Government Hires Church Spies

ChinaAid 25 April 2019

Officials monitoring a church - Photo: ChinaAid www.chinaaid.org — Officials monitor a church.
Photo: ChinaAid

The Chinese government is hiring citizens to spy on churches, according to Christian leaders. A church elder from the city of Kaifeng, located in Henan province, stated that officials within his area had recruited someone of each village to scrutinize the worship services, paying them five times the normal monthly stipend given to poor households.

Apparently, the spies are being instructed to report anyone who takes children to church. In February 2018, regulations were introduced barring anyone under the age of 18 from entering religious venues or being taught about religion.

Christians in other areas of the country have also reported the use of paid informants who are being used to work against them. For more information on the persecution facing believers in China, go to the China Country Report.

Pray that the Christians in China will be able to continue meeting for worship without any hindrance or fear of government reprisal. Intercede for all the parents who are endeavouring to raise their children in the ways of the Lord despite these prohibitions (Deuteronomy 6:6-9), and for their church leaders to continue upholding the uncompromising truth and sovereignty of God's Word. May the recruited community members who enter the churches for nefarious reasons hear the message of the Gospel and turn in faith to Christ.

China

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.

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