Liang Pu, senior pastor of Lingxi Gospel Church in Cangnan County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, passed away in Hangzhou on Saturday at the age of 55 due to illness.
According to sources who expressed their condolences on social media, the immediate cause of Rev. Liang's death was complications from a liver transplant rejection.
In the early hours of May 18, Lingxi Gospel Church released an obituary stating, "Senior Pastor Liang Pu departed from this world at 3:32 p.m. on May 17, 2025, and returned to the Lord after 55 years on earth." The obituary recounted his life and ministry, noting, "Rev. Liang Pu was the founding pastor of Lingxi Gospel Church. He served the Lord faithfully until his final moments. Even in his last hours, he remained concerned for the congregation and made arrangements for church affairs."
Born Liang Shihuan, Liang introduced himself on the church's official website as "Senior Pastor of Lingxi Gospel Church, co-founder of Wheatfield Ministry, Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry candidate, legal and political professional, and poet wandering between study and life."
The church introduced that in 2000, Liang Pu was elected as an elder of Lingxi Gospel Church and re-elected for two additional terms, serving for ten years. He was ordained as a pastor in 2010 and served as senior pastor since 2020.
While serving the church, Liang also initiated the Wheatfield Ministry with several workers in 2008, which gained influence across various regions, particularly in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. He worked as the convener of both its first and second sessions. He also founded the Wheatfield Gospel Quarterly . In 2010, the pastor established the Wheatfield Theological Seminary, becoming its first dean.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Liang initiated the online Mai Di Reading Club, which has been held every Sunday evening. The reading club has hosted dozens of sessions featuring Christians and scholars from various denominations and academic fields, some of which have drawn thousands of views.
In 2021, Pastor Liang published his exegetical work on the Book of Daniel, titled The Setting Sun of the Empire: A New Interpretation of the Book of Daniel (Narrative). The book emphasizes the theme of "two cities" and the contrast between the empire of the secular world and the kingdom of God. It integrates insights from literature, theology, history, philology, law, and political science. The work is intended for a broad audience, including Chinese scholars, pastors, theological students, and lay believers at home and abroad. The book has been widely endorsed by Chinese pastors, theological educators, and artists, including Dr. Timothy San-Jarn Wu of China Evangelical Seminary; Rev. Dr. Lo Lung-kwong, former dean of the Divinity School of Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Dr. Wang Aiming, former academic dean of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary; Pastor Ezra Jin, a graduate of Peking University and Fuller Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry); Pastor Jonathan Li, former lead pastor of the International Mandarin Church at Beijing International Christian Fellowship; and Dr. Thomas Qu Xutong, associate professor and doctoral advisor in the Department of Philosophy at Tsinghua University's School of Humanities.
Liang's faith and ministry background presented a mix of different denominations. Wang Zhiyong, a representative figure in the Chinese Reformed theology circle, wrote in the foreword of Liang's sermon book on the Book of John, "Pastor Liang Pu's faith is deeply rooted in the Local Church movement as he often cites the works of Watchman Nee and Theodore Austin-Sparks in this book; he also has a strong Seventh-day Adventist background and has cited Ellen G. White's writings multiple times. However, he clearly opposes referring to White as the 'Spirit of Prophecy" and is considered one of the open and reform-minded figures within the Adventist community." Liang himself has also deeply studied the Reformed theology, including the works of Martin Luther and John Calvin. Luther is his favorite. His scholarship perhaps reflects the ecumenical spirit emphasized by the "Wheat Field Gospel," which 'upholds the tradition of preaching God's word as passed down through the catholic Church over the past two thousand years."
The Adventist church has a different doctrine from classic Christianity, thus, many Christians claim that there are many heretical thoughts in its doctrine, especially that the opinions of Ellen White, one of its founders, are regarded as not aligning with the Bible. Liang did explicitly claim White as the "Spirit of Prophecy" and opposed and criticized some of the traditional positions and views of the Adventist church, as a result, he was called by some pastors from other denominations as the "leader of the reformers of the Adventist." Some stated that he presented a "new school" in contrast with the traditional, old school figures in the Adventist church. "His theological orientation has basically turned to Reformed theology." However, a group of people from other denominations opposed some of the Christian content in his books, adding that there were serious errors. A local pastor recalled that he was confronted with three core questions regarding date, Ellen White, and the Old Testament law, but there were no "acceptable answers." Another local pastor commented that his theological stance went through a change in the subsequent years and shifted to Reformed theology. In his later reactions with Liang, the latter's responses to the three questions were in more accord with the classic Christian doctrine.
Numerous pastors from different denominations expressed their condolences over the passing of Liang.
Professor Wu, a longtime contributor to theological education within the Chinese church, commemorated Liang in a WeChat Moments post, stating: "He devoted half of his life to the faith, gave everything he had, and courageously bore the heavy responsibility of church transformation…"
Sister Pan, who works in a Christian video and writing ministry, wrote in an article, "Had he not become a pastor, this top student, liberated in the 1980s and a graduate of law school, could have led a remarkable life as a poet, writer, lawyer, judge, teacher, or entrepreneur. Yet God called him back to his hometown to carry on the pastoral mission as the third generation in a family of pastors and to remain a rural pastor. It was just because he became a pastor that his literary talent, entrepreneurial boldness, pursuit of justice, and patriotic spirit as an intellectual were all elevated to a spiritual dimension."
One pastor noted that Liang had been an important leader within the Chinese Adventist church and had significantly contributed to literature, theology, and education.
Brother Xue, a local preacher in Wenzhou who once interacted with Liang, shared on WeChat Moments: "He was a scholar-pastor. He came here and preached for many years…"
On the same day, Pastor Yang, a local theological educator with a Reformed background in Wenzhou, also mourned his death on WeChat Moments: "As a pastor with an Adventist background, his theological thinking was purer than that of many in the Reformed tradition. I believe he was the most poetic pastor in Wenzhou and the most literary Christian writer."
A Christian who had never met Liang also expressed gratitude: "Though we were thousands of miles apart and I never had the chance to meet Pastor Liang Pu, The Setting Sun of the Empire will remain a lifelong memorial for me."
Liang Pu's farewell ceremony was scheduled to take place at Hangzhou Funeral Home on the morning of May 20, with a memorial service to be held at Lingxi Gospel Church on May 22.
Originally published by the Christian Times
- Edited by Karen Luo, translated by Poppy Chan
