“This is important for both Wesley Theological Seminary and for the Christian church in China,” says the Rev. Dr. Kyunglim Shin Lee, Wesley’s vice president of international relations. “This semester provides rigorous theological preparation for the visiting students, while offering the opportunity for Wesley’s students and faculty to learn about Christianity in China. We have much to learn from these visiting students.”
The Beijing Christian Council, which is the official sanctioning body of Protestant churches in Beijing, selected these students to study in the United States. “It is an unusual decision for the BCC to send five top pastors to us for such a long time because there is such a significant lack of pastors throughout China,” says Wesley President David McAllister-Wilson. “The absence of these pastors will be felt greatly in their home churches.”
Estimates of Christians in China range from the official government figure of 14 million to 130 million as reported by Christian charities working in the country. China’s population in 2012 was more than 1.35 billion people. Christianity is growing faster in China than in any other region of the world. With this expedited growth, the church has struggled to train and provide leaders.
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