The One Body of Christ?

On April 1, 2025, China’s National Religious Affairs Administration (NRAA), a branch of the United Front Work Department, published a list of 38 articles designed to restrict the involvement of foreign nationals in religious activities within China. These regulations, entitled the “Rules for the Implementation of the Provisions on the Administration of Religious Activities of Foreigners in the People’s Republic of China,” officially went into effect on May 1, 2025.

The regulations explicitly ban foreign nationals—whether clergy or laypersons—from engaging in religious activities with Chinese believers without specific permission from the Chinese government. While they appear to be new, these rules largely codify existing regulations into a single, formalised framework.

Key Restrictions

The restrictions apply across all religions and impose strict limitations on non-Chinese citizens. Foreigners are prohibited from:

• Establishing religious organisations.
• Preaching without authorisation from the Communist Party.
• Founding religious schools.
• Producing or selling religious books.
• Accepting religious donations.
• Recruiting Chinese citizens as followers.

Even religious activities among foreigners themselves must only occur in “official” places of worship. If such venues are unavailable in a given area, permission must be obtained from Party-controlled authorities before any such activity can take place.

The regulations also prohibit foreigners from preaching or sharing their faith without explicit government approval. Non-Chinese individuals who wish to openly practice their religion must request permission from the appropriate authorities and comply with rules set forth by the Communist Party—not by their religious organisations.

Control and Oversight

Collective religious activities organised by foreigners in China are restricted to foreign participants only. Article 10 specifies that such activities, if held in official churches or temples, must be presided over by a Chinese religious leader.

There is a narrow exception: foreigners may preach, but only if they are invited by one of China's state-run religious organisations and approved by the NRAA. Even then, the content of their preaching must be vetted to ensure that it does not “interfere with China’s religious affairs.”

Chinese state media justifies these restrictions as necessary for promoting national security and protecting “normal religious activities.” However, the definition of “normal” aligns with the interests of state-run religious organisations, which increasingly serve to propagate Communist Party (CCP) ideology and bolster the personality cult surrounding President Xi Jinping. Independent house churches, which operate outside the state-sponsored system, are often labeled as “abnormal” and classified as threats to national security.

Comprehensive Oversight

The new rules leave little to chance. Even foreigners entering China for academic or cultural exchanges are subject to strict control, with such activities requiring Party authorisation. The regulations even dictate how many copies of religious books or audiovisual materials foreigners may bring into China for personal use—never exceeding 10 items.

In China, religious expression—whether by Chinese citizens or foreigners—is increasingly controlled by the Party. May the church in China continue to shine as a light amid these challenges, drawing strength from the Lord and the fellowship of all believers.

Prayer Points

• Pray for foreign Christians living and working in China, that they may find ways to practice their faith faithfully and wisely under the new regulations.
• Pray for the church in China, asking the Lord to strengthen and encourage believers to remain faithful to Scripture in the face of increasing restrictions.
• Pray for unity in the global body of Christ, that the church in China would sustain a vision of being part of the one, universal body of believers worldwide.