Steve Z. (pseudonym) is a pastor, writer, researcher, and specialist on church development.
In recent years, the Chinese government has tightly controlled the dissemination of key societal information while treating grassroots Christianity like a political opponent. This situation has left independent Christian researchers in a predicament as they struggle to access the necessary research materials while fearing unintentionally harming Chinese Christians, particularly well-known independent scholars.
Entrusting the development of Christianity in China entirely to Almighty God and following his will alone in leading Chinese Christians in the twenty-first century is undoubtedly the most important path to experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit.
The ten-part blog series, "God at Work: How the Church Grows in China," was based on church growth research done by Steve Z. This is the research paper, in both Chinese and English.
What can we learn so far from this research?
Who and what most influenced Chinese believers to follow Christ?
This set of demographics helps us understand the spiritual backgrounds of believers in China and their reasons for believing.
This first set of demographics helps us see who is in the churches we visited and who is responding to the survey.
A survey to better understand fundamental questions about the state of the church and church members in today’s China.
We know the church in China has grown, but what has influenced individuals to place their trust in Christ?
What do two nationwide studies tell us about the growth of the church in China?
Looking beyond the numbers to understand the factors that contributed to the unprecedented growth of the church in China.
China’s churches desire partnerships with overseas entities. However, as the church has become increasingly urban, the nature of those partnerships must change in response to the changes occurring in society and thus, in the church. Overseas organizations must understand these changes and consider carefully how they can best partner with the church in China.