The Challenge To Make Real Disciples In China
The growth of the church in China is one of the great stories of modern Christianity. From a few hundred thousand believers in 1949, there are now many millions of Protestant believers. But numerical growth is not the same as spiritual depth. Chinese church leaders therefore face a challenge: how to lead these many believers from conversion to genuine, lifelong discipleship. The task is by no means easy.
Firstly, the Communist Party’s recent religious policies are hostile to genuine Christianity. Since the revised Regulations on Religious Affairs took effect in 2018, the environment for discipleship has tightened considerably. Children under eighteen are barred from religious instruction in many provinces. Parents who want to raise their children in the faith must now do so largely at home, often without curriculum or support.
Online discipleship, which flourished during the pandemic, has also been increasingly banned. Rules introduced in 2022 require a government permit for any religious content on the internet, and unregistered churches cannot obtain one. Sermons, Bible studies, and training videos have been largely removed from Chinese internet platforms, forcing believers back into small, in-person settings.
At the same time, some large and influential unregistered congregations have been closed - Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Zion Church in Beijing and others. The result is churches split into cells of a dozen or so people meeting in apartments. These smaller groups lack structured teaching, pastoral oversight.
Another consequence is the absence of widespread leadership. China has always had too few trained pastors for its millions of believers, and the gap is widening. Unregistered churches generally reject the state-run seminaries, which teach a "Sinicized" theology that places loyalty to the Party alongside Scripture. Alternative training is difficult: foreign teachers have largely been expelled, informal seminaries are raided, and clergy must now register with the state to operate legally. Lay leaders do their best with limited tools, sometimes shaped more by a suspicion of theology that fails to promote sound doctrine.
Chinese society in general poses another challenge in the quest for discipleship. China's younger generation is being formed by consumerism, intense academic and career competition, and a pervasive individualism. Even in healthy congregations, pastors describe members who profess Christ on Sunday but are catechised by the marketplace all week. Prosperity teaching and heretical sects such as Eastern Lightning take captive believers who lack Biblical foundations.
To address this growing need for sound biblical teaching and spiritual maturity among Chinese Christians, Derek Prince Ministries China is developing an Online Discipleship Centre that provides free, accessible, and systematic Bible teaching based on the ministry of Derek Prince. The centre will offer a comprehensive collection of Chinese-language resources, including video lessons, audio teachings, downloadable PDFs, eBooks, and structured discipleship courses, adapted from Derek Prince's sermons, Legacy Radio programmes, books and teaching letters. Courses will include student workbooks, small-group leader's guides, Scripture references, discussion questions, and practical applications. Topics such as Christian foundations, prayer, faith, spiritual warfare, the Holy Spirit, and spiritual growth will be covered, enabling Chinese believers to study independently or together in small groups. The goal is not merely to increase biblical knowledge, but to help Christians develop a deeper relationship with God, grow in spiritual maturity, and apply His Word faithfully in everyday life.
Beyond providing digital resources, DPM China also plans to develop interactive online Bible study and prayer groups, where believers can study Scripture together, discuss Derek Prince's teachings, share testimonies, and encourage one another through regular fellowship and prayer. Our long-term vision is to establish a sustainable discipleship ministry that nurtures spiritually mature Christians, equips future leaders, and enables the truth of God's Word to be faithfully passed on from one generation to the next.
Pray for these projects that the Lord will lead and guide the China team as they develop them.
Pray that the materials will reach those who yearn to grow in their walk with the Lord Jesus.
Pray for the Lord's hand on China's policies towards religion.
