Editor's note: As a descendant of German missionaries to China, Erik Bürklin, president of China Partner, has been serving the church in China with training trips and material distribution in the past decades. With a heart for China, Erik talks about the main work and projects of the organization, the changes in the church in China, the challenges facing Chinese pastors and churches, and global engagement in China.
China Christian Daily: Could you please introduce yourself and your organization to us?
Erik Bürklin: I serve as the president of a ministry that my father founded and called “China Partner” (中国伙伴). A pastor in China suggested this name to us and told us that it would be wonderful: East and West collaborating. Founded in the United States in 1989, our mission is to serve the church in China through training trips.
The history of this ministry goes way back to my grandparents, who were missionaries with the China Inland Mission (currently called OMF International). Coming from Germany, they served in Jiangxi Province from 1925 to 1950. Born and raised in China, my father, Dr. Werner Bürklin, went to a German-speaking school in Shanghai for most of his teenage years, and then in 1950, all foreigners had to leave China, including missionaries, so my grandparents and their three children moved back to Germany. Although my father always desired to return to China, he became an evangelist in Germany and worked for several different Christian organizations. In 1981, he traveled back to China after learning that the Chinese government was issuing visas for foreigners. When he returned to Jiangxi Province as one of the very first foreigners, he realized that God had done marvelous work in China: the church had literally exploded. In 1989, he incorporated China Partner. Our mission is to serve the church in China by equipping the Chinese church leadership. Bishop Ting, the then president of the China Christian Council and principal of the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, gave his blessing and invited my father to come with an international team to hold a training seminar in the seminary in 1991.
After the training was done, Bishop Ting told my father, “I have heard not one negative voice of what you have taught and what you said. Please come back.” That was his official invitation to my father to do more of what he had done in Nanjing that week. So shortly after that, we were invited to teach in Hangzhou and Guangzhou. Since then, we have ministered in almost all 22 official seminaries throughout the country of China and have made many wonderful friends.
China Christian Daily: Could you introduce the main work that China Partner has done in China in the past, and how would you evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts?
Erik Bürklin: We fulfill our mission by bringing and conducting short-term training seminars for lay pastors, seminary students, and Bible school students, based on the requests of the China Christian Council. Let's say a Bible school in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, will invite our team to come for one week of training at their Bible school. So we will go there with a small team, and then every day, we will have as many hours as they give us with those young people and equip them. Our training is a supplement to what they have received and provides practical ministry ideas. For instance, one of the training seminars is about evangelism—how you can become an evangelist in a local church setting. Other themes include discipleship, Christian leadership, and pastoral care. Lately, we’ve done more training on marriage and family. We always listen to the Chinese church leadership about what they need, and we try to match that need by inviting pastors and Christian leaders who can speak to that need.
The effectiveness is based on the feedback we get from the pastors in China. Some pastors of local churches and current seminary leaders who were seminary students 35 years ago still remember my father and the CP teams conducting these trainings. It's wonderful to see how God has used these church leaders, as they have grown spiritually and become key leaders to grow their local churches. Because of our constant connection with them, we have had the privilege of seeing how our ministry has actually had a positive effect on them personally and also on the local churches wherever they minister.
China Christian Daily: Can you introduce the projects that China Partner is currently undertaking in China?
Erik Bürklin: During COVID, everything was shut down, so we have not been able to do any in-person training. In fact, my very first trip back to China since then was just in September 2023. Our current project is to reconnect with all the church leadership, as we haven’t seen them for four years, and to gather information from them to see what their current needs are. We have been invited to come this April and October and visit eight or nine different cities.
We know the pandemic has posed new challenges for all of us, including many pastors and Christian leaders in China, such as mental issues and declining church attendance. We want to learn what those challenges are. We are confident that we will be back to conduct further in-person short-term training seminars wherever we are invited within the next year or two.
China Christian Daily: You and the team visited China for the first time since the pandemic. Share with us more about the trip. What differences did you observe before and after the pandemic?
