In the Wake of the Coronavirus
The conoravirus has changed the dynamics of ministry in China.
Many cities were locked down. Many people died. Many students moved to doing school through distance learning.
As leaders in the church began to adjust to the new environment under the lockdown, opportunities opened up before them. One leader reported that he held four Bible studies in one day. Many churches started to evangelize using technology in creative ways, and funeral services became an opportunity to broadcast to thousands of people at once the eternal hope found in Christ.
Millions of people in China were brought to the sudden realization that money and a house couldn’t save them. Life as a vapor became an ominous reality, and as is often the case in times of suffering, some hearts despaired and other hearts were humbled, fostering the soft soil for Gospel seeds to be planted.
The ripple effect of the lockdown on China has been vast and layered. Many families, who rarely spent time together on a day-to-day basis were forced to live in close quarters for weeks at a time. Chinese culture, which has no concept of Sabbath rest, was thrown into a frenzy. Productivity was halted. It was as if the sun stood still.
Field workers have shared how the shutdown created opportunities for families to experience relational tensions and relational healing, and a good deal of reflection on the value of life and what it means to rest. The stillness has given people in ministry more focused time in prayer to hear from the Lord and reevaluate the trajectory of their ministry aims.
For some, it has reoriented their hearts to the importance of a relationship with God, giving new perspective on what it means to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind.
The stillness has also magnified people’s spiritual hunger, a hunger easily suppressed by the busy, success-driven focus of Chinese life. During the shutdown, people flocked to places of hope where they would hear God’s Word and receive comfort for their souls. Ministry leaders found themselves weary with hours spent encouraging and teaching the Bible online and in their homes.
As people in China are awakened to their spiritual poverty, church leaders pray that the government will not shut down lines of communication through the phone and internet. Already, leaders have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of requests for Bibles. People are hungry.
Leaders realize that in order to plant more churches and raise up strong leaders in the church, ministry strategies will have to be adjusted and thought through carefully. It is a chance for even greater growth in faith. As one leader shares, “The more difficult the environment, the more opportunities for ministry. Now it is very effective to share the Word of God with unbelievers.”