Sigit Triyono

(first of two posts)

A nine-day trip with a group from the United Bible Societies (UBS), September 8-16, 2024, to four Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Kunming, seemed short. However, the trip resulted in several positive outcomes, namely: (1) Strengthened UBS partnerships with religious affairs authorities, churches, and theological institutions in China, (2) Continued dialog to explore the establishment of a Bible Institute in China, and (3) Identified opportunities for UBS to increase its support of Bible ministry in China through partnerships with local churches.

For me personally, this trip was my second visit to mainland China. My first visit was 28 years ago, in 1996, when I visited the city of Shenzhen on a business trip via Hong Kong. My memories of the trip to Shenzhen are vague. Shenzhen at that time was just beginning the process of intensive development. That said, today Shenzhen has become the fourth largest city after Beijing, Shanghai, and Nanjing.

A visit to this country of 1.4 billion people is truly special. There are many versions of news circulating about China which is quite confusing. This trip helped us to see the reality of China first-hand: black-and-white, red-green, and many other colors from the ground. At least we were able to hear the official version of what is happening in China from the various sources we met and dialogued with.

The UBS group was led by Pastor Dirk Gevers (UBS General Secretary). The trip was facilitated by Dr. Bernard Low (Director of UBS China Partnership) and Ms. Cassandra Lim (Relation Manager China Partnership) who handled logistics, transportation, and accommodation issues, and ensured that all visits and meetings went smoothly and well. Participants of the trip as UBS delegates were: Mr. Bayarmagnai Bayardalai (Executive Director of the Mongolian Bible Society), Mr. Prakich Treetasayuth (General Secretary of the Thai Bible Society), Pastor Priyanta Wijegoonawardena (General Secretary of the Sri Lankan Bible Society), Pastor Saw Sha Moe A Ye la (Designate General Secretary of the Myanmar Bible Society), and myself (General Secretary of the Indonesian Bible Society). We were accompanied by Pastor Liu Wei, a New Testament lecturer from Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, who served as translator.

For the purpose of this trip, we visited five pillars of UBS partners in China: (1) Government partners: National Religious Affairs Administration (NRAA); (2) Protestant Church partners: China Christian Council (CCC) and National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China (TSPM) and Yunnan CC&TSPM; (3) Catholic Church partners: Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) & Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC), and Yunnan Catholic Diocese; (4) Theological education partners: Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and Yunnan Theological Seminary; and (5) Bible production partners: Amity Printing Company.

When we visited the NRAA, the ministry office in charge of religious affairs in China, we were received by Mr. Ni Zhiqian (Deputy Director of the Religious Affairs Bureau) who was very friendly and seemed very ready to share and dialogue with the UBS delegation. The meeting was held in a very formal state atmosphere, with sitting positions like heads of state accompanied by their respective interpreters, but it did not detract from the intimacy and sense of family.

The main points presented by the Director of the Bureau of Religious Affairs in the meeting were...

The main point made by Director Ni was that the Chinese government supports all church activities, both Protestant and Catholic, and the procurement of Bibles in China. According to Chinese government statistics, the number of registered Christians (Protestants and Catholics) in China is about 46 million (3.3% of the total population). He expressed his gratitude for UBS's assistance for nearly 40 years in meeting the needs of Chinese Christians for Bibles. The Chinese government is always open to cooperate with other countries and parties, in order to fulfill the worship needs of religious communities in China. Regarding the establishment of a Bible Institute in China, continued discussions and a more comprehensive study are still being processed by the Chinese government.

Pastor Dirk Gevers delivered his remarks by introducing the delegation from UBS. He expressed his gratitude for all the support provided by the Chinese government, and emphasized UBS's continued support to meet the Bible needs in China. Pastor Gevers also shared the seven areas that the UBS General Assembly agreed to focus on over the next four years, namely: Bible Translation, Bible Printing and Distribution, Bible Engagement, Mission Resilience, Digital Transformation, Creation Care, and Diaspora Ministry.

The dialog with Director Ni was very warm. Director Ni also expressed the hope that some misconceptions about Christianity can be corrected through the Bible. In the villages, there are still many Christians who do not understand the teachings of the Christian faith. He recounted an amusing incident. In one of the villages he visited, when the word "Christian" was pronounced in the local language in China, it sounded similar to a word meaning "rooster crowing." So the community understands that to be a Christian, it is important to always wake up early in the morning when the rooster crows.

From discussions with the second pillar partner, the Protestant Church in China, an understanding of the church's journey, current situation, and common challenges was gained. The registered Protestant Churches in China are under one roof, namely the CCC and TSPM.

The Protestant church journey in China began in the 700s in the era often called Nestorian. The dynamics of the church's journey were very colorful. Many processes and struggles eventually formed a post-denominational church and united under one umbrella of CCC and TSPM. Both NRAA and CCC and TPSM only provide assistance and support to churches registered with the Chinese government. In reality, there are also church activities that are not registered with the government administration. Such activities are declared illegal and receive no support from the government or registered church groups.

The current condition of Protestant churches in China (again churches registered with the government administration) always hold worship services normally like churches in other countries. The Bibles used are those printed by Amity Printing Company and the Bible versions used are the result of missionary translation efforts that adhere to UBS Bible translation standards. Church services are focused on organizing Sunday worship, home worship, and other worship and formation. It is recognized that many churches in China are assisted by the government in the construction and renovation of church buildings. (ST.26.9.2024)

Continued