China’s 100 million strong middle-class need to be reached (1)

Introduction:

The term “middle-class” is new in China. It was first mentioned in the 1990’s.

Historically, the Chinese people have little or no experience of how to live as “middle-class” because there has never been a significant sized middle-class in China’s long history.

In other words, while modern China is rapidly progressing in the 21st Century, China’s middle-class struggles to find the right guidelines and role-models to lead them.

As China’s economy progresses, the number of middle-class people will increase greatly. And the experience in other developed countries is that the middle-class will be that group of people that will set the direction for a country – economically, culturally, socially, religiously, etc. In other words, the middle-class of a developed country plays the most important role in the development of a country.

Therefore, if the middle-class goes in the wrong direction, then the country too will also go in the wrong direction!

So the question that we Christians need to ask ourselves is: “What can we Christians do to reach China’s middle-class?”

Since China’s middle-class has few historical models to guide it, and few present role-models to follow, then it is like a blank sheet that can be shaped into a beautiful future if it receives the right guidance and direction.

On the other hand, if China’s middle-class receives the wrong guidance and direction, then it will be disastrous for 1.4 billion people!

Some middle-class statistics:

Today, there are probably about 100 million Chinese who are middle-class.

The general definition for a middle-class person in China is one who has an apartment and car, who eats at restaurants frequently, goes on vacations and is familiar with foreign brands and ideas.

Beijing China

The economic definition for a middle-class family in China is one who has an annual average household income of over 150,000 RMB (about USD 17,000) and household assets of over 620,000 RMB (about USD 80,000).

The number of China’s middle-class is estimated by some to reach 400 million in less than 20 years time.

Most middle-class people fall into the following 4 categories:

a) self-employed entrepreneurs,

b) managerial staff at foreign companies,

c) middle and senior managers at state-owned enterprises,

d) professionals

The speed of growth of the middle-class is so fast, that it is estimated that the changes that took 50 years for the American middle-class in the 20th Century, will take place in 10 years in China in the 21st Century.

In other words, changes will take place at a very fast and stressful pace for China’s middle-class.

Some middle-class problems:

Many Chinese middle-class people believe that they have to discard their traditional practices and adopt modern practices. This causes them to be bewildered and lost because they now do not have the old traditions to guide them neither do they have the right present principles to lead them.

Middle-class parents feel inadequate even to lead their young children. Commonly, it is their children who choose what computers to buy, what pizza to order, how to tie their neckties, etc.

When middle-class parents have to make decisions, they often simply follow trends without understanding the principles behind those trends. Often this leads them to contradictions. For example, while they complain that their kids are undergoing too much stress, they enrol them in more classes to keep up with others.

Many struggle with deciding if it is right for unmarried couples, who intend to get married, to live together. Others struggle with the issue of homosexuality and lesbianism and divorce.

They are not sure if they should abandon their traditional values of right and wrong and adopt these new social trends so that they can be part of the “future”!

The challenge:

This is a critical time in China’s history.

In fact, what is happening in China today is unprecedented in its sheer size, intensity and speed. Never in history of the world has so many people’s lives been changed so quickly and so drastically.

In reality, a whole new “nation” of Chinese middle-class of possibly 400 million people will emerge in the next decade or so. This will be a “nation” that is larger than the whole population of the USA.

Businesses are fully aware of the potential of this huge group of people and are preparing their businesses to win this market.

The struggle of Chinese Christians:

While most businesses have already planned their strategies to reach the Chinese middle-class, the Christians of China are extremely slow to respond to this opportunity.

The main reason for this is that the Christian church in China has a rural mindset. The cause of this rural way of thinking is because the modern Chinese church grew out of the revival in China in the 1970’s and 80’s in the Chinese countryside. And it is only in the past decade that the Christian church has grown to significant numbers in the cities.

Even though there are many churches in the cities now, many of their members, including many of their leaders, have originally come from rural churches and backgrounds. So they bring with them their rural mindsets. And even as the city churches attract more and more middle-class city people into their midst, they continue to think with a rural mindset.

A rural mindset is basically traditional and cautious. It is fearful of changes. Therefore, most Chinese Christians prefer not to face the reality of this huge change that is before them – that is, of having to change the way they live and serve God so that they can meet the needs of the huge middle-class around them.

So these city churches continue as if they are in a rural environment with a mindset of “What do you expect us poor farmers to do to change the world?” rather than rejoicing at the opportunities that they have to be a blessing to 400 million people!

to be continued…