Returning to China: Part I

-Once you have stepped out on the journey, you will find it not so hard after all

Recently, overseas Chinese scholars who have returned to China have been playing an increasingly important role in China's economic development. At the same time, more and more overseas Chinese Christians are returning to China to spread the Gospel. But what is it like to walk the path of an evangelist in China? Are there problems? What are some of the remedies for these problems? and what are some of the preparations that should be made before setting out? We invite you to a series of special reports on Returning to China beginning in this issue.

Overseas Campus Correspondent: Cai Yue

Chen Bi-guang was from Beijing. Previously an electrical engineer in America, he went through three years of training in a theological seminary. In 1993, he went back to China to preach the Gospel. Here he shares his experiences with those who have the same goal.

Why should overseas scholars return to China?

Q: Why do you believe it is necessary for a large number of Christian scholars to return to China for the sake of the Gospel?

A: In China, there is a great lack of people who can spread the Gospel among intellectuals.

During my past several years in China, I have observed that most ministers in China have not had the opportunity of receiving higher education, so it is very difficult for them to communicate the Gospel to those in intellectual circles.

The Jin Ling Seminary is the only theological seminary in China that is authorized to issue a Master's degree in theology, and fewer than ten students graduate from there each year. This means that although there are tens of thousands of educated people in China yet there are fewer than ten theological graduates to evangelize them. For this reason, it is not only necessary, it is actually urgent for well-trained overseas scholars of sound faith to return to China to spread the Gospel or to participate in Christian ministries.

Q: In addition to their higher degrees, do you believe that there may be other types of experience received overseas which can impact positively on their evangelistic work in China?

A: Yes, I do. For me my greatest asset has been the systematic study of theology. This has given me strong foundations for a life-time of ministry and has empowered me to face all kinds of challenges.

Then while I was overseas I learned much about the missions outreach of western and Chinese churches there, as well as about church management and administration. Because of their explosive rate of growth the churches in China are quite weak in the areas of management and administration.

Thirdly, I learned how to make use of Christian literature in evangelistic outreach. In the west different kinds of publications play a vital role in evangelism. There are a large number of fine publications available and they make a great contribution. One example is Overseas Campus and its training materials for Chinese scholars. I was able to fully utilize these resources whenever I needed them.

But none of these resources are available to me in China.

The six steps before returning to China

Q: You have just mentioned the need for overseas scholars to be "well trained" before returning to China. What areas of training are needed ?

A: Overseas scholars do indeed need to undergo appropriate training and preparation before returning to China:

First of all, they need to have a clear vision and sense of mission. This is very important. If you are not clearly called and if you do not know for sure that God wants you to serve souls in China, then you will not get very far before giving way to discouragement.

Secondly, it is important to acquire a comprehensive theological framework, including exegesis, systematic theology, preaching methodology, church history, and comparative religions. If these subjects are not available to you, you should at least study Bible and Chinese church history.

Q: Why do you single out these two subjects?

A: Because most questions about Christianity concern these two subjects. For example, "Why did God prohibit man from eating the fruit from the tree of good and evil?" "Christianity invaded China hand in hand with the military forces of the western nations." These are critical questions and we will only be able to give reasonable answers if we are well prepared. Then the churches in China greatly need training in Biblical knowledge and if we have had systematic Bible training we will be a great help to them.

Q: Is any other kind of training needed?

A: Yes. The third area of training is practical experience in serving the Lord. It is a great help if you have actually taken part in evangelistic events and in discipleship training and pastoral classes. The broader the range and the more hands-on experience, the better. A friend of mine came back to China to lead a family church. It started out with just three or four people and my friend was able to cope. But when the church grew to over forty people my friend was at a loss because of his lack of experience while overseas.

The fourth area of training is first-hand experience of Chinese churches. Before you move back to China, get familiar with Chinese churches here by visiting and taking part in short-term missions. Even after going back, spend some time visiting different churches.

Q: You mean that people should get first-hand information about the churches from their own personal experience?

A: Yes. Aim to get first-hand and not just second-hand information. When I first returned to China, I didn't rush into starting a church, but I spent about a year familiarizing myself with different churches. I called my first year in China my "adjustment period". How are we going to serve the Lord in China if we know nothing about the churches in China?

Q: A brother who went back to China once told me that after his return he felt as if he had fallen into a sea of non-believers and he was extremely lonely. Does this happen quite often?

