Pastor Hong believes the best solution to the church’s challenges is already in Scripture. By following the early church’s model—where every family opens its home to welcome the church—congregations can break down barriers, grow in love, and remain strong in any environment.

At the time, Daniel was a timid twelve-year-old, watching from a distance. The brutality of the scene deeply unsettled him, prompting a question: Why do people treat one another with such cruelty, even to the point of taking a life?

Now in his fifties, Pastor Hong has devoted the majority of his life to church ministry. Observing that many churches and believers today have lost the transformative power of truth, he has committed himself to restoring this foundation within the church, aiming to cultivate a truth-based church culture that will take generations to fully establish.

“In fact, God’s original and vital purpose for men is to sacrifice themselves for their wives and help them grow toward maturity.” He added, “If a wife cannot become a glorious wife, then the family cannot become a godly family. This is absolute, because it is by God’s design. The influence of a wife and mother on a family is profound.”

While many believe that the challenge lies with the younger generation, Brother Joshua, a pastor serving in an urban church in southern China, holds that the disruption in faith transmission within the Chinese church began with the middle-aged generation and is more apparent and common among the youth.

As mental health issues rise across China, some pastors are rethinking the church’s approach to emotional and psychological struggles, advocating for basic psychological knowledge while warning against overreliance on it.

Pastor Zhu is an ordinary pastor serving in an ordinary city in northern China, but his church is anything but ordinary. By clearing its finances at the end of every year, the church challenges the fear of the future, confronts the very purpose of church existence, and walks a seemingly “risky” path of faith, experiencing unexpected breakthroughs and divine provision along the way.

To address this, local churches must strive to attract staff from other regions, which requires reforms and innovation to make the church appealing to non-local workers.

A Christian Times survey of 12 Chinese house church pastors reveals mixed views on whether the number of Christians in China is growing, declining, or plateauing, with many highlighting a shift toward quality-focused development over numerical expansion.

"Churches in mainland China have been shaped by historical and cultural constraints, leading to relatively conservative worship styles. Conservatism itself is not wrong, but it does not justify dismissing the worship explorations of other regions. Similarly, churches abroad—especially in developed countries—should not easily assume that the generally conservative worship style of Chinese churches is incorrect. God is the God of all nations and peoples, and He delights in diverse expressions of praise," said a season worship minister.