Following their visit to Beijing and Jiangsu, a delegation of nine from the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) visited CCC&TSPM.
Rev. Lin Manhong, vice president and general secretary of the China Christian Council (CCC), welcomed the delegation and reviewed the history of interactions between the WEA and CCC&TSPM on July 24, said CCC&TSPM. She also briefly introduced two significant initiatives currently being promoted by the Chinese church: the sinicization of Christianity and the administration of churches according to the law.
Rev. Geng Weizhong, vice president of CCC, informed the delegation about CCC&TSPM’s writing ministry and publishing ministry, referring to the Bible, hymnals, church books, and CCC&TSPM’s flagship magazine named Tianfeng or the Heavenly Wind. Gu Mengfei, secretary general of the National TSPM, provided a brief overview of CCC&TSPM’s related work.
Pastor Frank Hinkelmann, vice chairman of the International Council of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), stated that the visit had deepened their understanding of the Chinese church, with gratitude on behalf of the delegation for the warm reception they received. Rev. Godfrey Yogarajah, a member of the International Council of WEA and chairman of the Evangelical Fellowship of Asia, introduced the organizational structure and ministries of WEA, which has 650 million believers as a coalition organization including 143 national alliances and nine regional alliances. Its ministries primarily involve missions, evangelism, social care, spiritual formation, and unity.
During the meeting, the hosts and guests discussed issues such as the decline in the global Christian population and the uneven development of Christianity worldwide. After the meeting, the delegation visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Shanghai and the Grace Telling Bookshop.
The WEA's last visit to China can be traced back to 2017 when the then secretary general, Bishop Efraim Tendero, met with the late Elder Fu Xianwei, the then chairman of TSPM.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
