Text Box: China:
Shining the Light of the World
Into the Middle Kingdom

The Spanish Fort family is blessed to be involved in the expanding work in China.  Because the country is so far away and the culture is so different, it’s hard for many to imagine going there to share their faith in a place where the gospel is largely unknown.  While missionaries cannot go to China to openly preach and teach, Christians can still enter the country and spread the good news through living out their faith and through their work. Private religious discussions are legal and allowable under Chinese law. With its growing economy and its desire to become a nation of more influence in the world, China is committed to equipping its present and future leaders with the ability to speak English.  Since the early 1990s, the doors to China have been opened to the message of Christ largely by Christians going to China as English teachers.

Teachers in China commit, normally, to a full school year which usually lasts 10 or 11 months.  The teachers have the option of renewing their contract at the end of each year and several have committed to multiple years in the field there.  Some come home either during China’s Spring Festival (January through part of February) or during the summer months between school years, if they plan to return.
Text Box: A typical English teacher in China will teach 12-16 hours of classes with topics ranging from Oral English or Writing to American or British Culture, Literature, or History.  While helpful, teaching experience and the ability to speak Mandarin Chinese is not required. The only requirements are that the teacher holds at least a Bachelor’s degree and is a native English speaker.  Chinese students normally speak English well enough for them to build on in their classes and in their religious discussions.  By reaching some of China’s best and brightest through teaching English in universities, we trust that God will use our efforts to impact the future of this progressing nation.

Because of the Communist system in place in China, workers there do have to be careful about how they conduct themselves and how they interact with the people.  Many use American holidays with Christian roots to share some aspects of their faith with their students.   Other doors are opened by the curiosity of the Chinese about American culture and Christianity in general and through friendships that naturally develop between fellow teachers and their students.  Teachers usually use these opportunities to invite those who are interested to their apartment to talk more about their questions. Many times these conversations become the basis for an ongoing discussion group.  These workers also meet with small groups of fellow Christians in their apartments for worship, fellowship, and study.

One thing that is clear is that God has been at work in China for a long time and the number of believers there has been growing in ways that only He can bring about.  Our workers in China are seeking to help nurture and equip the family of God in China, as well as encouraging and studying with those who are seeking to know God.  Of course, God has also used the Chinese people and culture and the Christians there to teach and mold the workers that we send.  Their desire is to be a part of what God is doing there and to help the family there grow and shine their light in the dark places of that great country.

Spanish Fort is happy to support the efforts of those who are working to recruit, train, place, and support teachers for the work in China. If you feel God might be calling you to commit 10 months or more helping others learn about Christ in China, please contact the church office for information about this opportunity (251-626-3064; cherylwhatley@yahoo.com).

For security reasons, we do not list on our site the names of those who work in the China ministry.
Text Box: Pray for China...

  • Pray for our American Christians there to show Jesus by the way they live.
  • Pray for the programs teaching English in the country and the Bible studies that come out of that.
  • Pray for government control to loosen so that people may have open access to the Bible and other Christian literature.
  • Pray for the thousands of house churches that meet throughout the country. Pray that God will watch over them and help the movement to spread.

Facts about China:

Map of China

China is the world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak.

The population of China is 1,313,973,713 (July 2006 est.). There are 123 million internet users in China.

Religions are: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%. The country is officially atheist.

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. However, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under Mao Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor Deng Xiaoping and later leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.