
Although LHF’s work in the traditional Chinese language (used primarily in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macaw) is constantly expanding, translations in simplified Chinese (used in mainland China) have lagged in recent years mainly due to a lack of qualified translators, editors and layout artists.
In 2024, God answered LHF’s prayer for a skilled simplified Chinese team ― among them Rev. Wang, a Lutheran pastor who serves an underground church in mainland China. We find the story of his faith journey to be an inspiring one and believe you will, too.
LHF: Rev. Wang, it’s good to talk to you. Tell me, how did you become a Christian?
Rev. Wang: My mother became a Christian in 1992, and the faith of the family was passed on. I was baptized when I was 7 years old, and we belonged to an underground house church. Many of the house churches are connected, and they would send pastors across the country. [When they traveled], they didn’t stay in hotels; they stayed in houses ― much like the Book of Acts, how the disciples went out and were received by other Christians. My mother very often received visiting pastors, and so I saw them coming and going. I saw the good part of being a pastor, of being a church leader and doing ministry, and when I was 12 years old, I told church leaders that I wanted to be a pastor.
As I grew older, though, I got confused and wanted to follow the world’s path. I wanted to live the way everyone else lives in China.
LHF: What does that mean ― how everyone else lives in China?
Rev. Wang: Most Chinese don’t believe in an afterlife. But as Christians, we know right and wrong, or what we are doing is wrong. [Chinese unbelievers] feel like they are free of guilt, in a Christian sense. They don’t feel bad about these things we know are wrong. I wanted to pursue that free life without any condemnation.
As a young teen, my faith journey went through a period of confusion and hesitation. I was so confused that I even questioned God’s existence. On one hand, I really wanted to live in a secular way, and I wanted to say goodbye to Jesus completely. But thanks be to God for His grace in protecting me. It was really like what was said in Psalm 40: “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” He saved me. I am very grateful to God.
LHF: So how did God guide you on the path to being a pastor?
Rev. Wang: The church context is kind of different in China, because of the political situation, and the house churches operate very differently. My synod is a relatively large number of people, probably about 3 million or so (due to the nature of our situation, we can only have an estimate), but we have a tight connection. The country is divided into seven major areas, and there are many churches within each major area.
So church leaders came to me when I was 16 years old, telling me that I had been selected to be called into full-time ministry. This is when I began my studies in the underground seminary and was ordained as a missionary pastor in 2017 (I am now 28). In the process of learning, the most important thing was that I came into contact with the authentic resources of Lutheran study. This has improved my own faith and has played a very good role in my growth and improvement, including my work as a pastor in the church. This was a major turning point in my personal faith and ministry.
LHF: So the underground church network in China is not Lutheran in its teachings.
Rev. Wang: No. In the later development of the church, it integrated many other denominations and merged with all kinds of theological trends, because whatever resources were available out there, they were going to use that. There was and is a lot of Reformed and Baptist theology.
LHF: Then how did you become a Lutheran?
Rev. Wang: So, a little bit of background. The church body I am part of was established by Norwegian Lutheran missionaries back before 1949, when the government began forcing the missionaries to leave. In my mother’s church, there are still some old people who are living who remember the Norwegian Lutheran system. In the past, when I was in close contact with my mother’s church, they would often mention their Lutheran church.
The turning point was when, a few years ago, I started researching Lutheran theology, the Lutheran way to teach and to provide pastoral care for people. It really changed my ministry.
LHF: What differences do you see in Lutheran teachings?
Rev. Wang: My first impression of contrast is the liturgy. In our house churches, we don’t have liturgy at all! It’s understandable because you move around a lot. There is always persecution, and we need to be careful about being too loud or being overheard.
[When I was searching for truth in Christian teaching,] I visited a local Catholic church that is part of the state church. They are allowed to have formal things, and they insist on liturgy. For the first time, I saw how people can worship in a different way. We chanted the Nicene Creed together, and I saw how it united the church members. I knew that there are problems with Roman Catholic teachings (praying to Mary, the role of the pope, and so on), but I wondered, why can’t we worship like this in a Protestant, evangelical way? My answer afterward was in Lutheran theology. I see that visit to the Catholic church as God’s guidance to me to find Lutheran theology.
LHF: How are you attempting to bring Lutheranism back to China?
Rev. Wang: There are two ways of doing Lutheran mission in China. One way is that you have interest groups or theological groups for discussion, either online or you get together for Bible study at coffee shops or in homes.
The second is to establish a liturgical church, and I found that this was the right way. Our Lutheran theology teaches that people should worship and live together, and that’s what I’m trying to do in my congregation. (See related article here.) Unfortunately, we cannot teach and practice Lutheran theology in China’s state churches. If we were to register to join the state church, we would have to compromise our theology in every way, and we would be used by the government for propaganda. We want to be faithful to Scripture and to God. The books that LHF is translating for China have been a great contribution.
LHF: But of course, we experience many challenges in distributing LHF materials in mainland China.
Rev. Wang: Yes, there are different kinds of challenges, and we have to be very sensitive to them. All our religious publications do not go through Chinese publishers; they’re from the West. From the government’s perspective, that’s very dangerous, and we’re spreading information illegally. Digital distribution is a lot safer than hard copies! Digitally, it’s very hard for the government to track.
But another challenge is Chinese Christians’ resistance to a book like the Small Catechism. Chinese Christians see themselves as spiritually advanced and well read, so a little booklet like the catechism seems too simple. They think, “So seriously, we are to use this little book to form our spiritual life?! It is too ABC, too basic.” But yes, we use the Small Catechism in our spiritual life in every way. This is truly the Christian life, as it should be practiced and cultivated. I’m convicted that this is the right thing to do in providing pastoral care for my church.
LHF: Clearly, you’re taking some chances.
Rev. Wang: It’s the work of the Holy Spirit! It’s not rational. He gets me this far. I’ve lost so much in terms of my synod who trained me [because of my Lutheran teachings, I’m an outcast within my network of churches] and in opportunities for financial support. But it is my conviction that this is the right way to do things. The way to Heaven is narrow. I accept that reality.