Editor’s note: This July, we are praying for Chengdu, one of Western China’s most important cities. In this final portion of our series on Chengdu, several church leaders shared prayer requests for themselves and their ministries. Although there are many challenges, there is also much to be grateful for. Here are a few of the top prayer requests: pray for pastors and leaders facing strong pressure and more work than they can handle; for families, young people, and Christian education; for idols of comfort and complacency; and for unity among Chengdu churches and believers.

Be sure to look up Parts One, Two, and Three of our series on Chengdu. This interview has been lightly condensed and edited for clarity and length.

China Partnership: How can we be praying for your city and for Christians in your city? How can we be praying for your churches and families?

Deeply Grateful Despite Difficulties

Cai Lifan: Our church is led by elders, a model rooted in reformed theology and church governance. It has proven resilient in the current climate; churches like ours have a higher survival rate than independent churches. We believe this testifies to God’s faithfulness to his church.

Churches like ours are a minority in the broader Chengdu Christian community. We look at other evangelical churches and see how passionate they are for the gospel. They are an example to us. Our church is relatively open compared to other Reformed churches in Western China, but there is always room to be more open and inclusive. Please pray we can grow in these areas.

Because we minister in Chengdu, we especially need to guard against comfort and complacency.

We need to view our challenges through a kingdom lens, recognizing Christ as our shared king. Pray that we can come together in prayer for Christ and his kingdom. Today, Reformed churches in particular face heightened pressure and threats. Pastors and church leaders in the Reformed tradition are especially vulnerable. We must remember these pastors and their families in our prayers.

Yet even though we have so many challenges, we are also deeply grateful. We are inspired by the legacy of the Chinese house church and by its spirit of self-sacrifice. Those who came before us demonstrated gospel power through their lives. They left us a precious heritage.

Bai Dongyun: Our vision is for our church to resource and bless others. Our whole elder team holds this vision close.

Please pray our family will have strength in our ministry and that our work will be effective. Because we minister in Chengdu, we especially need to guard against comfort and complacency. We must constantly pursue heavenly glory above earthly good.

Life Transformation

Wu Qiang: Please pray for our churches.

First, pray for Early Rain Covenant Church. Early Rain faces intense persecution. Pray God will protect and provide for Early Rain members, and that they will be steadfast in the face of hardship. Also pray for God’s guidance over their congregations: may they thrive in the gospel and expand God’s kingdom. May their elders and pastors be strengthened, renewed by the gospel, and equipped to shepherd and lead their congregations.

Remember and pray for those who have been imprisoned for their faith. There are several men still in prison; pray for them and their families. There are also some elders who were recently released from prison and remain under house arrest. Please pray for God to comfort and strengthen them and their families.

Pray for more cooperation and resource sharing among Chengdu churches, that we will have a kingdom perspective and work together to proclaim, witness, and spread the gospel. May we together win souls for Christ. Pray for God to bless our partnerships as we work together to expand his kingdom. We are not isolated churches, but are part of a larger body working toward the same goal. We long for greater connection in ministry, and hope that we can unite in prayer.

We are inspired by the legacy of the Chinese house church and by its spirit of self-sacrifice. Those who came before us demonstrated gospel power through their lives. They left us a precious heritage.

Pray for pastors, elders, and preachers. May we not just preach sound doctrine, but may our lives be transformed by the gospel as we die to ourselves and are resurrected to new life in Christ. Pray the gospel will be real in the lives of Chengdu pastors, and that it will overflow and bless our families and church members.

Pray for us to effectively reach out to young people and teenagers. As our congregations get older, we see how important it is that we reach the next generation. Ask God to open doors for us and give us boldness to engage young people. Pray God will fill our churches with youthful energy and passion.

Worship and preaching are important. But we have fallen short in social justice and mercy ministry. Early Rain Covenant Church has done a lot in this area, but our own engagement has been limited. Pray God will give us power to participate in more social justice and mercy work, so we can demonstrate and share the gospel through these things. We do not want to approach this as mere social work, but as an opportunity to proclaim the gospel. Pray God will give us wisdom and courage to do this important work.

Families, Education, and Spiritual Unity

Zhu Ping: Please pray for my own church. There are not many brothers in our church; pray more men will be mature and able to disciple others. Pray they will mature in their faith and serve God more effectively.

Pray for parents. Pray for my own family! There are three areas where you can pray for Christian families: first, that parents will live out the gospel, experience God’s grace, and will become godly examples for their children. Second, pray teens will encounter the living Christ and build an authentic relationship with him. (I myself have teens so this is on my heart.) Pray young people will experience the transforming power of Christ’s death and resurrection. Third, pray that young people will have strong parent-child relationships before they leave home to go to university or out into the world. No matter what difficulties they encounter in life, pray they will feel comfortable seeking guidance and spiritual support from their parents.

Pray for more cooperation and resource sharing among Chengdu churches. Pray that we will have a kingdom perspective and work together to proclaim, witness, and spread the gospel.

Cai Lifan: Pray Chengdu churches will be united, especially when facing persecution. Pray for preachers and members to strive to “maintain the unity of the Spirit.”

Pray for Christian education. This is very important, yet it also faces big challenges. A lot of families have moved to Chengdu because they are looking for a Christian education for their children. Pray for all these families. Pray for the establishment and growth of church-based schools, homeschooling networks, and Christian educational institutions like seminaries and even liberal arts colleges.

Bai Dongyun: Churches in Chengdu face immense pressure to join the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Many house churches, including a large church I used to attend, have given in. When they face this pressure, a lot of churches are led by their pastors to choose to register with the government en masse. This is a very concerning trend in Chengdu.

Pray Chengdu house churches will persevere and hold fast to belief in Jesus Christ as the head of the church. In Chengdu, people put comfort and avoiding conflict above everything else. A lot of times this translates into an unwillingness to pay the cost of discipleship. This mindset needs to be challenged and transformed by the gospel.

“Pray for God to Draw Them Back”

Wong Jina: I’m a mother, and my children are my greatest concern. We beg God for his mercy over their spiritual well-being and their education.

My oldest child is now a young adult facing significant faith challenges. Pray that our eldest child’s heart will be drawn back to God. This child has personally experienced a lot of difficulties within our family, our church, and our school. It seems like these trials have pushed them away from God, but we trust that God’s grace and sovereignty will draw them back to himself. For now, we persevere in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to work in this child’s life.

In Chengdu, people put comfort and avoiding conflict above everything else. A lot of times this translates into an unwillingness to pay the cost of discipleship. This mindset needs to be challenged and transformed by the gospel.

We also ask for prayer in homeschooling our younger child. More and more families in Chengdu are homeschooling their children, but there are not many resources and there are a lot of challenges. Pray God will guide and provide for these families, and that he will open doors for our children’s futures.

These are the cries of our heart! We believe in the power of prayer, and beg you to pray alongside us.

Cai Lifan, Bai Dongyun, Wu Qiang and Zhu Ping are house church pastors in Chengdu, and Wong Jina is a woman who is heavily involved in ministry within the city. All names are pseudonyms.

Pray for unity among Chengdu Christians.