. Pray for my inner life, my wife’s health, and our children’s hearts.
Our son is in his mid-20s now. The shockwaves from persecution hit him hard, and his faith has waned a lot. These last few years, I have been deeply pained over this. Please pray for my family to recover, and for God to restore our spiritual condition.
How to pray for our church? Our church’s mission statement is to build a “community of life” that radiates into Taiyuan and this dark age, manifesting God’s kingdom. Our church’s biggest challenge is how to integrate these different areas. Relationships are complex – relationships between our church and other churches, and also relationships among co-workers as we try to build structures.
After we were persecuted, many areas in my family need healing, recovery, and restoration.
Right now, I’m struggling to sort out how relationships between elders, deacons, pastoral staff, and co-workers should look for a Reformed Presbyterian church. What relationships should grow organically? What relationships should be formalized? Sometimes these things don’t connect well.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead and show us how to train church co-workers, and how to build community.
Creating Healthy Cultures
Huang Mujiang: First, please pray for my licensing. This year, I want to apply to be licensed as a preacher. [Huang is speaking of being formally recognized by a group of other Chinese house churches, not about registering with the government.] May the Lord lead!
Second, please pray for homeschooling families in Taiyuan. There are more and more of us, so pray that God will lead. Perhaps he will have us start a church school in the future? Pray for a good path for the children as they grow.
As for churches, Pastor Tan has been trying for a long time to build connections and relationships among Taiyuan churches and pastors. But denominational differences and churches with different positions on certain issues make this hard. Pray for greater connection and mutual acceptance in Taiyuan.
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As for the culture in Taiyuan, it seems there is resistance to the “cultural mandate.” May the Lord lead us. Our church is praying for Shanxi Province and Taiyuan, and we share this with others – but it doesn’t seem there is much resonance.
A lot of Taiyuan churches are trying to find ways to gather safely. Pray for this, and for it to happen safely. Some pastors and co-workers in Taiyuan were able to participate in a cohort to train church leaders, but that program stopped after arrest. I hope, one day, it can start again.
Pastor Tan has been trying for a long time to build connections and relationships among Taiyuan churches and pastors… Pray for greater connection and mutual acceptance.
Although churches are being started, I don’t think there is an overall healthy church planting culture. People become frustrated when believers move around between churches. Our church is learning about and promoting a prayer movement. That is blessing us, but it seems most churches are not focused on prayer. Several believers we know are finding biblical counseling to be very helpful. We are studying this counseling. I hope that churches in the city can promote this more.
Finally, I care about pastors’ wives. Many pastors’ wives suffer deeply, and can have challenging relationships with their husbands. My wife has attended some groups to address this – please pray for pastors’ wives.
Relational Ruptures
Wang Zhudong: For me, my challenge is my own poor devotional life. In ministry, even though I’m the pastor, I’m less eager for God’s Word than some members of my congregation. When I get busy, devotions fall behind. When I’m spiritually low, I serve according to my own will. That’s not good!
So, this morning, before breakfast, my wife and I sat down to have devotions. She keeps me accountable. When I have my devotion first, my perspective and attitude for the day are different. I place everything in the Lord’s hands. Whether the outcome is “good” or not, it’s okay. I’ve done my best and entrusted it to him.
As for our church, pray for relationships. Pray that, brothers and sisters will, in the gospel, open up and build real, small-group relationships. That is a constant challenge! People are hesitant to open up. Then, when they move closer to one another, differences in personality, background, and working styles cause awkwardness or hurt. Just as we begin to move forward, people retreat.
In the six months since we planted our church, this has happened several times. These ruptures happen for small reasons: one brother speaks slowly, another speaks quickly. Then, people pull back. This is a big challenge, as I often don’t know how to shepherd gospel relationships.
Although people feel warmth and want to move forward relationally, pretty soon, both sides get hurt. Then I call them, one by one: I try to understand what happened, how they see it, to help them view the conflict through the gospel, and pray with them. Just one call might take a couple of hours, and I often don’t know what to do. Some people have left the church because of these small conflicts. Handling relationships is my biggest challenge.
Shoring Up Theological Foundations
Bo Kang: For me, my heart is with my children. Even though they grew up in church, they haven’t yet been born again. They read the Bible, go to church, and passively pray. I don’t see a longing for the Lord, not to mention repentance. Please pray for their regeneration!
People are hesitant to open up. When they move closer, differences in personality, background, and working styles cause awkwardness or hurt… I often don’t know how to shepherd gospel relationships.
Also pray for my spiritual life and marriage. I’m slow to communicate. A lot of times, in the moment I don’t understand what my wife is expressing. I only realize what she’s saying later. Even if I am wrong, I’m slow to apologize. I want to be gentler and more humble, so I can care for her and for the church.
In the stage our church is in, our theological foundations are pretty weak. People are warm-hearted and willing to serve – but if heresy comes along, they might not withstand it. It’s easy to be misled by online teaching that sounds “spiritual.”
When people do find time to listen to teaching outside of regular church gatherings, they usually find theology really dry. On the other hand, they love edifying messages about building up their lives. Sometimes that can be good – but there’s a lot of fluff mixed in. That can lead to crises of faith.
I am praying our church will invest more time in theological training, to strengthen foundations and go deeper in prayer. A lot of believers think attending church and serving is enough – but that’s far from sufficient if you want to grow.
Brother Wu, Tan Jian, Huang Mujiang, Wang Zhudong, and Bo Kang are pseudonyms for house church pastors in Taiyuan.
Pray for Taiyuan churches to be firmly rooted and established in Christ.