Erik Bürklin: We were warmly received wherever we went. We started in Shanghai and met the CCC&TSPM leadership. Rev. Wu Wei, CCC president, hosted us for a two-hour meeting. He shared that one of the big changes is that the government is now no longer allowing minors to go to church. While this has been a regulation for many years, the Religious Affairs Bureau, which is now directly under the United Front Department, is now enforcing it. So, the church leadership is talking and praying through this new challenge: What do we do with children? Rev. Wu said that they are trying to equip parents to do the ministry for their own children. Equipping children and teenagers is the responsibility of parents, which is a biblical principle found in the Old Testament.
In addition, I personally noticed that there were much fewer foreigners on the Bund near the Huangpo River in Shanghai when I was jogging in the early morning. Shanghai is an international city that has always had many foreign visitors. I think many expats have left China. I’m hopeful that more and more foreigners will return and Chinese companies will welcome foreign partnerships again.
What was more, the Chinese people were obedient to the traffic lights and waited until they turned green. That was never the case before. There seems to be a little more respect for authority.
China Christian Daily: China Partner has been equipping Chinese churches and leaders during the past decades; have you observed any change in churches and Christian leaders in China in the process?
Erik Bürklin: The biggest change we have noticed is that churches have difficulties reaching the next generation of Christ followers as China becomes wealthier and more materialistic. As many young people speak English, the Internet has changed the overall exposure that the Chinese have to the rest of the world. So, the question becomes: how do churches change their programs and ministry philosophy in a way that will attract young people and professionals?
That also poses a big challenge for the church leadership. In the early ‘80s and ‘90s, Christians in China were so excited to go to church again (which was not possible during the cultural revolution) that pastors didn’t have to worry about inviting anybody. Even without good music, preaching, or programs, you just opened up your church doors, and everybody would come. However, today, pastors have to manage their churches well to attract young professionals. Many churches are trying new things and rethinking their ministry strategies.
I noticed that the worship music has changed over the years: many registered churches have chorus bands now—with drum sets on stage and using guitars and pianos instead of just a traditional organ. Pastors are preaching more practical sermons, trying to invite people to be interested in God’s word. I have visited one big church in Beijing that holds a youth service separate from the regular service. So many churches are trying to be more effective in their ministries.
China Christian Daily: From your perspective, what are the current challenges faced by pastors in Chinese churches?
Erik Bürklin: I think one of the biggest challenges for the Chinese churches is contextualizing their faith while staying true to the scriptures.
I have heard many pastors are now rethinking how they can make Christianity more Chinese, or "Sinicization," as they call it. They have a challenge because of some of the government restrictions that are now being enforced. They have to constantly think how we can stay true to what God has commanded us to do within the system that God has placed us in.
We have friends in China who personally went through the Cultural Revolution and survived it. They say that even though there are some restrictions and some demands that the government makes on Christianity, it's much, much better than it was in the past. Christians in China place their hope in Christ. They know that history has proven that the church will always survive because Jesus Christ is eternal.
China Christian Daily: Could you discuss the difficulties Chinese churches are experiencing, as your organization has noticed them, and suggest potential solutions to these problems?
Erik Bürklin: Not being Chinese nor living in their context, I don't have any practical solutions for how those challenges will be overcome. But I know pastors and younger Christians have wonderful ideas of how to meet those challenges, and they're still being developed.
I know an Old Testament professor who serves at the Zhongnan Theological Seminary in Wuhan. She just got her doctorate degree in Taiwan. She recently received a request from the China Christian Council to join a small group of scholars who are writing a new Old Testament commentary. This group gets together every three months in Nanjing, and they together write a new commentary right from the Hebrew into Chinese.
I think Chinese (Christian) scholars need to be at the forefront of writing these kinds of books and commentaries rather than depending on foreign materials that have been translated from English or from German into Chinese. While these books are, of course, very helpful and should continue to be used by seminary and Bible school students, it is exciting to see that Chinese scholars are now writing their own material in China. They are developing their own leaders, books, preaching, and music styles; that's how it becomes Chinese. We praise God for this positive new development in the church in China.
China Christian Daily: What should foreign ministries and organizations do to build a trusting relationship with China?
Erik Bürklin: That's one of the reasons why we conduct China symposiums. We try to help foreign organizations understand China better.
I think one of the key things that helped China Partner in its mission is that my father was born and raised in China, and my grandparents served as missionaries in China for 25 years. This gave our family and our ministry a helpful context. It helped us understand the Chinese culture. As a young boy, I heard many stories about China and its culture.
