This December, Christmas once again becomes a moment when faith, culture, and public life intersect in visible and meaningful ways across China. While Christmas is not a public holiday, churches throughout the country marked the season with worship services, choirs, performances, and community outreach—often drawing the largest congregations of the year. From Beijing to Shanghai, Ningbo to Inner Mongolia, congregations gathered in multiple Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, responding to the spiritual hunger of both believers and seekers.

This November, the World Council of Churches (WCC) convened its executive committee meeting in China — the first time since 2016 — hosted by the China Christian Council and National Committee of Three‑Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Church in China (CCC&TSPM). The six-day gathering (November 20–25) unfolded under the theme “Christ, Culture, and Context”, blending formal business with pilgrimage encounters throughout Hangzhou. Apart from the conference, the delegation also visited Nanjing and Shanghai to meet church leaders, ministry heads, and officials.

This October brought two major global Christian gatherings that highlighted how unity and mission are shaping the future of the worldwide church. In Egypt, the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order renewed the vision of visible Christian unity through the commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, inviting churches to deepen fellowship across traditions. Meanwhile, the 14th World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly refocused the global evangelical movement on its core missionary calling: “The Gospel for Everyone by 2033.” Evangelical leaders urged churches to recover evangelistic passion and prepare for a decisive decade of witness.

On September 16, the National Religious Affairs Administration issued the "Code of Conduct for Religious Clerical Personnel in Cyberspace," the first official guideline regulating how religious professionals engage online since the 2017 revision of religious affairs regulations and the 2021 release of the "Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services." The 18-article Code addresses “real problems” such as extremist remarks, commercialization through livestreaming, and fraudulent fundraising. Following its release, some Three-Self pastors have deleted past WeChat posts and turned to writing about church history or personal reflections, though most Christian accounts remain unaffected. How faith communities will adapt—or face tighter controls—remains uncertain.

The Chinese church is never alone. Founded by foreign missionaries, the church in China is an integral part of the body in Christ. Through onsite gatherings and online conferences, Christians in China are renewed and strengthened through reflecting on the Lord's command of loving one another and preaching the gospel unto the end of the world. This August, we highlight stories of unity and renewal—from an international forum on reconciliation held in Japan, to a mission conference shaping discipleship across generations, and diaspora missions inspired by Hudson Taylor’s legacy. These glimpses reveal how the church is being renewed in faith and witness, standing together in Christ.

Christianity has been introduced into China for centuries, with thousands of Western missionaries sacrificing their lives and dedicating themselves to this land. Their faithful service has borne much fruit over the past decades. As the church in China continues to grow in maturity, it has begun sending missionaries to other nations, seeking to repay the "gospel debt." In this issue, we present stories of missionaries of Chinese or overseas Chinese descent, sharing their mission journeys in various parts of the world. We also include two articles about foreign missionaries in China—one offering insights from a current worker, and the other reflecting on the legacy of a missionary who served and died in China around a century ago.

On June 9, the Pew Research Center released a new report, "How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020," featuring a revised method for measuring religious affiliation in China. It found that 1.3 billion people—90% of China’s population—were religiously unaffiliated in 2020, making it the country with the largest unaffiliated population globally. China’s Christian population did not rank among the world’s ten largest. Departing from past “custom estimates,” Pew now uses standardized measures of "zongjiao (formal religious affiliation), allowing for better international comparisons and internal consistency over time. In early 2025, Pew’s Conrad Hackett published a follow-up paper suggesting that Christianity in China may have stopped growing since 2010, based on data from a 2023 report. The claim drew varied responses at home and abroad—but the actual number of Christians in China remains uncertain. This issue brings together new and past articles that examine this important and complex subject.

Since the "Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services" came into effect on September 1, 2023, real-name registration has become increasingly required for accessing sermons online in China. Many churches now offer livestreamed Sunday services, and believers can also access resources through a citywide CC&TSPM-developed app or official church websites, which adhere to the principle of closed information systems.

As the global church entered the season of Easter in April, churches across China journeyed through Holy Week and Easter with the living hope of the resurrection. From daily special services, foot-washing services, and candlelight vigils to dramatic performances and Easter Sunday celebrations, believers walked through Christ’s passion and resurrection with reverence and joy. Highlights include a free clinic in a Guangzhou church reflecting Christ’s compassion, a Bonhoeffer-inspired sermon in a northern house church, Taizé prayer in Wuxi Church, and immersive dramas that brought Scripture to life.

The advent of the AI era is inevitable, raising the question: Is the church prepared? In an article titled "A New Era of AI Is Here, and the Church Is Not Ready," Pastor Russell Moore, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, questioned, What if Martin Luther had been unprepared for the Gutenberg era, or if Billy Graham had failed to embrace the television age? In China, pastors exhibit three primary attitudes toward AI: indifference, active engagement, and a wait-and-see approach.