CHINA: PREPARING FOR PERSECUTION

In March this year, OPEN DOORS PARTNERS LED A three-day training PROGRAMME TO HELP LEADERS IN central China BE BETTER PREPARED FOR PERSECUTION.  

Around 50 church leaders and workers from the region attended to learn more about persecution—its forms, origins, and ways to respond to it. “This is very much needed in the Church,” shares Open Doors’ local partner Gao*, who co-facilitated the training.

The Chinese Church continues to encounter challenges from their communities and authorities because of their conviction and testimony in Jesus. 

Some Christians in China are isolated or discriminated against when they decide to follow Christ. Their faith is seen as an act of disloyalty to their ethnic and family beliefs, or as a way to destabilise the unity of the government. 

Often, believers are ill-prepared for responding to persecution and for enduring its hardships. 

There is an urgent need to conduct more persecution preparedness training to equip believers in their biblical response to oppression. 

“This is very much needed in the church,” says Gao. “Many churches are experiencing different types and levels of persecution, yet they do not know how to respond.” 

STRENGTHENING BELIEVERS IN CHINA 

 Leaders aged 20 to 50 years old gathered to better understand how to endure harassment, violence, and attack. 

Zicheng*, one of the 50 participants shares, “Learning ways of responding to persecution resonates with me a lot. This is essential to believers. It’s also crucial to learn about who God is, the position of His Church, and the divine resources He has given to His children. We need to equip ourselves well with His Word, so we can take up our spiritual weapons to fight the spiritual battles.” 

 Yunlong* was reminded that despite the vast challenges Christians face, the real enemy is Satan. He says, “We got to learn that the enemy is the real persecutor, instead of humans or organisations. As the Chinese proverb goes, ‘Know yourself and know the enemy, and you can win every battle you fight.’ In the midst of persecution, we particularly need to depend on God’s love to endure, persist, and forgive.” 

*Names changed for security purposes. Images are illustrative.