I would say foreign ministries or foreign organizations need to learn what the Chinese culture is about, respect it, and not reject or criticize it. We, at China Partner, stay very neutral about any political topics since China is a different country and run by a different leadership structure. We respect it and agree with their system, even though politically we might disagree with their policy. But as a foreign organization, we have no say in the matter. We've learned to accept their reality, and we try to prove to the Chinese people that we really care about them and that we love them. We respect their context.
China Christian Daily: From your perspective, how do you see registered churches and house churches?
Erik Bürklin: Basically, there are two different churches that have decided to minister in different ways. Since the government requires all religious entities to register, many churches have chosen to register to become legally recognized. The registered church has decided to work within the system they have been given while acknowledging that Christ is the head of the church. Many other churches refuse to register for theological reasons and stay independent. Therefore, and unfortunately, the government considers them illegal, which causes them a lot of heartache and challenges.
Theologically, as a Christian, I can understand why there would be resistance to registering. If I'm a born-again believer and I register my church, then it can be interpreted that I'm surrendering my church to the government. We answer to a higher calling, a higher God that is above all kings, presidents, and government systems. Yet, I know that many registered churches still have the belief and the knowledge that they are under Jesus Christ, who is still the head of the church. Everyone has to make that decision based on their understanding and where they stand theologically.
All in all, I see one church of Jesus Christ that serves the people of China. Whether they're found in a registered church or an unregistered church, they're still part of one church, and that is the church of Jesus Christ.
China Christian Daily: Is it true that the Western world is not paying as much attention to the missions in China? How can the global church engage in the mission in China?
Erik Bürklin: I would probably say that's not true. I think most Christians and churches in the West do care about what goes on in China and, specifically, what goes on in the Christian church. At the same time, I believe the interest has maybe shifted from Asia to other parts of the world.
I know right now many of my friends do ministry in the Muslim world; that's a very popular ministry to get involved in. But in general, most Christians know about the Chinese church, about the registered and unregistered churches, and that Bibles are printed in China. They know that the church in China has seen much spiritual growth over the last 50 years.
But not every foreign organization is going to have a vision for China, so you can't force that. When you say how they can engage in the mission in China, I would say to find out from other organizations that are working in China and learn from them. If they really have a calling to minister in China, then take the next step to do that, educate themselves, and find out what is going on in China. I think it's important to take trips to China; go see for yourself, and then they will have a better understanding of what's really happening.
