Chinese House Church Leaders in Meetings with Government.

It is no secret that the number of Christians in China today is on the rise, with recent estimates putting this growth at as much as one million new members each month. The majority of this growth is happening within the underground house church, which for years, has refused to register with the government’s official Three-self church.

The underground church views the level of government control imposed on the official State church as impossible to work with, as pastors would be restricted, baptisms regulated, training for leadership would need government approval and any other training would need to be government sanctioned.

However, amid concerns that the number of Christians in China might have already surpassed the number of members for China’s Communist Party, the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, personally wrote to the leadership of the underground house church, inviting  them to come and share their challenges with the top government officials in China.

Several pastors are attending the meetings, which started on 20th June and are anticipated to run through until 22nd June. The meetings are specifically to discuss how the government and Church can work together to bring greater understanding of the house church movement, and to work towards its acceptance.

• Pray for these meetings, for good and clear communication between the pastors and government officials.
• Pray for success in the government coming to accept the house church as legitimate, and to see it as having a good influence in the country, rather than viewing it with suspicion and fear.
• Pray for protection for Chinese Christians, as they continue to be targets for persecution and oppression.

Psalm 66 vs 19: “But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer.”

Source: http://www.chinaaid.org