China’s 100 million middle-class need to be reached (2)

The need to build “bridges” to reach the middle-class:

The Chinese middle-class is lost between a past that they believe is no more relevant to them and a future that they do not understand. So they are looking for guides to help them – in their careers, their marriages, their relationship with their parents and in-laws, their parenting skills, their health, their financial budgeting, their choice of vacations, etc.

If they have marital problems and are seeking help and turn to their friends, magazines or the internet for help, where they will probably be told that if they are unhappy with their spouses, then they should divorce them. This is the type of “cool” concepts that they are likely to get in the “modern” media. This is the reason why China’s divorce rate is rising at an alarming rate.

In simple words, there is a vacuum that needs to be filled. If Christians do not provide the right answers, then someone else will provide the “cool” wrong ones.

There is a huge opportunity to fill this vacuum by providing life-style seminars on marriage, family relationships, parenting, etc. Foreign speakers will be an added attraction because “prophets from afar are usually honoured.”

While it is true that some churches are already providing such seminars, the quality and scale is often not up to middle-class standards. In other words, the topics may be suitable for the middle-class but the quality of the organization and the quality of the speakers is “rural.”

Similarly, if we want to provide guidance through magazines or the internet, then not only must our content be good but our magazines and websites must also be good.

Businessmen know that having good quality food alone is not sufficient. They know that the food needs to be served in a nice restaurant with good service. This is common-sense that is rare in most Chinese churches because of the rural mindset.

There are endless creative ways to offer good needful guidelines to the Chinese middle-class. If we do our best to offer what the middle-class wants and needs, many people will be attracted to us. And many “bridges” can be built to reach them.

But it is needful to bear in mind that the Chinese middle-class expects good quality and we must provide it if we are serious in attracting them. Also, the Chinese middle-class is attracted by speakers and ideas from abroad.

While it is not too difficult to attract the middle-class to come to attend a seminar, it is much more difficult to attract them to come back again and again. In other words, sheer curiousity may attract them but only good quality can bring them back.

We must realize that if they do come in and join a seminar and find it to be low quality, then it will much harder in the future to get them to come in again. Therefore, a consistently good quality must be maintained to draw them back.

This is only possible if the church puts away their old rural mindset and realizes the importance of quality. The Chinese church needs much help and encouragement to overcome this. As a general rule, cultural changes are usually more difficult to change than “hardware” changes.

The importance of the Internet:

The Chinese middle-class is very busy and looks for convenience. They are also very tech-savvy and spend much time on the internet.

So it is impossible to effectively reach the Chinese middle-class without using the internet. Considering the size of China and the constraints of mailing costs and censorship, the use of the internet is even more needful.

Christians must creatively use the internet to attract the Chinese middle-class to connect to its web-offerings on topics of interest to them (eg. marital relationship, parenting). There are many good English language articles on such topics that can be easily modified and translated to meet these needs. A steady supply of such materials is very needful.

Virtual web communities must then be channelled to local real communities. The natural places for gathering such communities are the Christian bookstores.

The greatest challenge to this whole effort is the transitioning of virtual communities to real communities. The next challenge is to find the right opportunities to share the Gospel (as the Lord opens the doors of their hearts) with them – and then to direct them to good local spiritual families.

The importance of communities of love:

China’s middle-class has the choice of many attractions – fine dining, shopping, vacations, etc. In other words, Chinese businessmen are creating every kind of beautiful environment to attract them. The only environment that they will not be able to create is a true community of love, joy and peace. Since only the Holy Spirit can build such families, we must pray for God to make each church such a family.

The present Chinese churches carry much of the baggage of the past era of persecution. Therefore, most churches are more like crowded religious schools where believers go to learn the Bible and leave when the session is over. Because of the past persecutions, when it was best not to be known to the others in the group, fellowship is minimal and not a major part of church life.

The Chinese middle-class yearns to have a nice family life but will not be able to find this except in God’s family.

The Chinese church must strive to build such families rather than strive to provide more and more academic Bible studies. This will be a challenge to the Chinese church because they tend to think of a church as a religious school rather than the Father’s family of love.

Again, cultural change is difficult and needs much encouragement and role-models – possibly from abroad.

Conclusion:

China’s middle-class is seeking truth to lead them.

Christians have the truth to give them.

Chinese businessmen are quick to seize the opportunities to attract them.

Chinese Christians are slow to understand their responsibilities and are allowing the greatest opportunity in Chinese history to pass them by.

Foreign Christians can be a real help to the Chinese church in providing encouragement, direction and articles.

May God give us all a sense of urgency and the faith to do this great work!

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