A: Yes, it often happens. So the fifth area of preparation is to set up a spiritual network for yourself to keep you in touch with fellow believers. The overseas network play a behind-the-scenes supportive role as they pray for us and give us financial support. The network in China, on the other hand, can help us know the Chinese churches better and bootstrap our service more quickly.

Then the sixth area is for those who return to China for the sake of the Gospel not to look like ministers. It is better to have some kind of normal social identification e.g. a professional occupation or formal employment in some company. This is because Chinese people are not used to the concept of a Christian minister, and because they do not understand it they will start asking questions such as how ministers make their money. If you have a normal social occupation, such as an engineer employed by a company, you will avoid a lot of unnecessary confusion. At the same time, you will be able to avoid any suspicion and so your evangelistic work will be more effective.

I believe that all these kinds of training and preparation are necessary. But even people who are well trained in these areas can still get frustrated on their return to China because of the many different problems they will come up against.

The five biggest problems in China

Q: These must be problems that you yourself have run into during these years. Could you name a few major ones for us?

A: I think the problems come in at least five areas:

First, there is the pressure which comes from the political environment. House churches in China are controlled entities and they are illegal in nature. Things are not as bad as they have been portrayed overseas, with church members always being hurled into prison. Nonetheless, evangelistic outreach across regional lines may result in detention, and freedom of speech is also often limited. There is a definite psychological pressure here.

Q: How do you deal with this problem?

A: I have had to re-evaluate my personal role. I see myself as a normal citizen and an ordinary member of the research staff of a company, not as a dissident under official surveillance. This helps reduce my psychological burden.

Q: And the next problem area?

A: That has to do with daily living. For example, the air quality in China is not good. The buses are always overloaded. Shopping involves constant bargaining. It takes time to adjust to all this.

Things can be even worse for the family members, especially the children. One brother moved his whole family back to China and got a job in a technology company. Once he went away on a business trip while his wife and child stayed at home. The next day, their new showerhead broke and his wife and child did not know how to get it fixed. So they went without showers for over twenty days. Every day the child complained,"I want to go back to America! China is disgusting!"

Children's education also poses some challenges. As Christians, we don't like to see our kids receiving an atheist education.

Q: How do you deal with this problem?

A: Husband and wife must have the same vision and they must work together to solve problems. As far as children's education goes, they may have to make up for it with home schooling.

Q: What is the third area of problems?

A: This has to be the society and the whole general environment . You will often find yourself in situations where the other person is clearly at fault and yet he still loudly accuses you of wrong doing. In addition, some Chinese people have unrealistic expectations of those who have come back from overseas and they try to take advantage of you. They think that if you have come from abroad you must be rich, or they expect you to set up foreign contacts for them. After a while, when they find out that you cannot meet their expectations, they may start to look down on you. We can often grow weary and discouraged at the thought that we are supposed to be serving these people.

Q: So what do you do then?

A: The only way is to do what the Bible tells us in Hebrews Chapter 12: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Q: What is the fourth problem area?

A: The whole spiritual environment. There is a great difference in spiritual atmosphere and even in Sunday services between overseas churches and those in China. In China, Sunday services often do not have sermons, only Bible study sharing. For example, a brother may stand up and say, "I've got a thought that I'd like to share with you." Frequently they are not able to freely sing hymns. Christians from overseas often become worried that they are not taking part in real Sunday worship. They feel spiritually impoverished and spiritually lonely and may even begin to feel spiritually depressed.

Some leaders of house churches are rather negative toward those who have come back from overseas. They are suspicious about new foreign ideas and they are also concerned that preachers from abroad with their higher educational degrees may think themselves superior. These leaders are very sensitive to differences of opinion. For example, if something goes wrong during a training seminar, some family churches will immediately recall their representatives. They do not have to give any advance notice, nor do they allow any kind of communication. Not a single word, and off they go.

Q: How do you deal with this kind of problem ?

A: We have to recognise the difference in evangelistic methodology between China and overseas. We must realise that we are preaching the Gospel in China as cross-cultural missionaries. There are similarities, but it is still definitely a different culture. We must not make the mistake of thinking that we know everything about China just because we were born and grew up there. As a matter of fact, we need to take time to carefully understand it and adjust to it all. What is more, we must not take it for granted that we will be there as their teachers. We must get to know the churches and to serve the churches as students as well as servants.

Is this road really hard, then?

Q: So is the evangelist's journey in China a really hard one?

A: Not really. To those on the sidelines the journey may seem very tough. But if God calls you to walk this path, He will give you sufficient grace and strength. "My burden is light." Once you have stepped out on the journey, you will find it is not so hard after all.