The Presbyterian Church was founded in Shenyang in 1876, symbolizing that Christianity firstly entered into Shenyang. This year 2016 has been the 140th anniversary of the Gospel into Shenyang.
Currently Dongguan Church is the largest and oldest Protestant church in Northeast China, also famous for the cradle of Christianity of Koreans in China and in Korean Peninsula.
Rev. John Ross, sent by the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, came to China in 1872 and purchased the land where Dongguang Church sits now in 1888. In addition, John Ross completed the Korean translation of the New Testament in1887.
The church, having a capacity of 800, was established in 1889, becoming the largest Christian church in the northeast at that time. The church building was destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 and reconstructed in western style in 1907.
During the Cultural Revolution, the church was closed and restarted services in 1979. As the increasing congregation, Dongguan Church built a chapel for lager capacity in 1990 and expanded another chapel in the west in 1992. In 1998 a four-storey annex building was established in the church backyard.
Now Dongyuan Church has 30,000 members, covering an area of about 4,300 square meters with a construction area of 2,830 square meters. The senior pastor is Rev. Wu Mingfeng, the daughter of Rev. Wu Aien, the deceased first female pastor ordained since 1949.
