Virtually everyone agrees that the greatest need among Chinese Christians is for qualified leaders, especially men. The number of professing believers has grown so fast that leadership training has not caught up. As a result, millions of Chinese Christians lack adequate spiritual oversight and care.

For a number of reasons, many Chinese attend English-language churches. These may be English congregations connected to a Chinese church, or churches of native English speakers led by Westerners.

With most young Americans shrinking from commitments of any sort, including marriage, this plea for a willingness to invest many years in China ministry could not be more timely, or more challenging.

In mainland China and Taiwan, though Christians are numerous, more than one billion people have likely never heard a clear presentation of the gospel.

Several hard facts point to the need for solid, sustained study of Chinese history, culture, and society, including Chinese Christianity.

Although strict regulations prohibit open Christian ministry by foreigners in mainland China, there is a wide array of options for foreign Christians to advance the kingdom of God among the Chinese.

Mentoring requires multiple face-to-face meetings with a person who is older, more experienced, or skilled in the areas in which you want to grow. At its core, mentoring is a life-on-life relationship that reproduces what the mentor has acquired over the years in the life of a younger, or less experienced, “disciple” with potential to grow.

Our last trip to Asia confirmed our conviction that friendship must stand at the center of effective ministry among Chinese.

Although I have frequently pointed out the necessity of using their mother tongue to communicate the Gospel to Chinese, there are times when English can be used with great effect. In particular, the role of English-speaking churches deserves greater attention than we sometimes give.

A few months ago, we discussed ways in which ministry among Chinese worldwide must reflect the twin realities of China’s rapid rise and America’s precipitous decline. Now let us think a bit about another aspect of the fast-changing situation facing Chinese Christians and all who would serve them.