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Xuan is one of the leading Christian pastors in Beijing, China, and she’s spending the semester at Wesley Theological Seminary to complete an intensive study – the first of its kind in the United States. Recently, she and her classmates shared details of their ministries and their lives in the People’s Republic of China.

“I hope to gain more knowledge and spiritually and to improve my pastoral skills this semester at Wesley,” said Xuan.

“It is an unusual decision for the Beijing Christian Council to send five top pastors to us for such a long time because there is such a significant lack of pastors throughout China,” says Wesley President David McAllister-Wilson. “The absence of these pastors will be felt greatly in their home churches.”

The Beijing Christian Council, which is the official sanctioning body of Protestant churches in Beijing, selected five students to study in the United States.

Helping the Chinese pastors with translation was the Rev. Ingrid Wang, pastor of Wesley Grove UMC in Hanover since 2013. She has been sitting with the Chinese pastors in the classroom, offering simultaneous translation and helping to translate homework.

Born and raised in Taiwan, Mandarin Chinese is Wang’s native tongue. She had been a language teacher before becoming a pastor.

“This has been an exciting yet humbling experience,” she said. “I had been praying to find a way to utilize my bilingual skills, and when this came, unannounced, I felt so blessed.”

Wang said that it occurred to her one day that the work she was doing could — and would — have an impact on tens of thousands of Christians in China some day.

“We all have gifts,” she said. “God has a way of using us for His purpose. Sometimes we don’t see this, but it’s there.”

Wang said that she was impressed with the Chinese pastors’ evangelistic zeal.

“We talk about decline here (in the United States) all the time,” she said. “But there, they’re growing like crazy. God’s work isn’t limited to just one area of the world; this growth cannot happen just in China. Pay attention to where God’s working and see how that can impact your ministry.”

The visiting pastors are leading their churches in a country that has an estimated 14 million to 130 million Christians, within a total population of more than 1.35 billion people. While Christianity is growing faster in China than in any other region of the world, there is ample need to educate — and evangelize.

 “People are usually surprised that I’m a Christian pastor,” said the Rev. Wang Hai Qain. “Some don’t know what a Christian pastor is. And sometimes people don’t understand the difference between Protestant and Catholic or Muslim, but more and more, people in China are gaining more knowledge about Christianity.”

In addition to evangelists such as Qain, people typically become followers of Christ in China because of curiosity, a connection to a Christian, or through searching for help.

Though Christianity might not be the cultural force in China that it is in America, there are tremendous similarities between the visiting pastors and their American counterparts. When asked what their prayers and hopes were, one pastor answered, “For my church to feel the will of the Holy Spirit and for the congregation to grow.”

“This semester of intensive study is important for both Wesley Theological Seminary and for the Christian church in China,” said the Rev. Dr. Kyunglim Shin Lee, Wesley’s vice president of international relations. “This semester provides rigorous theological preparation for the visiting students, while offering the opportunity for Wesley’s students and faculty to learn about Christianity in China. We have much to learn from these visiting students.

“We at Wesley are very grateful for the trust the Chinese government and the Beijing Christian Council have placed in us,” said Shin Lee. “We anticipate the education these pastors receive this semester will have a tremendous influence on their future ministries.” 

*AmyShelton is Director of Marketing and Communications at Wesley Theological Seminary.