China Christian Daily: Do you have any words for the church and Christians in China?
Erik Bürklin: Stay true to the Word of God. That's it. Stay true; stay faithful. Keep doing the good work, and Jesus Christ will help you. He's always with you.
“中国伙伴”（China Partner）成立于1989年，由在中国出生的德国传教士之子林明胆博士（Werner Burklin）在美国创立，机构宗旨是服务中国教会。现任“中国伙伴”总裁林铭立（Rev Erik Burklin）是林明胆博士的长子。去年9月，林铭立牧师一行4人访问中国，为疫情后第一次到访。在采访中，林铭立牧师与福音时报介绍了“中国伙伴”的历史、主要工作以及未来计划，分享了对中国教会的观察。
事工缘起：构筑连接的桥梁 为中国教会服务
林铭立牧师家族与中国的联系可以追溯到他的祖父母，他们是中国内地会（现为海外基督使团）的德国传教士，1925年到1950年期间在江西省服侍。他的父亲林明胆博士在中国出生并长大，青少年时期大部分时间在上海一所德语学校上学。1950年，由于当时环境，林明胆随父母搬回了德国。在德国，他成为一名传教士，为几个基督教组织工作，但心里一直渴望回到中国。中国开始向外国人发放签证后，林明胆博士于1981年再次回到中国。他是第一批回到江西省的外国人，在那里，他看到上帝在中国奇妙的工作：教堂爆炸式地增长。
中国教会的情况让他备受鼓舞，他渴望为中国教会做些事情。在1989年，林明胆博士创立了“中国伙伴”。1991年，林博士受当时的中国基督教协会会长、金陵协和神学院院长的丁光训主教邀请，带领国际团队来金陵协和神学院办培训班。培训持续了10天，取得了良好的进展。培训结束后，丁主教肯定了培训工作，欢迎林博士再次前来，自此，“中国伙伴”的事工正式开始。三十多年来，“中国伙伴”几乎受邀去了中国所有官方神学院校。
除了在神学院校举办培训，“中国伙伴”还组织了多次中国研讨会（China symposiums）。1995年，受丁主教邀请，林明胆博士第一次在南京主持中国研讨会，邀请了来自世界各地许多不同的基督教组织，新西兰、德国、澳大利亚等地均有代表参加，旨在让外国人了解中国的教会，促进交流，加深了解。“中国伙伴”新一次的中国研讨会正在筹划，相关事宜仍在协调中。
林明胆博士组建团队，在中国多个城市举办培训，也多次组织中国研讨会，让中国教会和世界互通起来。“中国伙伴”这个名字恰当地传递了事工的异象。林铭立牧师介绍，这个名字出自一位中国牧师的建议，寓意东西方走到一起，建立伙伴关系。事工在1989年建立时，名为“林明胆福音事工部”，1999年更名为“中国伙伴”。
“我想我父亲最初想做的是成为连接中国教会和世界的桥梁”，谈到父亲所做的事情，林铭立牧师这样说，“作为他的长子，我非常荣幸能够继承他的异象和事工。”
培训工作：应时应需 注重实践
林铭立牧师重点介绍了“中国伙伴”在中国各地神学院校所作的短期培训，也是“中国伙伴”过去三十多年的重点工作：通过培训领袖来服务中国教会。
通常情况下，“中国伙伴”是应全国/地方两会或神学院校的邀请，为平信徒牧者、神学院校学生举办短期培训研讨会。假设一间神学院邀请他们到学校做为期一周的培训，根据学校所提的需求，他们会组建一个小团队，为学生集中授课。林牧师特别说明，他们所作的是非正式的培训，不会发放证书或学位，是对学生所受教育的补充，偏向提供实用的经验。这些年来，他们过去所作的培训涵盖在当地环境中见证福音、门徒训练、基督徒领导力、教牧关怀、婚姻家庭等主题。
一些早期在神学院接受过培训的学生如今已成为地方教会的牧者或神学院校的领袖。他们多年来一直和“中国伙伴”保持联系，让林铭立牧师得以看到上帝如何使用他们的工作栽培中国的教会领袖，以及他们的事工对中国教会产生的积极影响。
疫情给所有人带来了新的挑战，世界范围内很多教会关门，大部分教会聚会人数下降，牧者和基督教领袖面临很多新的挑战。疫情期间，“中国伙伴”的实地培训全部暂停。去年9月，林铭立牧师一行四人疫情后第一次访问中国。“中国伙伴”收到邀请，今年4月和10月将访问中国八九个城市，拜访这些城市的神学院和圣经学校，与领袖交流。当下一段时间内，机构的工作重点是重新连接教会领袖，了解他们的需求。收集到信息后，他们将开发一些课程和培训项目来满足这些需求，未来几年的关注点仍然是举办实地的短期培训。
中国教会观察：挑战与应对
林铭立牧师所带领的“中国伙伴”密切关注中国教会的发展，当被问及他所观察到的中国教会的变化，当前面临的挑战，以及建议的应对方法。林铭立牧师给出了极具洞见的回应。
他注意到的最大的变化是：随着中国变得更富裕、更物质化，教会很难吸引年轻人。很多年轻人说英语，互联网改变了中国和世界接触的方式。教会面临的问题是：教会该如何改变活动和事工理念来吸引年轻人和专业人士？
在八九十年代，中国的基督徒为着能再次在教堂聚会而开心兴奋，牧师不需要为聚会人数苦恼。即使没有好的敬拜、教导或活动，只要打开教堂的门，人们就会来。但是今天的教会，牧师必须管理好教会，教堂的礼拜必须达到更高的水平，才能吸引年轻的专业人士。
为此，许多教会在重新思考如何开展事工，一些年轻的牧师在尝试新事物。林铭立牧师列举了他所观察到的新尝试。首先是这些年中国教会敬拜音乐的变化——许多教堂有诗班、敬拜团，台上有鼓、吉他和钢琴，不再只是传统的管风琴。其次是讲道方面的变化，牧师的讲道更具实践性，不再只是神学性地讲解一段经文；在讲道中多使用例子，注重互动性，努力让人们对上帝的话语感兴趣。此外，还有在礼拜设置上的尝试，一些教堂在在常规礼拜之外，有专门为年轻人举行的礼拜。
他提到中国教会面临的另一个挑战是基督教中国化。在这个问题上，他认为出路在中国年轻的牧者和基督徒那里。林铭立牧师讲起一位让他影响深刻的神学院老师。这位老师三十多岁，在教会牧会，也是神学院的旧约教授，在台湾拿到了博士学位，还是撰写旧约注释的小组成员。由中国基督教协会牵头，这个小组共同撰写新的旧约注释，林铭立牧师特别强调，“是从希伯来文直接到中文！”
看到中国学者在编写自己的材料，他很兴奋。他认为中国基督教学者需要走在撰写此类书籍的最前沿，而不是依赖外文材料，比如从英语或德语翻译成中文。当然，翻译的书籍也很有帮助，神学院校应该继续使用。中国教会在发展自己的领袖、书籍、讲道和敬拜音乐，他们为这一积极的新发展而赞美神。
到2025年，“伯克林”（Burklin，林铭立牧师家族的姓氏）家族在中国从事福音工作将迎来一百年的历史，这是一项了不起的事业。“中国伙伴”多年来秉持尊重中国文化的态度，根据中国教会的现实，努力关心、服务中国教会。林铭立牧师寄语中国的教会和基督徒，忠于上帝的话语。“保持真实；保持忠诚。继续做善的事，耶稣基督会帮助你，他一直与你同在。”
【专访】“中国伙伴”总裁林铭立：助力领袖栽培，与中国教会同行
Editor's note: As a descendant of German missionaries to China, Erik Bürklin, president of China Partner, has been serving the church in China with training trips and material distribution in the past decades. With a heart for China, Erik talks about the main work and projects of the organization, the changes in the church in China, the challenges facing Chinese pastors and churches, and global engagement in China.
