China Church Survey

by Tony Lambert

We are planning to publish a survey of every province in China over our next few issues. This will give readers basic information as an aid to help focus your prayers. We suggest you keep these surveys for reference. It will be an encouragement to remember while reading these reports that in 1949 there were only about 700,000 baptized Protestant church members in the whole of China. God has, indeed, done marvelous things “beyond what we ask or think.”

ANHUI PROVINCE

Population: 59.86 million

Capital: Hefei (4.4 million)

Church situation: In 2002 the TSPM magazine Tianfeng published 1.3 million registered church members. However, as long ago as 1995, TSPM pastors estimated there were 2-3 million Christians in Anhui. In 1994 there were 219 churches and 1,920 registered meeting-points—today there are 4,300 altogether. (Tianfeng, Sept 2002). This means the number of registered churches has doubled in under 20 years! There is a seminary in Hefei with 170 students. There are many unregistered house-churches. Two of the largest national networks are based in Anhui. Church growth has been greatest in the north where the China Inland Mission was active pre-1951, especially Fuyang and Huoqiu. On the downside, there are many cults that prey on the many millions of impoverished peasants. The church suffers from low levels of education and of literacy, and a chronic lack of biblically-trained leadership.

Minorities: Anhui is overwhelmingly Han Chinese, but there are over 320,000 Hui Muslims in the province.

BEIJING

Population: 13.8 million

Church situation: The number of Christians in China’s capital is relatively low—only about 30,000 according to TSPM sources meeting in 8 churches. However, there are many house-churches and they are multiplying among young people, students and business people. A German Christian organization estimated 200-300 house-churches in 1997 but this is almost certainly too low. About 4,500 people are baptized annually in the TSPM churches. The Religious Affairs Bureau has stated: “The rapid increase of Protestants has made the existing churches become very crowded.” (China Daily, 21 June 01) So two new churches are to be built before the Olympics in Chaoyang and Fengtai districts. The Yanjing Theological College caters to students from across north China. There are at least 40,000 Catholics meeting in 15 churches. Beijingers are traditionally conservative. Many recent converts come from the impoverished and rootless migrant worker population flooding into the city. At the other end of the scale, there is a quiet Christian witness in many of Beijing’s top universities.

Minorities: At least 250,000 Hui Muslims. The huge diplomatic and business communities from nearly every country in the world (including closed countries such as North Korea) make Beijing a cosmopolitan center for gospel outreach.

CHONGQING

Population: 30.9 million (9.8 million in the urban center)

Church situation: Protestant Christianity was first preached here in 1877 by John McCarthy of the China Inland Mission. Today Protestants officially number 270,000 in 51 churches and more than 400 registered meeting-points. (Chongqing Zongjiao, 2000) There are 21 ordained pastors and 21 preachers. There are also house-churches. The True Jesus Church is strong in some areas. This enormous city is rapidly developing as a large port on the Yangtze and to develop China’s vast western hinterland. Six Protestant and five Catholic churches are being rebuilt above the higher level of the Yangtze. Over 1 million people will have to be rehoused due to the Three Gorges Dam project. Roman Catholicism first came to Chongqing in 1702. In 1999 there were officially 170,000 Catholics meeting in 57 churches and chapels.

Minorities: There are at least 10,000 Muslims meeting in 8 mosques. There are also many Tujia and Miao people in the rural areas.

FUJIAN

Population: 34.7 million.

Capital: Fuzhou (5.9 million)

Church situation: The gospel arrived very early in the 19th century when China was forced to open Treaty Ports to Western traders and missionaries. The earliest Protestant church building is to be seen in Xiamen (formerly Amoy). Today there are at least 700,000 Protestants (TSPM figure in 1999) meeting in about 4,000 churches and registered meeting-points. There are about 300 ordained pastors and over 1,200 registered lay-worker evangelists. The Fuzhou region alone has about 300 churches, 2,000 meeting-points and over 200,000 believers. Fujian has large numbers of house-churches. The movement associated with Watchman Nee (Ni Tuosheng) was founded in Fuzhou in the thirties and is very strong in the province both in its more conservative and biblical form as the Little Flock and also the more extreme Local Church colloquially dubbed “Shouters,” which has been banned by the government. The Fujian church has strong links with overseas Chinese especially in Taiwan as many there speak the local dialects. Roman Catholics number 210,000.

Minorities: There are 461,000 She people in the mountains of northern Fujian. Fewer than 1,000 still speak their own language and most speak Hakka. There are probably fewer than 1,000 Christians among them.

GANSU

Population: 25.6 million

Capital: Lanzhou (2.9 million)

Church situation: Gansu is one of China’s poorest provinces. It is arid and, apart from the petrochemical industry, little developed. The CIM did pioneer work here. In 1947 there were only 6,550 Protestants. Today the TSPM estimate they number 106,000 in 103 churches and 369 meeting-points. There are only 20 officially ordained pastors, but they are aided by 16 teachers, 80 elders and more than 1,000 lay-workers. There is a small Bible-training center. There are also many house-churches. But gospel work is retarded by lack of godly preachers and the poverty of the believers, as well as the incursion of various cults. Catholics number about 30,000 in 30 registered churches.

Minorities: There are over 1.23 million Hui (Chinese Muslims) in Gansu as well as over 400,000 Tibetans. Very few Hui have come to Christ but there are some Tibetan Christian meetings. Smaller groups are the Dongxiang, Yugur and Bonan peoples who remain virtually unevangelized.

GUANGDONG

Population: 86.4 million

Capital: Guangzhou [Canton] (7 million)

Church situation: Guangdong is China’s southern gateway with Hong Kong on its doorstep. Its teeming factories are the workshop of the world and attract eager migrants from all over China. The Cantonese are proud of their language and culture. Traditional superstition and modern materialism combine to make gospel outreach difficult. Protestants only number about 200,000 according to TSPM estimates—an extremely conservative figure which does not include many thriving house-churches. In 1996 there were 359 registered churches and over 150 meeting-points served by 121 pastors. Christians are concentrated in Guangzhou itself and in the Shantou (Swatow) region. Meizhou City has 60,000 believers out of a population of 4.6 million. Lin Xiangao’s house-church in the centre of the city baptizes annually 300-400 new converts. Catholics number 120,000 and have 200 churches open.

Minorities: There are 140,000 Yao people in the northern part of the province, largely unreached.