Revision symposium of "Protestant Church Rules in China" were held in Shanghai on March 28 to 29, 2017, hosted by the Standing Committees of the Ninth TSPM and the Seventh CCC.
Elder Fu Xianwei, chairman of TSPM, stated that the Church Order of Protestant Churches in China, which was adopted in 2008, could hardly fit the needs of the current Chinese church and society. Therefore, there was an urgent need for the revision of the Order.
The attendants spent a whole day discussing the significance of the revision, as well as the focus and possible issues of the revision. Rev. Gao Feng, president of CCC, concluded that the revision should reveal the three-self principle (self-government, self-support, and self-propagation), theological thought construction and the direction of sinicization of the Chinese church.
In addition, Rev. Xu Xiaohong, vice chairman and secretary of TSPM, introduced the research report regarding the problems of urban Christianity, claiming that the urban church faces new challenges in management and nurturing with the fast-paced urbanization.
A top official from the State Administration for Religious Affairs was invited to address the attendees. She encouraged the Chinese Christian community to continue its efforts in philanthropy and to commit to the targeted poverty alleviation of Sandu County, Guizhou.
- Translated by Karen Luo
