China (MNN)–The rise of religion in China is catching the attention of the country’s leaders. In what would be an otherwise atheist country, there is a growing interest in spiritual things.
The church is responding and finding there are other issues that need addressing too. China Partner Ministries’ Erik Burklin explains. “Due to the enormous and fast growth of the Christian church in China, so far, not enough emphasis has been directed to such needs as found in marriages and families.”
That, in and of itself isn’t a problem. But the church isn’t quite ready to deal with it. Burklin says, “Young emerging Christian leaders and pastors have to be trained to take on the ministry responsibilities being vacated by older pastors.”
Burklin says they’ve been an active part in the new direction their response has taken. “A China Partner lecturing team finished one week of training at the newly established Christian Counseling Center in Nanjing, China. Dr. Wong, a Christian counselor, founded this institute in 2002. Around forty people signed up for this training session from 40 different provinces.”
They can expect more of this same activity as the church expands and grows even more. While in some areas Chinese government officials are cracking down on believers, in other areas, churches are being re-opened, and seminaries are being built.
That means continued growth is the outlook on the horizon. Church leaders are likely to continue on the path of specialized training to meet new needs as people discover themselves in Christ.
