In recent years, an increasing number of Christians in China have begun to focus on the issue of faith inheritance. While many believe that the challenge lies with the younger generation, Brother Joshua, a pastor serving in an urban church in southern China, holds a different view. He contends that the disruption in faith transmission within the Chinese church began with the middle-aged generation and is more apparent and common among the youth.
Having lived in the city for seven years and served in the church for several years, Brother Joshua has observed a lack of devout faith among many middle-aged Christians.
He noted that while the older generation Christians in the city may lag behind the middle-aged believers in areas such as knowledge, biblical understanding, methods, skills, and vision, they demonstrate deep devotion, a fervent love for the Lord, and a willingness to make sacrifices for their faith. However, this spirit of piety is diminishing among the middle-aged. Brother Joshua believes that the interruption of the Christian faith in many regions of China did not begin with the younger generation but rather with those who are now around the age of 50.
While many believe that churches and Christians in this city place great emphasis on passing down the faith, Brother Joshua argues that many of these efforts remain superficial. He observed that middle-aged and younger believers often limit their attendance to Sunday services, small group gatherings, and perhaps one more—a prayer meeting, at most—but seldom practice personal devotion.
"It's uncertain whether even church co-workers practice devotion, let alone the ordinary believers," Joshua remarked. He emphasized that devotional life comes with a cost. As one hymn sings, morning prayers in China begin at five o'clock, yet nearly all who attend are elderly. Most people don't even join the 7 a.m. prayer meetings. They may have experienced spiritual rebirth long ago and once had zeal. Yet, their faith has gradually faded into a superficial religious routine, which is outwardly practiced but lacks the inner core of faith.
According to Joshua, most local Christians in their 40s and 50s now live comfortable lives. He recalled a discussion in his group, "What would you ask Jesus for?" Several local brothers pondered the question but couldn't think of anything, for they already had wives, children, homes, cars, and money. "With such a lack of desire in their faith," Joshua questioned, "how deep can their devotion truly be?"
In addition, Joshua believes that many middle-aged believers have "large minds but immature lives." Although they have been Christians for decades and have listened to numerous sermons, their knowledge has inflated their thinking. They tend to be highly critical and have high expectations of ministers, yet they lack the ability to take action and live out their faith in practice.
Many churches in the city observe a tradition during the Thanksgiving month known as "counting grace," where believers count and bear testimonies of God's work over the past year. However, Brother Joshua noted, "Many people simply say things like, 'Thank God, I've made it through the year safely.' This kind of statement reveals that they haven't truly experienced God throughout the year." He added that many middle-aged Christians, including some pastors and church leaders, have neither experienced God's grace nor have any testimonies to share throughout the year.
In recent years, many churches have shifted their focus beyond evangelism to emphasize internal development, with an increasing number promoting discipleship training. Churches in this city have also implemented such programs. However, during the promotion of discipleship training, many church co-workers expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that discipleship is meant for new believers, while they, having served for over a decade, no longer need it.
This attitude, Joshua noted, reflects the "arrogance and complacency" of many middle-aged Christian workers. In his view, their spiritual maturity remains lacking. He shared that some of these middle-aged co-workers often challenge ministers during Bible study sessions. While young ministers from other regions tend to be well-trained, offering biblical interpretations grounded in theology and Scripture, local middle-aged workers often rely on their supervisors' personal experiences or teachings from the previous generation.
"They're merely flaunting their pride and seniority," Joshua said. "Are the words of the older generation of pastors always correct?" He believes many middle-aged Christian workers fail to recognize their limitations and their ongoing need for growth and equipping.
As a result, many young pastors struggle to work effectively with local co-workers. Progress in ministry stalls due to the lack of consensus on many issues.
In Brother Joshua's view, the issue of faith inheritance within the Chinese church is extremely serious. He believes that resolving this problem will require a significant cost from everyone involved.
Originally published by the Christian Times
- Edited by Katherine Guo and translated by Poppy Chan
