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Why Chinese Christians need our help and what we can do

Maybe you

  • want to better understand the plight of Chinese Christians,

  • are curious about the ministry of 316NOW,

  • feel an urge to support Chinese Christians in their faith.

Here is an overview of those 3 topics.

Oppression under the Chinese Communist Party

The Chinese people have been oppressed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for over 100 years now. Under current president Xi Jinping, the crackdown on basic freedoms has gotten even worse. Our News from China blog offers examples as do organizations like Human Rights Watch.  

Religious freedoms are almost non-existent. China is officially an atheist country because the government is concerned that if people are practicing religion of any kind, their citizens might find an alternative to communism. The CCP fears that would weaken their government. Religious leaders are under surveillance, persecuted, and even jailed.  

Religious oppression is intensifying. On March 1, 2022, the CCP added more restrictions on religion, including blocks on their Internet that aggressively filter religious information.

The challenge

  • For the foreseeable future, 316NOW faculty members will no longer be able to travel to China to teach and mentor our students. We have tightened our online teaching protocols to provide our students with secure classrooms. However, China considers the web-based communication we have provided for almost 20 years to be more “illegal” than before.

  • We fear for our brothers and sisters in China who are part of the Body of Christ. How will they continue to grow in their faith without direct communication with more mature faith leaders?

The opportunity

  • The Church often thrives when governments try to snuff it out. Your prayers matter. Please commit to praying for these faithful souls living in China. While their outer lives can be restricted, the inner freedom that comes from living in God’s grace . . . well, nothing in the world can restrain that!

  • You know what else? The last 10 years of oppressive rule by Xi Jinping has led to a massive increase in Chinese citizens living and working in other countries across the world. Some are moving with the intent to return to China. Others are seeking asylum. According to a 2021 article in the Economist, “Since Xi Jinping took power at the end of 2012, 613,000 Chinese nationals have applied for asylum in another country. About 70% of them sought asylum in America in 2020. Many people arrive on tourist or business visas, and then make an asylum application.…”

    Those Chinese expatriates have full access to the internet. That means 316NOW can continue our ministry to Chinese citizens living throughout the world.

The Chinese Diaspora

Referred to as the Chinese Diaspora, 50 million Chinese have left their homeland and are living in other nations (cf. Statista). About 10% of those 50 million are Christians. 316NOW will work to raise up church leaders among those 5 million Christian ex-pats who will proclaim God’s grace to many more Chinese.

How 316NOW is responding

The mission of 316NOW is to proclaim grace across China and beyond by

  1. Equipping out to Chinese Christian leaders in China and around the world to share the Good News of God’s love and the soul-freedom that is theirs.

  2. Guiding them into the lived experience of the grace of God through their faith in Jesus Christ.

  3. Mentoring them in the faith and caring for them, as we teach them Confessional Lutheran theology.

  4. Teaching them how to build house churches. House churches are how the Christian faith got started and spread throughout the world. They still work!

There is more information here.

How can you support these oppressed brothers and sisters?

Pray! Pray for them. Pray for the teachers and leaders of 316NOW. Pray the Holy Spirit stirs strongly throughout China and the world. Pray the Light (our Lord) into the darkness–because the darkness can NOT overcome it (John 1:5). Download our free prayer guide here.

Are you stirred to volunteer your skills? Check out the opportunities we have for you to have an even greater impact for these Christians.

We run a financially lean ministry, but we still need money to continue our work. Can you donate to support our work? We are grateful for any amount you can contribute.

Have more questions?

Please continue exploring our website or contact us at 316NOW@316NOW.org