Editor’s note: Fuyang is a city of about 9 million people in Anhui Province in eastern China. Fuyang has a relatively large number of believers, but the last few years have been a time of trial for the churches, as they have experienced intense persecution. But house church leaders say God has been with them through the storm, and his presence sustains them.
China Partnership: How has Fuyang changed in the last five years? How has your church changed in that time?
All Churches Are Being Watched
Song Xile: Fuyang has changed a lot over the last five years. The city’s economy is changing; material conditions and economic situations have gotten better. Geographically and environmentally, Fuyang is becoming more modern.
Politically, we are more sensitive. Locals used to joke, “There’s no Communist Party in Fuyang.” The culture was rough, and there were gangsters everywhere. Now we clearly feel a strong tightening on religion, especially Christianity. Police track how many believers there are, and locate churches. Control is very strict. Under current national leadership, there’s more ideological indoctrination; the atmosphere is very thick. I’ve never before experienced what I’ve seen the last few years: every single level is penetrated by political and ideological messaging. There’s no escape.
Culturally, education levels are rising. But although there has been cultural improvement, that’s not necessarily good, since culture and politics are intertwined and cannot be separated.
Some churches have it worse than others. But all the churches are being watched.
As for faith, the biggest change is that we have become a target of persecution. The tightening on education is another. Government officials are deeply worried that children in our Christian schools aren’t in public schools. Children who ought to be “Communist successors” are instead becoming “Christian successors.” Every local school keeps checking which children aren’t enrolled there. We’ve had many incidents and raids in the past five years; some big, some small.
Some churches have it worse than others. But all the churches are being watched.
Persecution Is More Severe
Zhang Ping: In Fuyang, Covid was a clear turning point. More and more high-rises went up, and the city visibly changed. But after Covid, the economic bubble started to deflate. Housing prices are lower, jobs are harder to find, businesses are struggling. It’s harder for both migrant workers and business owners.
In the church, right now the most important thing is understanding the overall structure. The government tells people to worship in the Three-Self church. Those churches are under government control. People outside of China might not understand how tight the government’s grip is: minors under 18 are not allowed to enter churches, and children aren’t permitted to hold the faith.
Then there are house churches. House churches are scattered, and not formally structured. They have a lot of people, but they are loosely organized, with weak accountability, weak commitment, and no real theology of church membership or sacramental life. People go wherever they feel like, and their attitude is that no one can tell them what to do.
Never miss a story
But as more and more Reformed churches have been established, people have realized that even though these churches look stricter and more structured, this is actually a form of protection for believers. We need a genuine theology of commitment to church and submission to leadership, where every member has rights, the congregation has responsibilities, and the pastors have shepherding responsibilities. When persecution comes, this kind of church holds steadier, and doesn’t just scatter in an instant. Of course, people are still frightened and shaken, but when commitment is strong, things go much better. Even if the pastors are gone [i.e. imprisoned], we are still a church, with Christ the head and shepherd.
People are still frightened and shaken, but when commitment is strong, things go much better. Even if the pastors are gone [i.e. imprisoned], we are still a church, with Christ the head and shepherd.
Persecution cases in Fuyang have grown more severe in the last five years. Before, people might just get called in for a talk. Back in the Cultural Revolution, people used to be arrested and imprisoned. Then, after the revival of the 80s, things were relatively calm. But now we are seeing repeated detentions: being held for 15 days, a dozen days, months, possibly even years.
That’s outside. Inside, gatherings are still fairly normal. Online gathering works, although it’s not the same as in person. We try to come together in person, meeting in small groups combined with Zoom. That helps with community life.
God’s Presence in the Storm
Hu Laiyang: I’ve noticed more technology in the city and in homes. You often see people riding e-bikes and scrolling their phones at the same time – and that is only going to get worse. Economic pressure is real, and it’s harder to earn money. Many rural families have come into the city, which makes competition for education extremely intense. Overall, Fuyang’s economy keeps pressing forward, but there’s weariness running through it all.
In our church, the first change started with becoming smaller. Our church used to have large gatherings, with more than a hundred people in one place. Later, we split into small groups, then even smaller groups, and then into gathering at home online. There’s been a steady reduction in space, in the number of times we could meet together.
And yet – when we started, we had only about 20 people. Since then, we’ve planted and sent out another church. There has been growth in numbers and in faith. We’ve also seen more and more children being sent to our Christian school.
But persecution has also gotten more and more intense. First there were talks, then penalties, and then criminal charges. There has been growth and refining fire. It has not been easy – these years have genuinely been like a refining furnace. Those of us who are sitting here and those brothers who are now in prison have all walked through deep and painful darkness, scattering, and fear. But God has brought us back. Our faith has been tested in the storm, and we have experienced God’s presence through it.
Push-and-Pull Dynamic
Wu Huizhi: Although the economy in Fuyang has gotten better in the last years, at the same time, the gap between Fuyang and bigger cities has also gotten wider. Fuyang is still relatively small, and the development pace lags behind.
After Covid, we feel the government has greater capacity to control and manage society: there are more cameras, more community-level government workers, and very strict social management.
These years have genuinely been like a refining furnace. Those of us sitting here and those brothers who are now in prison have all walked through deep and painful darkness, scattering, and fear. But God has brought us back. Our faith has been tested in the storm, and we have experienced God’s presence through it.
Our church planted a new congregation several years ago. But although we planned to plant again, that has stalled because the external environment became very harsh. We used to meet in a worship hall, but now our church has become more and more scattered. Again and again we’ve been split apart by pressure.
There’s been a push-and-pull dynamic with the government over these years. When control tightens, we step back a little; when it loosens, we try to move forward. Whenever things loosen, we try to gather more and meet in small groups in person.
A Period of Maintenance
Tan Jianli: The biggest change is that it’s harder to earn money. Everyone feels that; it’s a shared experience.
In the church, the biggest change is we’ve gone from a period of growth to a period of hard maintenance. We’ve lost many members – maybe three-quarters of the congregation – because of persecution. There’s also a loss of that sacred, solemn feeling we had when we were able to meet together in the big hall. Now, so much is online. That’s the biggest change.
Song Xile, Hu Laiyang, Zhang Ping, Wu Huizhi, and Tan Jianli are pseudonyms for house church elders and deacons in Fuyang.
Pray for Fuyang believers to trust and cling tightly to God, even as they walk through the fire of trial and persecution.
