WCC NEWS: Chinese church officials see unity behind growth

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World Council of Churches - News

CHINESE CHURCH OFFICIALS SEE UNITY BEHIND GROWTH

For immediate release: 06 December 2010

Unity among Chinese Protestants is an important factor in the rapid
growth of the church in China, the general secretary of the China
Christian Council, the Rev. Kan Baoping, said during a visit to the
Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.

A 7-member delegation with top leadership from the China Christian 
Council
met with the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 
and
other staff of church organizations based at the Ecumenical Centre on
Monday, 6 December.

It was the 4th such visit to the WCC secretariat since the
post-denominational China Christian Council (CCC) was established in 
1980.
The most recent previous visit took place in 2003. The CCC, which 
counted
some 19 million members in 2009, was reunited with the WCC fellowship 
in
1991at the Canberra Assembly.

In a Round Table meeting organized by the Commission of the Churches 
on
International Affairs of the World Council of Churches, the members 
of the
delegation made presentations on three themes that are pertinent to 
the
life and witness of the church in China – "religious policies in 
China",
"the role of religion in promoting a 'harmonious society'" and "the 
role
of the church in today’s China".

While analyzing religious policies and church-state relations, the
delegation expressed the common opinion that "this is a golden era 
for the
development of religions in China". The church in China is engaged in
various means of promoting a "harmonious society" in China.

The Rev. Kan Baoping explained that religious communities in general 
and
the Protestant church in particular have experienced rapid growth in 
China
over the last 30 years. He said that having moved beyond 
denominational
divisions was one reason for the church's vitality, partly because 
Chinese
culture puts more emphasis on commonalities than on differences.

Another success factor identified by Kan was the understanding that 
every
church member shares the responsibility of spreading the gospel to 
family
and neighbours as an expression of the priesthood of all believers.

Kan emphasized evangelization methods that have developed from a mere
spreading of the word towards making the gospel visible through social
services such as AIDS prevention and care for orphans.

In his words of welcome to the Chinese delegation, the WCC general
secretary, the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, expressed his appreciation 
for
the role played by Chinese Christians in the foundation of the WCC. He
also said he looked forward to future cooperation with the new CCC
leadership, especially in view of the next WCC Assembly being held in
Asia, at Busan, Korea in October 2013.

Among the delegation were the general secretary and the president of 
the
CCC, who were both elected in 2008, as well as leaders of the 
Three-Self
Patriotic Movement in China.

Tveit described the Chinese context as "one of the most exciting ones 
for
the future of Christianity".

Rev. Zhang Shuilian, vice-chairperson of the Hubei Provincial 
Committee of
the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant church, said that
Christians generally had a good image in today's China. This is due to
their response to societal needs, for example by collecting donations 
for
the victims of the 2008 earthquake in China's Sichuan province, she
added.

Zhang said that urban churches often had special programmes to welcome
migrant workers, while in rural areas church life was important to 
fill
the gap experienced by the elderly and children who were left behind 
as
other family members went to seek employment in the cities.

Encouraging stability in family life, she continued, is one way in 
which
Christianity and other religions cooperate in the government’s policy
aimed at maintaining a "harmonious society". Robust interfaith 
relations
also support this goal.

In a reflection presented during a prayer service with staff at 
Geneva's
Ecumenical Centre, the CCC president Rev. Gao Feng said that the 
church
was a "fellowship of forgiving sinners", adding that "when we 
forgive, we
experience God's forgiveness; when we love, we can experience God's
love".

Following the Round Table discussion, the CCC delegation had lunch 
with the
general secretaries of the WCC, the Lutheran World Federation – the 
Rev.
Martin Junge, the World Communion of Reformed Churches – the Rev. Dr
Setri Nyomi – and the World YWCA – Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda.

Later in the day, the delegation also visited the Ecumenical 
Institute in
Bossey.

More information on the China Christian Council (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=3a9178edf8f2754e92ea )


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, 
witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship 
of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 
Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 
million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the 
Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse 
Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, 
Switzerland.



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