China’s ruling Communist Party aggressively controls religious expression.
bottom“It has become unsafe for our brothers and sisters to connect in groups; otherwise, they might be questioned by the authorities anytime.”
– Hollace, Open Doors’ local partner
The relative openness the Chinese church experienced for many years is slowly closing. Each year, the expression of Christian faith becomes subject to increasingly complex legal restrictions at the whim of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
In recent years, the government has aggressively tried to ensure all religious expression is brought into line with official Chinese communist philosophy. Any church or church leader stepping outside of this can face heavy restrictions.
Unregistered churches, even those once tolerated, are considered illegal and face increasing pressures as authorities seek to enforce regulations and tighten policies. Believers have taken their fellowships underground again.
State-approved churches come under strong ideological influence, and smaller congregations are forcibly made to merge into larger churches that are easier for the state to control.
Children under 18 are forbidden from attending church. Officially registered churches are carefully regulated to make sure nothing they promote falls outside Communist Party guidelines. For church leaders, following Jesus can mean surveillance and monitoring.
In regions where Islam or Tibetan Buddhism are majority faiths, Christian converts can face additional scrutiny and pressure—sometimes violence—from their families and communities.
Converts from Muslim or Buddhist backgrounds face the most severe violations of religious freedom because of additional pressures from their family and community. All Christians across China can be targeted by the authorities, seemingly at random.
It is not unusual for church leaders to be invited for “tea” by the Chinese authorities, usually a thinly veiled excuse to check on Christian activities. More leaders of house churches are being convicted of fraud or other economic crimes, and face long and arduous prison sentences.
– For believers to experience growth in their faith even as persecution rises.
– That God protects believers in areas where Islam or Buddhism are the primary faiths.
– That church leaders will feel the presence of Christ even under constant monitoring.
Through local partners and churches, Open Doors supports believers in China with discipleship and persecution survival training, presence ministry, youth programmes, contextualised Christian literature for converts from Islam or Buddhism, and relief response programmes.
