Printable Resources

A house church pastor recounts his move from the countryside to the city in the 1990s, a time of massive urbanization and change in China. From reuniting families to ministering to beggars, he shares his struggle to develop a theology and practice of loving the city, despite seeing it at its worst and experiencing increasing persecution.

A house church pastor looks back on the choices of his generation when they were forced to choose between loyalty to the state and loyalty to God in 1950. In many ways unprepared for the test they were given, these saints who founded China’s house churches came to understand their path as “the way of the cross.”

When Paul writes to believers from prison, we see a pastor who has lost everything the world has to offer, yet through suffering has gained true glory. Paul demonstrates the heart of a pastor and the kind of service God requires. In the context of Xi Jinping’s China, where faithful pastors face imprisonment rather than worldly success, Paul’s words are particularly relevant.

In this interview, originally recorded in Mandarin at Singapore Bible College in 2024, Dr. Ximian (Simeon) Xu of the University of Edinburgh shares about his pietist house church upbringing, scientific background, and how he has uniquely used his careers in engineering and theology to help us understand AI and guide the development of AI ethics, with direct applications for the church.

Leaving China is a particularly difficult decision for house church leaders, many of whom have faced increasing pressure and sometimes imprisonment at home. This meditation on Jeremiah 29 represents their heartache, as well as their desire to follow God faithfully in their new home.

Along with the article “Where Are You Running To?”, these represent two responses of house church leaders to the current climate in China.

In the wake of Zero Covid policy and increased government persecution, the second generation in the house church are discovering what it means to be persecuted and tested. When things are overwhelmingly difficult, where can we find the courage to face our fears? This heartfelt sermon from a younger pastor in China addresses the disciple Mark’s desire to flee and how he found salvation to be even greater in his weakness.

In a context in which Christians have been forced to either come under the Chinese government's oversight or face persecution, Wang Yi ponders what it means to be a Christian patriot who loves their country and strives for its betterment versus a nationalist who idolizes their nation.

For a house church leader, there are many reasons to seek a seminary education in the West. However, it may come as a shock how much Western seminaries have been influenced by a secular post-Enlightenment culture. This blog post by a house church leader and former seminary student honestly describes the dangers of going abroad for a seminary degree.

Theological education is not only the transmission of knowledge and the acquisition of skills, but also the formation of people and the transformation of life. In this paper, a female leader discusses the challenges facing house church seminaries and offers suggestions for how seminaries can better prepare leaders in any context.

The first and last chapters of the Bible tell us God’s will and plan for humanity, and the consummation of this plan in the new Jerusalem. What was started in the garden will be perfected in the church. These chapters also give us hope in the eschatological tension of this age.

JOSEPH CHENG

Where is God in the midst of evil rulers, slavery, and genocide? He remains on his throne, providing for and protecting his people in ways that we can’t always see.

J. ELEM

The Bible says that Enoch "walked with God” after the birth of his son, even as he prophesied about the coming judgment, the Flood. Today we dream of providing a good life for our children; in fact we are often more committed to this world than the next. Walking with God means staying focused on the age to come, even if it means greater difficulty in this life.

VICTOR GUO

Chinese culture privileges sons over daughters, to the point that discriminates against women and burdens men. The gospel frees us from these burdens, pointing to the true Son who fulfills all of our hopes.

GAO HANG

The Bible intentionally uses—and subverts—political terms like "army," "kingdom," and "justice." It is vital that we understand the church as a new world order that supersedes and challenges all worldly politics, so that we ourselves do not become agents of worldly causes rather than God's people.

GUO MUYUN

A cultural apologetic for the younger Chinese generation about how their worldview, based on fantasy, democracy, and science, ultimately fails them, and how it can be healed by the gospel.

PAUL PENG

When all the church’s external support systems have gone or are diminished, what can we depend on? Union with Christ provides the answer. This essay looks at what we can learn from the Chinese house church about surviving persecution and hardship.