Age in China's House Churches Decreasing; More Ministers Needed

Dec 15, 2008 12:47 PM EST

China ministry vice president of an Christian Communication International reported that the majority of the house churches in China are below 35 years of age and has higher educational background. He urged for more believers to dedicate their lives to Christian education.

On the night of December 10, Christian Communication of Canada held their annual vision-sharing banquet in Vancouver, introducing their ministry’s developments and needs. While known for their bookstores, CCC has other ministries in the area of Christian educational trainings, literature, and China missions.

That night, Lo Chuan, vice president of CCC’s China gospel ministry, reported that the churches in China are more active and open but have more challenges to face. He said that over 70% of the house church constituents are below the age of 35, which is the trend now. Also, these younger believers tend to have a higher educational background, so the need for more ministers to guide these people is quintessential.

Furthermore, Lo hopes that there can be more believers who can dedicate their lives to serve, so the Chinese church can become stronger, healthier, and more influential.

In their educational trainings program, CCC trains believers who want to serve in a church as a staff worker or a Sunday school teacher. In addition, they also hold special topic seminars on the Bible, conduct Holy Land/New Testament tours, and publish a monthly periodical.

Furthermore, CCC strongly encourages believers to focus on reading and to participate in literary missions through their monthly church reading plans and library book order plans. They also publish 3D Bible-study series, books on devotionals and spirituality, and multimedia products.

The Chinese ministry has been focusing on their China mission ministry, which is established to service the needs of churches and believers in China. They have converted their 3D Bible-study series into simplified Chinese characters, published Sunday school courses and established Sunday school teacher training team, and encouraged the establishment of ministries that provide systematic Bible-studies. In addition, CCC allocates funding for the living expenses of the local ministers and the cost of renovation for the churches in China.