Chinese churches, like many Asian churches worldwide, are entering a critical life stage that will determine their trajectories in the years to come. Many churches have already fractured as a result of the recent polarization of societies, including ECC. If churches do not adequately address the cultural fault lines that also unfortunately parallel generational boundaries, the new “silent exodus” will only accelerate.
The past year has seen a variety of organizations responding to this emerging crisis. Several months ago, I had a chance to converse with several pastors from the Chinese Heritage Church Collaborative (see https://sola.network/article/future-of-chinese-heritage-church-part-1/) that Pastor Solomon attended, a group comprised of English-speaking pastors serving in Chinese churches. And next week, I will be in Taipei at the CCCOWE Global Mission Summit (https://www.cccowe.org/2023gcms/home.php). The issues being raised are eerily similar across North America, Europe, Asia, and center around the loss of millennials, Gen Zs, and alphas from ethnic Chinese churches. Whether it is Korea, Singapore, or the US, many overseas Chinese churches have seen declines in the number of young adults.
One main issue is that of ethnocentrism or egocentrism, the topic I’ll be speaking on next week. Defined, ethno-/ego-centrism is when someone conflates a personal worldview as “gospel truth” and (negatively) labels others who do not share their viewpoint. As OT scholar Dr. Jerry Hwang notes, “Churches resist change and call it faithfulness.” This is not a new phenomenon as even the apostles dealt with this in Acts 15:1 when the Jewish church considered their worldview as “gospel truth.” A recent example is the 2023 movie “Jesus Revolution,” available on Netflix. The situation is made worse with the advent of social media that only reinforces polarized worldviews.
So how should churches respond to this situation? Churches need to remember the “Ephesian” and “Philippians” principles. Ephesians 2:11-19 reminds us that Christianity is not stagnant, but continues to be remade as it integrates new peoples into the body of Christ. This includes not just new geographic cultures, but generational cultures. New people groups bring fresh readings of the scriptures and new wineskins for the church. This is achieved only through the Philippians principle (Philippians 2:1-11) where we are to be Christ-like, having an attitude of humility. We need to withhold judgment, to take time to listen and understand, and discern together how the Holy Spirit will incarnate the gospel and mold groups together in the growing Body of Christ.
It is easy to label someone “Protestant” or “Catholic,” “evangelical” or “charismatic,” “conservative” or “liberal,” “Calvinist” or “Arminian,” “Republican” or “Democrat,” etc., but our identity in Christ transcends human labels. Every “labeled” group has their strengths and weaknesses, areas of righteousness and sin (falling short of ideal), but cultural, theological, or political differences are irrelevant because Jesus sacrificed Himself for all. We would all do well to remember the Sermon on the Mount (especially Matthew 5:38-48). If Chinese churches are to thrive in the 21st century, we must overcome our ethno-/ego-centrism to attain unity in the Spirit. – from Singapore, Pastor Sam