September 8, 2010

SHANGHAI – Two areas of common interest between U.S. Lutherans and Chinese Christians are theological education and social services. Staff of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Global Mission met here Sept. 3 with leaders of the China Christian Council (CCC) to learn how these areas of common interest can serve as critical points of ministry between the CCC and ELCA.

The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, the Rev. Peter Shen, ELCA consultant on China, and the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, ELCA director, Asia-Pacific continental desk, are in China at the invitation of the Rev. Gao Feng, CCC president. The CCC is a national expression of the Chinese church, representing Protestant Christians in China.

There are some 20 million people in China living in poverty, according to Wang Bao-Cheng, CCC deputy director of social services. He told the ELCA delegation that the church in China's response to people living in poverty "remains weak." Social services are a relatively new area of church work, he said, adding that the CCC is looking to expand the role of social services in society.

There are some models of church-based social services, particularly in China's Sichuan Province, said Ishida. The ELCA has a significant presence there, particularly in areas of health care services, community development, agricultural development, senior care, rehabilitation among people living with disabilities, disaster response and rebuilding.

Ministry is "among God's people rather than mission to or for," said Malpica. Mission is "holistic. It is proclamation and service," he said, adding that the ELCA seeks to "walk with the church in China today, working together to meet the spiritual and everyday needs of the people."

The Rev. Kan Bao-Ping, CCC general secretary, noted in the meeting that the church in China is a "uniting church, not united." This reflects the broad diversity that is found among the 23 million Protestant Christians in 55,000 churches and meeting points. "This is a church that continues to see itself growing in self-understanding and in relationship with the rest of the world," he said.

"We need an updated attitude as to how to express our faith in a fast-changing world, together with meeting the challenge of urbanization," said Kan. While many Christians reside in rural areas, the urban churches are growing fast in China, too, he said.

Developing church leaders for the urban church is especially a challenge, said the Rev. Bao Jia-Yuan, director of the CCC's training department. "City churches are not producing many pastors," he said.

The CCC coordinates theological education and publishes Bibles, hymn books and other Christian literature. More than 2,700 seminarians have completed theological training in 20 seminaries and Bible schools, and thousands of lay church workers have been trained for ministry.

While the ELCA relates as a whole to the CCC, its specific engagement in China is with the Sichuan Christian Council (SCC).

In the past two years ministry efforts between the ELCA and China's Christian councils have come to include disaster response, following earthquakes that struck Sichuan and Yushu in recent years. Yushu is located in the Qinghai Province of China.

"The earthquake in Sichuan was a defining moment for the social service ministries of the church in Sichuan," said Ishida.

"Many churches faced great suffering with the earthquake," said the Rev. Wei Kang, SCC chair. With disaster relief assistance from the ELCA, "we felt transformed … bringing God's love to the affected communities," he said.

The ELCA continues to assist with post-earthquake rebuilding efforts. "The ELCA is committed to rebuilding people's lives," said Ishida. This support includes helping to rebuild church buildings, providing psychosocial assistance to people affected by the earthquake, assistance to people living with disabilities, training pastors in the area of care-giving and rebuilding communities through cultural development.

"There is a need for more pastoral care," said Wei. "The need for social services has been intensified with the earthquake."

According to the Rev. Long Shang-Yong, SCC vice chair, social services have been a highlight of the church in Sichuan. "Mission began here in the 1860s," he said. By 1949 there were 20,000 believers in 611 churches. There were two Christian universities in Sichuan and many other schools, orphanages, church hospitals and clinics, he said.

In the Sichuan Province there are 460,000 Protestant Christians in 849 churches and meeting points. More than 170 pastors and elders lead the churches and meeting points. "This represents a growth (since) China's cultural revolution after 1990," said Ishida.

The ELCA delegation met with leaders of the YMCA and YWCA in Chengdu, China. Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan.

The Chengdu YMCA was founded 100 years ago. According to its general director, Hua Yi-Bao, the Chengdu YMCA participates in earthquake relief efforts.

"We are helping to develop family-based enterprises to help local economic development in villages," said Hua. "We are also encouraging the use of art and ethnic crafts among the ethnic minorities in the area," she said.

Due to a schedule change the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, was unable to be part of the trip to China as previously announced.

Information about China is available at http://www.ELCA.org/China/, on the ELCA's website. The Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida contributed news reports from China.

ELCA News Service