Overview
Slightly smaller than the United States, China has the world’s largest population of 1.3 billion.
Previously a world leader, China declined after its Cultural Revolution crippled the economy and took millions of lives.
Since 1978, however, China has shifted toward market economics and has risen as the world’s second largest economy. China has experienced the fastest growing church movement in history—from 2.7 million evangelicals in 1975 to over 75 million in 2010. Today, 6.24 percent of China’s population is evangelical.
As a side effect of rapid growth and past persecution, Christian leaders are scarce—in 2010, some groups reported only one trained leader for every 7,000 believers or even every 40,000 in some areas. A shortage of printed Bibles and literature has also afflicted the church, with some congregations sharing a single Bible. As a result, the Chinese church has been susceptible to false teaching.
Chinese culture suffers from growing materialism, rampant corruption, and the world’s highest number of suicides. Additionally, China’s birth restrictions have prompted roughly 23 million abortions per year, according to the U.S. State Department.
How You Can Make a Difference
Ways To Give
Evangelism & Discipleship
One of the many Bible schools assisted by Christian Aid Mission in China offers one- and two-year programs, with training primarily focused on evangelism and the cost of discipleship. Seven days a week, faculty lead morning prayers at 5 a.m. and evening prayers at 9p.m. Every Saturday, students divide into groups to evangelize their community. Due to the school’s excellent standing, home churches often invite students and faculty to preach and lead worship. They travel in pairs on bicycles to over 40 house churches in the school’s vicinity. Over 120 students graduate from this Bible school each year. Students become teachers at the school, return to serve in their home churches, or plant new churches in various regions throughout China. GIVE NOW to help evangelistic and discipleship ministries like this one in China.
Community Engagement
A Bible-based drug rehabilitation center founded in 2007 in Yunnan Province addresses the growing problem of drug abuse in the southern provinces, where heroin and other illicit drugs come across the border from Myanmar. The school’s 18-month program helps addicts recover through the living Word of God. Patients also learn vocational skills to help them reenter society. GIVE NOW to help community engagement ministries like this one in China.
Compassion
Brother Johnny, the leader of an indigenous Chinese ministry assisted by Christian Aid Mission, discovered a Buddhist orphanage housing 50 destitute Tibetan. Far from civilization and without modern technology, the orphaned children lived primitively, bathing only once every six months. Johnny’s burden for those children led him to return that same year with five other believers. The group worked to obtain, transport, and install a hot water heater at the orphanage. Their act of compassion has greatly improved the sanitary conditions at the orphanage and caused the Tibetan people to welcome them into their community. Johnny and his ministry team have also arranged to provide nutritious food to the orphanage, and are showing gospel films to groups of Tibetans interested in learning more about the gospel. GIVE NOW to help compassion ministries like this one in China.
Exclusive Stories from the Mission Field
Share the Hope of Redemption in China
Workers with a local ministry led a shaman to Christ. When he became terminally ill, he sought medical treatment, but nothing helped. Upon hearing about the man’s condition, several missionaries visited him, explained the gospel, and prayed for him. He called them the following day to tell them he was completely healed, and he decided to follow Jesus and throw away his instruments for shamanic rituals.
Help Transform Communities in China
Native ministry workers developed relationships as they provided life education programs at several schools, paving the way to bring students and school staff members to faith in Christ. Local missionaries also shared the gospel in other community engagement projects throughout the country.
Provide for Workers’ Expenses in China
Building relationships with recovered addicts and their loved ones, including home visits, native missionaries spread the Good News of Christ’s salvation to people who otherwise had almost no chance of hearing it. One substance abuser entered a native ministry’s rehabilitation center after addiction-related misdeeds that left his wife and parents devastated.
Support Indigenous Missionaries in China
Young people are the future, leading native evangelists not only to focus on university students but preparing them to plant churches when they return to their home areas. The evangelists’ native ministry has founded four university fellowships and begun 15 house churches since its inception 16 years ago.
Train Workers for Effective Ministry in China
Minority ethnic groups present a unique challenge for those bringing them the gospel, and a native ministry has begun a new training center to equip workers in the best ways to reach them with the salvation message. Elsewhere, local workers are relying more on home visits and other small group meetings to share the gospel in the face of church shutdowns and other restrictions.
Expand God’s Kingdom in China
Orphans and other impoverished villagers in mountainous areas recently received badly needed supplies from native Christian workers, opening the way for the gospel to spread. Other workers discipled Christians at newly planted churches in the area. In various parts of the country, workers brought the message of eternal life in Christ to nine ethnic groups.