Chinese Independent Churches

The Chinese Independent Churches are a major category of churches of Chinese people. During Missionary Council Meetings in the mid to late 19th century several Western missionaries started advocating for the Chinese Christians to become independent instead of relying on outside support and funds. This idea was supported and accelerated after the disastrous Boxer Rebellion. During the incident, 48 Catholic missionaries and 18000 members were martyred while 182 Protestant missionaries and 500 Chinese Christians were martyred.

Although this incident led to the downfall of the Qing Dynasty, Western missionaries encouraged Chinese Christians to be self-sufficient economically, Self Preaching, and Self Pastoring even if it meant breaking away from their original Protestant denominations. The earliest known Independent Church existed in 1862 with the title, "Minnan Church". Little is known about this church since most of the records were recorded in the local Minnan dialect rather than in Mandarin. Information regarding this church is slowly being ‘discovered’ and translated.

Read more about Chinese Independent Churches:  Within Mission Churches, Extra-Mission Indigenous Sector, Summary

Famous quotes containing the words chinese, independent and/or churches:

    One alone in a Chinese square
    confronted tanks, while others fled.
    He stood for freedom for us all,
    but few care now if he’s jailed or dead.
    Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)

    [My father] was a lazy man. It was the days of independent incomes, and if you had an independent income you didn’t work. You weren’t expected to. I strongly suspect that my father would not have been particularly good at working anyway. He left our house in Torquay every morning and went to his club. He returned, in a cab, for lunch, and in the afternoon went back to the club, played whist all afternoon, and returned to the house in time to dress for dinner.
    Agatha Christie (1891–1976)

    Here, the churches seemed to shrink away into eroding corners. They seem to have ceased to be essential parts of American life. They no longer give life. It is the huge buildings of commerce and trade which now align the people to attention. These in their massive manner of steel and stone say, Come unto me all ye who labour, and we will give you work.
    Sean O’Casey (1884–1964)