China was not at all what I expected. I remember, as we all do, that one courageous student standing in Tiananmen Square who dared that communist tank to run him over. I also remember Great Britain turning over governmental control of Hong Kong back to China, and how all of us feared that freedom of religion would be squelched in that region. It appears that things have indeed changed since those two incidences, but not in the way that I would have imagined.
All 50 women, including these WMU leaders from Hawaii (Alice Newman and Deanna Aoki), visited the graves in Hong Kong of those who paid the price for their faith. They came to serve, but did not return to the U.S.I entered Hong Kong with 50 other Baptist women. We were pastors’ wives, former trustees, trustee spouses, seminary students seeking God’s will, and WMU and mission leaders from all across the country. I entered the country knowing no one, and we all left with a spirit of unity. The first order of business was to learn about the history of missions in China and the heroes of the faith who pioneered this vast land.
Henrietta and Lewis Shook were the first Southern Baptist missionary pioneers to come to China in 1836. Although Henrietta died eight years later after giving birth to her fifth child, her husband continued the work they began.
In 1873, Lottie Moon arrived. This spiritual giant who took China by storm died of starvation on Christmas Eve 1912. By 1900, there were 45 missionaries working in China. This number mushroomed to 287 by 1926. These missionaries came to die, and many did not return.
War and communism were fast approaching. In 1943, when the Japanese army advanced inland, many of the missionaries such as our own Bertha Smith were forced to leave, and some were placed under house arrest or in POW camps. But in 1947, missionaries were allowed back on the field again and the work began to thrive.
In 1949, there were an estimated 1 million Christians in China. During this time, China became the People’s Republic of China. Once again, most of the missionaries had to leave. Dr. Bill Wallace and a few other brave souls remained. In December of 1950, he was arrested and three months later found murdered in his jail cell.
By 1966, all churches were closed in China. Following three decades behind the Red Curtain, the churches continued their work without paid pastors or buildings. The churches continued with shared lay leadership. The missionaries who fled were grieved, feeling that their work had been in vain. They returned to find that the underground church had blossomed to 6 million by 1980 – a testament to God’s glory!
Today China is the fastest growing church since New Testament times, with estimates ranging from 80-120 million believers in house churches and government-registered churches. With more than 400 different people groups contained in its borders, China still has many who have never heard the gospel.