Restricted
China
Revival and rapid church growth have characterized China’s churches since the 1990s. About 130 million Chinese are Christians, most of whom worship within the house church movement. Millions of others worship with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), which, as the only legal church, is controlled by the Communist government. Despite continuous pressure and oppression from the Communist government, house church leaders refuse to compromise the gospel by joining government-controlled churches. Because of decades of government oppression, the Communist government is making it increasingly difficult for Chinese Christians to access Bibles or discipleship literature.
Major Religion
Influenced by their atheistic government, many Chinese are nonreligious. About 20 percent are Buddhists, and another 20 percent practice Chinese folk religion. 9 percent are Christians.
Persecutor
The main persecutor is the government.
WHAT IT MEANS TO FOLLOW CHRIST IN CHINA
In the early 2000s, many unregistered churches enjoyed some freedom from government intrusion and harassment despite their illegal status. However, in recent years, restrictive religious regulations and persecution have increased significantly. Hundreds of churches have been forced to close, pastors and church members have been arrested or detained and the online sale of Bibles has been prohibited. The government has installed hundreds of millions of facial recognition cameras, many in or near churches, to identify those who attend worship services. Church leaders are under intense pressure to join the government-controlled TSPM. It is illegal to disciple anyone younger than 18. Christians are often charged with participating in cults or with other spurious accusations, such as “bad business practices” or “intent to undermine the state.”
Access to Bibles
Those living in rural areas have little access to Bibles and usually cannot afford them even when they are available. Bibles can be purchased at some bookstores operated by the TSPM, but rarely in significant numbers. The Bibles that VOM and other frontier missions organizations distribute each year have only begun to meet the massive need. The shortage comes from a combination of factors: declaring most Bibles to be illegal and limiting distribution — both tactics of the Chinese Communist Party. Give Bibles
VOM Work
VOM distributes Bibles in the least-reached, most-challenging areas of China. Government restrictions have caused a lack of supply and resulting high costs. We also support groups reaching out to Muslims in China and assist imprisoned pastors, church leaders and their families. Give to VOM’s Global Ministry
Pray for China
- Ask the Lord to provide creative ways for the Word of God to be made available to more Christians in China.
- Pray that churches and Christian parents will be wise and creative in discipling children, which is against Chinese law.
- Pray for Pastor Wang and his wife, Yang Rongli, who received lengthy prison sentences for their service to the church.
- Pray for Chang Shun, Pu Jinshun, Zhu Zhengwu and other pastors and church leaders who have been arrested.
- Pray for house churches like Living Spring Church in Xi'an, which are increasingly vulnerable to government crackdowns.