China Christian Daily: Could you please introduce yourself and your organization to us?
Erik Bürklin: I serve as the president of a ministry that my father founded and called “China Partner” (中国伙伴). A pastor in China suggested this name to us and told us that it would be wonderful: East and West collaborating. Founded in the United States in 1989, our mission is to serve the church in China through training trips.
The history of this ministry goes way back to my grandparents, who were missionaries with the China Inland Mission (currently called OMF International). Coming from Germany, they served in Jiangxi Province from 1925 to 1950. Born and raised in China, my father, Dr. Werner Bürklin, went to a German-speaking school in Shanghai for most of his teenage years, and then in 1950, all foreigners had to leave China, including missionaries, so my grandparents and their three children moved back to Germany. Although my father always desired to return to China, he became an evangelist in Germany and worked for several different Christian organizations. In 1981, he traveled back to China after learning that the Chinese government was issuing visas for foreigners. When he returned to Jiangxi Province as one of the very first foreigners, he realized that God had done marvelous work in China: the church had literally exploded. In 1989, he incorporated China Partner. Our mission is to serve the church in China by equipping the Chinese church leadership. Bishop Ting, the then president of the China Christian Council and principal of the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, gave his blessing and invited my father to come with an international team to hold a training seminar in the seminary in 1991.
After the training was done, Bishop Ting told my father, “I have heard not one negative voice of what you have taught and what you said. Please come back.” That was his official invitation to my father to do more of what he had done in Nanjing that week. So shortly after that, we were invited to teach in Hangzhou and Guangzhou. Since then, we have ministered in almost all 22 official seminaries throughout the country of China and have made many wonderful friends.
China Christian Daily: Could you introduce the main work that China Partner has done in China in the past, and how would you evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts?
Erik Bürklin: We fulfill our mission by bringing and conducting short-term training seminars for lay pastors, seminary students, and Bible school students, based on the requests of the China Christian Council. Let's say a Bible school in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, will invite our team to come for one week of training at their Bible school. So we will go there with a small team, and then every day, we will have as many hours as they give us with those young people and equip them. Our training is a supplement to what they have received and provides practical ministry ideas. For instance, one of the training seminars is about evangelism—how you can become an evangelist in a local church setting. Other themes include discipleship, Christian leadership, and pastoral care. Lately, we’ve done more training on marriage and family. We always listen to the Chinese church leadership about what they need, and we try to match that need by inviting pastors and Christian leaders who can speak to that need.
