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The
Development of China's Northwest and the Situation of the Churches
An Overview of the
Development of China's Northwest
Ever since China implemented its open reform policy, its economy
has grown rapidly. The coastal area in the east was the first to
become prosperous, resulting in marked improvement in people's lives.
In comparison, the west has lagged behind. Since 2000, the government
has tried to expedite development there by implementing the Western
Development policy. Although impressive results have been achieved
so far, the Chinese government still needs to face up to a fact:
not only has the gap between the east and the west not been narrowed,
it has actually increased. Ninety per cent of the more than 600
poor counties in the country are located in the central and western
regions. It seems that the policy has not lifted the masses out
of poverty.
The Development of China's Northwest is an
important part of China's Western Development policy. The Northwest
covers three provinces and two autonomous regions─Shaanxi province,
Gansu province, Qinghai province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The total population is around
94 million, accounting for about 7.3% of the total national population;
they are spread along an area of 3.093 million square kilometers,
32.2% of the total area of the country. Compared with the development
of the Southwest, the develop-ment of China's
Northwest is fraught with more difficulties, due to factors such
as a poorer ecological environment and the lack of water. The cost
of transportation is also higher in the inland area. The social
infrastructure is still weak; education and health care services
are underdeveloped. This has slowed down the overall development
of the area, including churches.
An Overview of the Churches in the Northwest
The Gospel was spread to China's Northwest during the late 19th
century and early 20th century. As the conditions in the region
were highly unfavorable, some medical missionaries spread the love
of Christ there by providing medical services. In the 1940's, some
local church workers started to spread the Gospel to the west upon
receiving a vision from God. They walked from Shaanxi to Xinjiang,
hoping to spread the Gospel to Jerusalem by passing through Muslim
countries. They set up churches in various areas in the northwest.
Between 1946 and 1948, six teams of "The Northwest Spiritual
Band" were created, involving 42 workers who went to serve
in Xinjiang. In mid-1949, a number of churches were already set
up in the northern and southern parts of Tian Shan, Xinjiang and
various parts of Gansu. By 1950, the situation became very tense
and the evangelical work had to go underground. Yet the development
of churches did not stop.
Despite the silent work of the missionaries
and local church workers over the years, church development there
has been faced with all sorts of obstacles compared to the situation
in the central and coastal areas. Traditional beliefs are deeply
rooted among the ethnic minorities in the remote region. The number
of believers there only makes up about 3% of the total number of
believers in the country, the lowest of all regions. Most of the
people there believe in Islam or Tibetan Buddhism, so it
is not easy to spread the gospel among them. Seeing the need in
the northwest, some Han missionaries responded to God's calling
and moved with their families to the region in order to spread the
gospel and set up churches. They have needed to adapt to the local
environment and culture. Several families have banded together to
form an evangelical team to reach out to the ethnic minorities in
border regions. They even have to raise money for their own living
expenses, for example, by running a small shop where they can also
reach out to potential believers.
God is gradually opening different channels
to enable His children to spread the gospel widely in the northwest.
For example, for some young people who went to big cities to study,
being freed from the religious pressures brought by their traditions,
have a greater openness to Christ. They have an open attitude and
a strong hunger for the truth. Some have been converted after hearing
the gospel. They are the most effective channels for spreading the
gospel to their fellow people.
The pastoral work of the churches in the
northwestern region is still inadequate. As there are "too
few shepherds for two many sheep," there is a pressing need
for volunteer training. In some areas, there are no churches but
only home gatherings. The believers there lack spiritual nourishment.
Some walk a very long way to attend churches in distant locations.
There is also a serious shortage of spiritual books and relevant
materials.
The Development of China's Northwest will
further open up the region to the outside world, opening the door
of the gospel even wider. The workers trying to spread the gospel
in this multi-ethnic, multi-religion region are faced with a severe
spiritual war. Their service requires strong prayer support, as
well as God's grace to help them overcome the practical difficulties.
Pray that the Lord will bring the gospel to the unreached people
in this arid land so they can share the blessing of salvation.
Thanksgiving and Prayer Items:
- Thank the Lord for spreading the gospel
to the remote northwestern part of China. The seeds of the gospel
sown by past missionaries have born fruit. May the Lord strengthen
the church and develop other gospel sites.
- Pray that the Lord make the policy of
the Development of China's Northwest an effective channel for
spreading the gospel and that people will hold an open and accepting
attitude towards Christianity.
- May the Lord shatter Satan's bondage
over people's hearts and release them from spiritual darkness
so they can see the true light and turn to the true God.
- May the Lord bless the ministry of the
co-workers, who are serving in His name in different ways, either
in establishing ties with people, preaching or nurturing.
- May the Lord provide the local churches
with more spiritual books and CDs to make up for the inadequate
nurturing of believers' spiritual lives.
Other Prayer Items:
A Servant That Has Deserted His Wife and Child
According to a church worker giving training
on marriage counseling on the mainland, he met a brother aged 53
in a training session. The brother has already served 27 years in
preaching all around the country. He was away from home for several
months every time he preached. During these years, his wife never
went to church once and rejected God. He could not understand why.
Also, he blamed his wife for her discontented face when he returned
home. After hearing his story, the co-worker
immediately saw the crux of the problem; he told the brother the
harm of relentless serving regardless of his family. After that,
the brother immediately returned home and confessed his sin to his
wife. The next day, his wife finally went to church.
The church worker that carried out marriage
counseling shared that while the evangelical work in China appeared
to be flourishing, church workers faced with increasing family crises.
Many church workers have distorted values─they are zealous for serving
churches but have neglected their own families. In the long run,
this will lead to a great gap in the workers' families. May the
Lord have mercy on these church workers and their families so they
can understand that their home is also a holy altar. While serving
the church with all their hearts, they should not overlook their
commitment to their families, and should bear good testimony to
the Lord at home.
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