Family-owned churches are not uncommon in China. The majority of these churches are scattered in rural areas or have a simple congregational structure. In most cases, they have a small congregation and the believers' number rarely reaches one thousand. One family or several families make up the administrative board in family-owned churches, holding the church's power and overseeing all the ministries.
The following factors have contributed to the emergence of these churches, a product of China's special environment:
The first element is a lack of church regulations and systems. The church has failed to form a perfect system of regulations due to historical and realistic factors, resulting in the development of church ministries depending on the will of a few people. To manage the church, church leaders are more likely to cultivate their favorites. Their relatives and friends are the best choices.
The second factor is the traditional consciousness of a patriarchal clan system. The traditional patriarchal clan system linked by consanguine relationships has a profound effect on Chinese Christians. Regarding church management, some prefer their relatives to be responsible for key ministries.
Third, church staff marrying each other leads to the existence of family-owned churches. The view of marriage in the Chinese church stresses that believers must not be yoked together with unbelievers, requiring that Christians must marry Christians. Since most Christians have few Christian prospects for a spouse, it's common that some Christian families are related by marriage.
Then comes a number of problems in family-operated churches. First of all, management staff with ties of kinship or friendship is prone to put the family interests first and ignore the will of God. Second, there are financial problems. Confusion in property rights appears in the dealing of church property or tithes and offerings. For instance, the staff may borrow money from the church or even embezzle church property to solve funding problems in their family businesses.
Apart from these two problems, family-owned churches tend to stifle real talent. The leaders prioritize their family members for training or involvement in ministries. Persons in charge of key ministries almost always belong to the same family. The laity is excluded from ministries even though some are quite talented and, as a result, many talents are buried.
With the deepening urbanization in China, a series of changes will take place in the original social structure. Influenced by these changes, some family-owned churches linked by places or blood ties may disintegrate. However, the family pattern will exist for a long time, and requires attention.
(The author is a Christian from Fujian.)