The effectiveness is based on the feedback we get from the pastors in China. Some pastors of local churches and current seminary leaders who were seminary students 35 years ago still remember my father and the CP teams conducting these trainings. It's wonderful to see how God has used these church leaders, as they have grown spiritually and become key leaders to grow their local churches. Because of our constant connection with them, we have had the privilege of seeing how our ministry has actually had a positive effect on them personally and also on the local churches wherever they minister.
China Christian Daily: Can you introduce the projects that China Partner is currently undertaking in China?
Erik Bürklin: During COVID, everything was shut down, so we have not been able to do any in-person training. In fact, my very first trip back to China since then was just in September 2023. Our current project is to reconnect with all the church leadership, as we haven’t seen them for four years, and to gather information from them to see what their current needs are. We have been invited to come this April and October and visit eight or nine different cities.
We know the pandemic has posed new challenges for all of us, including many pastors and Christian leaders in China, such as mental issues and declining church attendance. We want to learn what those challenges are. We are confident that we will be back to conduct further in-person short-term training seminars wherever we are invited within the next year or two.
China Christian Daily: You and the team visited China for the first time since the pandemic. Share with us more about the trip. What differences did you observe before and after the pandemic?
Erik Bürklin: We were warmly received wherever we went. We started in Shanghai and met the CCC&TSPM leadership. Rev. Wu Wei, CCC president, hosted us for a two-hour meeting. He shared that one of the big changes is that the government is now no longer allowing minors to go to church. While this has been a regulation for many years, the Religious Affairs Bureau, which is now directly under the United Front Department, is now enforcing it. So, the church leadership is talking and praying through this new challenge: What do we do with children? Rev. Wu said that they are trying to equip parents to do the ministry for their own children. Equipping children and teenagers is the responsibility of parents, which is a biblical principle found in the Old Testament.
In addition, I personally noticed that there were much fewer foreigners on the Bund near the Huangpo River in Shanghai when I was jogging in the early morning. Shanghai is an international city that has always had many foreign visitors. I think many expats have left China. I’m hopeful that more and more foreigners will return and Chinese companies will welcome foreign partnerships again.
What was more, the Chinese people were obedient to the traffic lights and waited until they turned green. That was never the case before. There seems to be a little more respect for authority.
China Christian Daily: China Partner has been equipping Chinese churches and leaders during the past decades; have you observed any change in churches and Christian leaders in China in the process?
Erik Bürklin: The biggest change we have noticed is that churches have difficulties reaching the next generation of Christ followers as China becomes wealthier and more materialistic. As many young people speak English, the Internet has changed the overall exposure that the Chinese have to the rest of the world. So, the question becomes: how do churches change their programs and ministry philosophy in a way that will attract young people and professionals?
That also poses a big challenge for the church leadership. In the early ‘80s and ‘90s, Christians in China were so excited to go to church again (which was not possible during the cultural revolution) that pastors didn’t have to worry about inviting anybody. Even without good music, preaching, or programs, you just opened up your church doors, and everybody would come. However, today, pastors have to manage their churches well to attract young professionals. Many churches are trying new things and rethinking their ministry strategies.
I noticed that the worship music has changed over the years: many registered churches have chorus bands now—with drum sets on stage and using guitars and pianos instead of just a traditional organ. Pastors are preaching more practical sermons, trying to invite people to be interested in God’s word. I have visited one big church in Beijing that holds a youth service separate from the regular service. So many churches are trying to be more effective in their ministries.
China Christian Daily: From your perspective, what are the current challenges faced by pastors in Chinese churches?
Erik Bürklin: I think one of the biggest challenges for the Chinese churches is contextualizing their faith while staying true to the scriptures.
I have heard many pastors are now rethinking how they can make Christianity more Chinese, or "Sinicization," as they call it. They have a challenge because of some of the government restrictions that are now being enforced. They have to constantly think how we can stay true to what God has commanded us to do within the system that God has placed us in.
We have friends in China who personally went through the Cultural Revolution and survived it. They say that even though there are some restrictions and some demands that the government makes on Christianity, it's much, much better than it was in the past. Christians in China place their hope in Christ. They know that history has proven that the church will always survive because Jesus Christ is eternal.
