Chinese House Churches

Definition and Meaning

The term "Chinese house churches" (家庭教會) refers collectively to Protestant congregations in China that meet in private homes and similar settings without official government authorization. It does not denote a single denomination. Rather, it refers to many independent congregations and the networks that connect them. Because these congregations meet out of sight of the authorities, they are also called "underground churches." They stand in contrast to the Three-Self churches, which received government authorization under the Three-Self Patriotic Movement after the Communist takeover. These churches uphold three principles: self-governance, self-support (financial independence), and self-propagation (conducting their own evangelism). The concept is distinct from the house church model of small-group ministry used in Korean churches.

Biblical and Historical Background

The New Testament records that believers in the early church met in homes (Acts 2:46; Romans 16:5; Philemon 1:2).

In China, no church reportedly continued to meet openly from 1966, when the Cultural Revolution began, until 1979. During this period believers gathered secretly in homes, and house churches spread. They grew first chiefly in rural areas and, in the 1990s, spread to the cities as well.

Wang Yi (王怡), pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, holds that two currents, fundamentalism and liberalism, existed in the Chinese church even before 1949. In his view, the house churches emerged from the fundamentalist current and the Three-Self churches from the liberal one. A 2010 study by Seol Chung-su argues that the conflict between the two church bodies stems as much from differing views of the relationship between church and state as from theological differences.

House churches are generally evangelical in character and emphasize Scripture, prayer, evangelism, and a lay-centered faith. In recent years, large house churches such as Shouwang Church in Beijing and Wanbang Missionary Church in Shanghai have been shut down. There are also continuing reports that places of worship refusing to join the Three-Self churches have been closed and their pastors arrested. At the same time, some view the role of the Three-Self churches positively. They note that some young house church believers first heard the gospel in Three-Self churches and that Three-Self churches have at times provided legal protection to house churches in difficult circumstances. They also point out that Bibles have been printed in large quantities with government authorization through the Three-Self churches.

Practice in Korean Churches

Korean churches have reportedly carried out mission work in China mainly by cooperating with house churches, although some also minister through the Three-Self churches. Missionaries in the field often avoid using their real names in order to conceal their identities, and some have reportedly been barred from entering the country without warning.

Efforts to introduce Korean readers to the suffering and faith of Chinese house churches also continue. One example is the Korean publication of Bearing the Cross (『십자가를 짊어지고』), a collection of Pastor Wang Yi's lectures.

Researchers on heresy within the Korean church point out that groups originating in Korea, such as Shincheonji, the World Mission Society Church of God, the Guwonpa (Salvation Sect), and Darakbang, are also active in China. They likewise warn against the Church of Almighty God, which originated in China.