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The level of urbanization in mainland China has reached 40%. Of its total population of 1.3 billion, more than 40% of people live in urban areas. While urbanization is one of the major driving forces behind China's economic development, it has also brought significant influences on the society. What about its impact on mainland churches?
Bigger Room for Evangelical and Pastoring Ministries With a rising level of urbanization, cities in China are becoming increasingly open to the outside world. It is now possible for outside information to reach the Chinese population through a variety of different channels. Use of the Internet is the most obvious example. The estimated population of Internet users in China has already exceeded 111 million1, representing the world's second largest after the United States. Many Christians in China have set up some Christian resource websites to provide seekers and believers with a variety of different resources to learn about the Word and to equip themselves for spiritual growth. Some Christians have opened Christian bookstores to bring the gospel through the print media to the urban dwellers.
"Migrant Workers"-the Lonely Group in Cities Driven by urbanization, a large portion of the rural population have flocked to the cities to work, forming the mobile population of 140 million2 "migrant workers". Without household permits in the cities, they cannot enjoy the benefits urban residents are entitled to. Also because of hard work and lack of entertainment, their lives are lonely and difficult. It is relatively easy for them to receive the gospel. In some districts in eastern China, churches see the spiritual needs of these workers around them and have organized evangelical meetings for them in the evenings. They also serve the laborers' needs with the love of Jesus Christ. Many have thus been converted. Some of those who have received Christ later move to other areas to work for a living, and spread the gospel in where they live, engaging in cross-district evangelical work. The "migrant workers" ministry is one of the important ministries of urban churches.
Ministry to Intellectuals and University Students Urbanization also drives the demand for tertiary education to grow. Not only do farmers become Christians, many intellectuals and university students are also interested in Christianity. Some of them are even engaged in in-depth academic research into Christianity, leading to the rise of a group of so-called "cultural Christians". Some Christian workers in the ministry to university students shared that university students seeking to know about Jesus Christ are growing in number, some of whom have become believers. Despite that, there is a lack of workers providing pastoral care for them. Nor are there sufficient resources on nurturing and Bible study relevant to their needs. All these factors, on top of certain other circumstantial limitations, have affected the quality of pastoral ministry in university student fellowships. The evangelism of the intellectuals is an important area of the urban churches' ministries as they are or will become an influential group of people in the society. They also have great potential to be core church workers. Therefore, it is necessary to provide them with a strong foundation for the growth of their spiritual life.
Christian Businessmen and Women's Contribution to Churches As the economy booms, there is a growing number of Christian businessmen and women particularly in coastal cities. With God's blessings, they are willing to give generous donations to support the developments of the Lord's ministries. In a township church in eastern China, some businessmen believers donate money and supplies to the church, some pay for the expenses on gifts for a Christmas evangelical meeting, while others donate household goods manufactured by their own factories. With their financial support, the church can send preachers to other provinces to spread the gospel. Their willingness to donate is a wonderful testimony in the eyes of others. Evidently, under the momentum of urbanization, the better off churches in the coastal areas are supporting the development of those poorer ones in the inner cities. Besides, some Christian businessmen and women, through opening factories and shops, have preached the gospel to their staff and customers, and are greatly used by God.
The Crisis of Secularization Many are enchanted by the boundless world of the Internet, the flourishing mass media and rich material life in the city. Believers are prone to be influenced in such environment. They are easily swayed by the secular influences should they lack a firm faith. A pastor in central-south said that the youngsters he was pastoring would rather watch martial arts movies than spend quiet time with God or read the Bible. Because of a lack of awareness about the Bible's teachings on marriage, some urban believers have suffered from their own secular views on marriage. Faced with the tension between serving and working, some others would rather go to work than attending Sunday service, thereby depriving themselves of heavenly blessings. Secularization could hamper the spread of the gospel. A pastor in the East sighed: "We should preach the gospel faster. In the not so distant future, when China becomes more and more powerful, it will be more difficult for people to accept it. People's hearts will be easily closed to the gospel." Urban churches should watch out for the sign of the times and be prepared for pastoral and preaching work.
References: 1. "17th Statistical Survey Report on the Internet Development in China" published in January 2006 2. Statistics of end of 2005 from the National Bureau of Statistics of China
Prayer Items:
- May mainland churches continue to prosper and bring glory to God despite the various pitfalls of urbanization.
- May the gospel be spread more widely in an open social atmosphere, and pray for wisdom for believers in leading people to God.
- May God bless the ministry for migrant workers, that urban churches are mobilized to share the gospel with them.
- May the Lord bless the intellectuals' and university students' ministry, and provide churches with suitable workers to witness more powerfully to the society.
- May the Lord lift churches out of the crisis of secularization, that church leaders can be vigilant and watch over their flock.
- May the Lord use the Christian businessmen and women to bless the mainland churches, and to help the poorer churches.
- May more urban churches be moved to look after the needs of rural churches, provide pastoral support and other resources for them.
Another Prayer Request
Migrant Workers Responding to God's Love?
Zhejiang is one of the provinces with the biggest number of migrant workers. Back in 1990s a church there saw the need for gospel among the migrant workers and set up a ministry for them. The co-workers there bought two cars to take the workers back and forth between the church and their factory, and also provided them with supper. Many workers were converted after hearing the gospel. These workers have not forgotten the love of Christ and brothers and sisters. In return, they have pooled their money together to buy a car to take other fellow workers to church gatherings. They are serving others in the same way as how others had served them before. Now a second generation of migrant worker believers has risen!
The church is running evangelical meetings every Sunday for migrant workers. Though busy with their work, the co-workers take much delight in seeing souls being won. Please pray for the migrant worker ministry in the church. May the Lord greatly use it to help the destitute workers find their greatest comfort in Christ.
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