China Christian Daily: Could you discuss the difficulties Chinese churches are experiencing, as your organization has noticed them, and suggest potential solutions to these problems?
Erik Bürklin: Not being Chinese nor living in their context, I don't have any practical solutions for how those challenges will be overcome. But I know pastors and younger Christians have wonderful ideas of how to meet those challenges, and they're still being developed.
I know an Old Testament professor who serves at the Zhongnan Theological Seminary in Wuhan. She just got her doctorate degree in Taiwan. She recently received a request from the China Christian Council to join a small group of scholars who are writing a new Old Testament commentary. This group gets together every three months in Nanjing, and they together write a new commentary right from the Hebrew into Chinese.
I think Chinese (Christian) scholars need to be at the forefront of writing these kinds of books and commentaries rather than depending on foreign materials that have been translated from English or from German into Chinese. While these books are, of course, very helpful and should continue to be used by seminary and Bible school students, it is exciting to see that Chinese scholars are now writing their own material in China. They are developing their own leaders, books, preaching, and music styles; that's how it becomes Chinese. We praise God for this positive new development in the church in China.
China Christian Daily: What should foreign ministries and organizations do to build a trusting relationship with China?
Erik Bürklin: That's one of the reasons why we conduct China symposiums. We try to help foreign organizations understand China better.
I think one of the key things that helped China Partner in its mission is that my father was born and raised in China, and my grandparents served as missionaries in China for 25 years. This gave our family and our ministry a helpful context. It helped us understand the Chinese culture. As a young boy, I heard many stories about China and its culture.
I would say foreign ministries or foreign organizations need to learn what the Chinese culture is about, respect it, and not reject or criticize it. We, at China Partner, stay very neutral about any political topics since China is a different country and run by a different leadership structure. We respect it and agree with their system, even though politically we might disagree with their policy. But as a foreign organization, we have no say in the matter. We've learned to accept their reality, and we try to prove to the Chinese people that we really care about them and that we love them. We respect their context.
China Christian Daily: From your perspective, how do you see registered churches and house churches?
Erik Bürklin: Basically, there are two different churches that have decided to minister in different ways. Since the government requires all religious entities to register, many churches have chosen to register to become legally recognized. The registered church has decided to work within the system they have been given while acknowledging that Christ is the head of the church. Many other churches refuse to register for theological reasons and stay independent. Therefore, and unfortunately, the government considers them illegal, which causes them a lot of heartache and challenges.
Theologically, as a Christian, I can understand why there would be resistance to registering. If I'm a born-again believer and I register my church, then it can be interpreted that I'm surrendering my church to the government. We answer to a higher calling, a higher God that is above all kings, presidents, and government systems. Yet, I know that many registered churches still have the belief and the knowledge that they are under Jesus Christ, who is still the head of the church. Everyone has to make that decision based on their understanding and where they stand theologically.
All in all, I see one church of Jesus Christ that serves the people of China. Whether they're found in a registered church or an unregistered church, they're still part of one church, and that is the church of Jesus Christ.
China Christian Daily: Is it true that the Western world is not paying as much attention to the missions in China? How can the global church engage in the mission in China?
Erik Bürklin: I would probably say that's not true. I think most Christians and churches in the West do care about what goes on in China and, specifically, what goes on in the Christian church. At the same time, I believe the interest has maybe shifted from Asia to other parts of the world.
I know right now many of my friends do ministry in the Muslim world; that's a very popular ministry to get involved in. But in general, most Christians know about the Chinese church, about the registered and unregistered churches, and that Bibles are printed in China. They know that the church in China has seen much spiritual growth over the last 50 years.
But not every foreign organization is going to have a vision for China, so you can't force that. When you say how they can engage in the mission in China, I would say to find out from other organizations that are working in China and learn from them. If they really have a calling to minister in China, then take the next step to do that, educate themselves, and find out what is going on in China. I think it's important to take trips to China; go see for yourself, and then they will have a better understanding of what's really happening.
China Christian Daily: Do you have any words for the church and Christians in China?
Erik Bürklin: Stay true to the Word of God. That's it. Stay true; stay faithful. Keep doing the good work, and Jesus Christ will help you. He's always with you.
Interview With China Partner President: God Has Used Christian Leadership to Grow His Church in China
