After spending a decade running a Christian bookstore, Brother Wang Shutong has welcomed everyone from university students exploring Christianity to volunteer preachers seeking books to enrich their sermons. Yet one group is notably absent: full-time pastors. Through his experience as a bookstore owner and a longtime church volunteer, Wang reflects on the reading habits of Chinese Christians and the challenges facing church pastoral care.

This story follows a female minister who, fresh out of seminary over 10 years ago, chose to serve a rural church characterized by the "three-lack": lack of money, coworkers, and proper building. It details from how she faced internal strife, division, and the brink of closure to how she led the congregation towards stability, growth and revival.

In just over three years, a grassroots church in East China has grown from eight believers to a community of nearly 200. Rather than relying on formal church-growth models, its development has been shaped by simple prayer, pastoral care commitment, and an emphasis on unity.

After experiencing the quiet of low attendance and the quiet of “no photos,” I experienced a third kind of quiet during the Christmas Day service: my anxious and lost heart finally found quietness within the Word of God.

In a century-old church marked by weathered walls and living faith, crowded Sunday services stand in contrast to the challenges many congregations face today, decades after foreign missionaries sowed the first seeds.

After experiencing Christ’s healing from a strange illness, Pastor Li Qingzhen devoted herself to ministry in Xinjiang, where she has served for sixty years, offering spiritual shelter and guidance to generations of believers.

On September 14, the Holy Light Church in Jiangning District, Nanjing, held a baptism ceremony during the Sunday service, administering the sprinkling rite to 13 sisters and 1 brother. Immediately after the baptism, the church proceeded with the Holy Communion.

Pastor Huang, a cultural bridge-builder, has reached beyond religious boundaries by organizing dialogues between Christians, Muslims, Confucians, Taoists, and atheists, seeking to dispel misunderstandings and build trust.

After retiring from decades of church leadership, Pastor Liang, now in his 70s, remains active in ministry. In an interview, he shares how he adjusted his mindset, avoided rivalry, and found freedom in continuing to serve without position.

The church steeple seems to echo an eternal call, yet closed doors keep both curious passersby and distant believers from crossing the threshold. Should a church’s doors remain closed or open? Three different encounters have offered me two different answers.