How many Protestant Christians are there in China?  How many belong to the registered churches?  Because many churches do not maintain up to date membership lists, it is difficult to determine either the number in the registered churches or those in unregistered churches.  The China Christian Council lists at least 16 million baptized Protestant Christian members, and there are probably many more. (I personally prefer an estimated number of 35 million members to include both Protestants and Catholics – both registered and unregistered.)   

How many legal registered Protestant Churches are there in China?  There are about 15,000 Protestant Christian Churches plus about 35,000 registered Church meeting points – in total about 50,000 legally protected places of public Christian worship throughout China.

Are the majority of believers women?  Most congregations register more women than men.  In some rural areas women may be 90 percent of the congregation, but generally they number about 60 percent. 

Are preachers required to submit sermons to the authorities in advance?  Are there certain doctrines that are forbidden?  NO!  I have never been asked to submit a sermon in advance and no one has asked me to avoid certain doctrines.  My preaching has included teachings about creation, Biblical authority, sin, miracles, the Resurrection, the second coming of Christ, life eternal, and the deity of the Trinity. 

Are Registered Churches growing?  Oh my, YES!  This does vary by regions.  But even in outlying areas, there is substantial growth.  In Qinghai Province in 1992, there were 800 members in the major church in the capital city.  When I returned in 1997, I discovered that there were now 7,000 baptized members!  Last year China Connection worked in four poor villages north of Huaiyin.  Their villagers numbered slightly more than 16,000 people.  I was surprised when I counted the Christians that they numbered nearly 4,000, actually about 24 percent of the population – and all this is in a county proclaimed by the communists in 1958 as a “religion-less” area. 

Where does this Evangelism take place?  Pubic proclamation of the Gospel takes place only in the registered churches.  But believers are so excited about their faith that they naturally gossip it one-on-one in their daily lives.  At the end of one service the pastor urged his congregation: “Go out and be a St. Paul where you live this week.”  As a result, virtually every church in China is packed, and more than packed.  Foreigners are not allowed to evangelize, though they may be invited by the China Christian Council to preach in registered churches.

How does one become a baptized Christian?  Most China Christian Council (CCC) churches require a person (a) to attend the church for at least a year, (b) to attend a six-month class for new believers, and (c) to be examined by church leaders about his faith.  Baptism may be either by immersion or sprinkling.      

How does a church become registered?  China requires that all who register will obey the laws of China – as we also assume in the United States.  The specific requirements are six simple ones: (1 and 2.)  The congregation must have a fixed name and place.  (3) There must be citizens who are religious believers regularly participating in religious activities.  (4) They must have a management organization composed of citizens who are religious believers.  (5) They must have persons meeting the requirements of the particular religious group to lead religious services.  (6) They must have their own legal source of income. 

What practical difference does “registration” make?  Once a church registers, the church and its members are protected by law, and any infringements of their rights can be handled by law – as it is in the USA.  Churches who do not register according to law are thus “illegal” and are treated accordingly.

Are there still “underground” or “house” churches?  Actually the term is a misnomer in that most “underground” churches are often quite public.  There are many church groups that refuse to register, i.e., to give the government the information they need to declare these churches legal.  Many of these groups feel that giving an atheistic government any information automatically makes the government the Head of the Church.  “House churches” (not a Chinese term) is generally used in the West to refer to church groups that refuse to register (although we seldom hear about the 35,000 “house-type churches” that are legally registered.)
 

Must Protestant religious groups join the CCC (or the TSPM) in order to register and become legal.  NO, this is not required.  

What are the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and China Christian Council?  

The term “Three Self” is an old mission principle referring to “self support, self-government, and self-propagation.  China’s Three Self Movement within the Protestant Church is designated to promote these three principles.  This movement began in the 1950s to promote the “Chinese” character of the Chinese Church after foreign missionaries left.  It was a statement that China’s Church was no longer the “daughter church” of overseas mission bodies, was no longer supported nor controlled by foreign interests.  This principle enabled the Church to affirm that it is possible to be both a good Christian and a good patriotic citizen, that Christians can, and should, identify themselves with the aspirations of the Chinese people.  The TSPM has been helpful in seeking the return and ownership of formerly-confiscated church properties to the Church in China. 

The China Christian Council was founded in 1980 as a separate “umbrella organization” in China to unite China’s Protestant churches around their shared belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  The CCC works to provide theological education in 18 legal seminaries and Bible Schools, and for legal publication of the Bible, hymn books and other religious literature.  The CCC oversees the Protestant Churches in administration, theological thinking, leadership training, evangelism and worship.  The CCC strongly affirms Jesus Christ as head of the Church in China.   

The Chinese Church proclaims itself “post-denominational.”  What does this mean?  Denominationalism was largely a Western phenomenon that was exported to China.  With the close of foreign mission ties in the 1950s, denominational differences seemed less important than the person of Jesus Christ who united them.  So, denominations were dropped.  However, some distinctions remain.  One church may be more liturgical, while another may be freer in worship style.  In general, China’s Protestants have tried to join as one body around those central beliefs they share, while respecting differences within the body.  This respect of varying traditions has added richness to the total church while affirming the oneness and love in their midst.     

Are Christians “persecuted” in China?  According to China’s Constitution and laws, all citizens have a right to hold their own religious beliefs and to engage in regular religious worship and other “normal” religious activities.  But religious policy and implementation of this policy are two different things, especially at local levels.  In some areas, cases of harassment, imprisonment and other kinds of persecution do occur.  Church leaders respond on a case-by-case basis, working to have believers’ rights honored.  Of course, rights are more easily protected for registered churches because their legal status helps in appealing to higher governmental authorities for help in redressing any illegal infringements.       

Some ways you can help the legal Protestant Churches through China Connection:

· Help train more pastors

· Subscribe more “Free Bibles and Hymnals”

· Help churches expand their buildings