A call for papers has been announced for the upcoming conference "Churches in Global Chinese Communities: Chinese Ecclesiology in the Making."
Co-organized by the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge; Yale Divinity School, Yale University; and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the conference "seeks to enrich the understanding of how 'church' is conceived among Chinese Christian communities worldwide and how Chinese ecclesiological insights might contribute to the wider study of ecclesiology and World Christianity," said Chinese Christian Studies.
With more than 50 million people of Chinese origin living outside mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, Chinese Christian communities have formed across all major regions of the world. This dispersion has transformed Chinese Christianity into a diverse, transnational reality, shaped by rapid migration and digital connectivity. These dynamics have generated new ecclesial forms influenced by varied cultural and social contexts. The organizers, therefore, aim to promote interdisciplinary dialogue that advances the study of Chinese ecclesiology and contributes to the discussions in global Christianity.
Scholars are invited to submit proposals on topics such as contextual expressions of ecclesiology; Chinese Christian spirituality; the role of Chinese identity in church formation; denominational dynamics; societal engagement; historical trajectories of Chinese Christianities; Christian literature; and the shaping of polity and liturgy in Chinese churches.
Paper proposals should be submitted by March 31, 2026, and the notifications of acceptance will be issued by April 30, 2026.
