Speaking of the gathering of Israel in the last days, the prophet Isaiah wrote: "Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim" (Isaiah 49:12). Many scholars identify Sinim with China, a conclusion attested to by its continuing usage in Modern Hebrew.
More and more Chinese are joining the LDS Church. At present, there are 27,000 LDS members in 71 units in Taiwan and over 20,250 members in 39 units in Hong Kong. Convert baptisms in Taiwan have shown a dramatic upswing over the past several years. In 2000, there were 1024 baptisms in the Taichung Mission. Through December 1, 2001, there had been 800 baptisms in the Taiwan Taipei Mission, 900 baptisms in the Taiwan Kaohsiung Mission, and 1200 baptisms in the Taiwan Taichung Mission. This represents a considerable increase in baptisms from a decade ago. In 1990, there were approximately 350 baptisms in the Taiwan Taipei Mission and a similar number in the Taiwan Taichung Mission.
While no proselyting is allowed in mainland China, there are LDS branches in four cities and groups in an additional 18 cities. These groups serve mainly foreign nationals living and working in China. Mark Kemsley, who has lived in China for many years and has traveled extensively in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China, notes that recently, "through the efforts of some members in Beijing, including Steve Toronto of the District Presidency, the exact spot where David O. McKay dedicated China to the preaching of the gospel in 1921 has been found. Following Steve's instruction, my wife and I found the place (I call it the Dedication Tree) while in Beijing last week and had a wonderful, spiritual experience there. It is in Zhong Shan Park, just outside of the inner mote of the Forbidden City."
What are the prospects and challenges of church growth in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and, someday, in mainland China? We will begin by evaluating some aspects of Chinese culture relevant to sharing the gospel and will then discuss the opportunities and challenges of church growth.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CHINESE CULTURE AND LDS TEACHINGS
In an era when the traditional concept of family is being challenged in the West, families are still strong in China and Taiwan. Carl Nelson, an LDS member who has lived in Taiwan and has traveled to both Taiwan and China on numerous occasions, notes: "One of my favorite aspects is their understanding of family. I often compare Chinese family to a glove. It is always there, always around you and very protective. It may be too warm at times -- but you couldn't imagine being without it. Our western ideas of family pale in comparison to Chinese...The family is also very supportive of the children's marriages. All relationships undergo difficult time and I have been impressed with how family is supportive of the spouse and the family and helps family members see the spouse's viewpoint. In Western families, I think the parents normally see their child's viewpoint and may side with their child whereas Chinese families often side with the spouse to help their child see things differently and help them through challenges...They make big sacrifices for their family and have their children's welfare more at heart than I've seen in many western families. One example of this is that Chinese parents always consider how what they do or say will affect their children. Divorce and treatment of a spouse is considered in this light. Unless their is physical or serious abuse, divorce is not considered. I think the training of children is much more paramount for the Chinese The concept of eternal marriage and eternal families is clearly evident in Chinese culture. Personally I think this strong concept is evidence that the Chinese once had the gospel in its fullness. It isn't a great leap for me to see ancestor worship as a corrupted concern for family genealogy and temple work."
Mark Kemsley notes the affinity that many Chinese feel for LDS family values: "Most dominant is certainly the belief in the importance of family. When my mother-in-law has friends or neighbors that find out that her daughter married a foreigner, she says, 'it's O.K. He's a Mormon. They're not like other Americans.' What she is referring to is our dedication to the family. I find, in fact, that LDS beliefs about the family fit more naturally in a Chinese environment than they do in the West these days."
Citing further similarities, Brother Nelson continues: "The culture also makes a big deal out of education and they support their children to make in academics. Education begins early and is always most important to parents in their children's lives. The Chinese concept of friend is also deeper. They do not use that word lightly and once you are considered a friend, that is expected to last throughout your life. We bandy the word around but make and break friendships easier and quicker."
CULTURES OF CHINA
Although Mandarin is the most widely spoken language in China, China is a diverse nation with over 50 distinct ethnicities and numerous languages in several main groupings, including Mongolian, Thai, Sino-Tibetan, and Hmong language groups. What cultural groups are most receptive to the gospel? Mark Kemsley notes: "I don't think the great difference is in ethnic groups (or language groups) but more geographic. Of the three major groups in Greater China - Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong/Macao - those in Hong Kong are probably the least receptive to the gospel. I attribute this to the culture of the place in general. The motto of most Hong Kongers is 'No other success can compensate for failure in the wallet.' Hong Kong is smack in the middle of the 'Rat Race' and residents have little time for thought of spiritual principles. The irony lies in the fact that the gospel could probably do more for these people than for those who lead a more simple life. Between people in Taiwan and Mainland China, I would say that Mainlanders are much more receptive to the gospel, the major reason being the spiritual 'black hole' that they are currently living in. My family attended the Mandarin Branch of the Church in Hong Kong from the time that it first started about 18 months ago. The converts, primarily Mainlanders living in Hong Kong, seem to be good, genuine people, glad to get something more in their lives than what China offered them. Local people in China are also very curious and receptive. It is a challenge every day in Shanghai to obey the law and not explain the principles of the gospel to them. Another indicator of the spiritual vacuum here is the success of the Fa Lun Gong. This cult-like mixture of Qi Gong and religion spread like wildfire because of the empty spot available to fill in the hearts of the people here."
CHALLENGES OF ESTABLISHING THE CHURCH
What are some of the challenges of establishing the Church in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and -- in the future -- China? Carl Nelson states, "I think that the Chinese people think more materialistically than do people in other countries. They are more interested in what they have or can attain through their own efforts. Spirituality does not necessarily translate into more money or possessions that can be used to help the family in hard times or promote the family welfare. People work (or study) for long hours and often on Saturday. Sunday is then the only day to be with the family. Three hours out of that one day for the family represents a sacrifice when one still needs to shop or be with non-member family members. The people more often focus on the practical and the gospel represents a different take on what is practical. Without a tradition of what seeking the Kingdom of God first means that it is a hard sell. Many members simply can't live both lifestyles and frequently fall back to that which is more familiar and better supported by their culture. Being LDS is a lifestyle and not like many other churches that do not demand members' time outside of a 45 minute service. The LDS lifestyle does and many members cannot correlate the two. Hometeaching is not a popular program and without constant support from such programs, people can more easily go inactive." Brother Nelson notes that other major cultural barriers to church growth include the widespread consumption of tea as a part of Chinese culture, as well as growing tobacco use in Asia.
Mark Kemsley notes that willingness to accept multiple religious philosophies simultaneously also poses challenges: "A Christian is a Christian is a Christian, but a Chinese person would have no problem rationalizing being Buddhist, Taoist and Christian at the same time. Their beliefs are non-exclusive, making it hard for them to accept the concept of a one-and-only 'true' gospel." Another major challenge will be "overcoming its stigma as an 'American religion' or even as an evil cult. The word 'Mormon' does not sound good in Chinese. (Muo men vs. Muo guei, which means 'Devil.') The official name of the Church in Chinese was recently changed from 'Last days' to 'later-period days' because it is a more acceptable term here." Brother Kemsley notes that the Book of Mormon has been re-translated into Chinese, and that the new translation now corrects problems with the old translation of the word "Mormon:" it is now "translated Muo Er Men rather than Muo Men. This is good because it now looks like a transliteration of an English word rather than a term with meaning itself."
RELIGION IN MAINLAND CHINA
With nearly 1.3 billion people -- one-fifth of the world's population -- China is the world's most populous nation. While China is officially an atheistic nation, there are certain religions that are recognized by the government, including Buddhism, Catholicism, a few Protestant groups, etc. However, recognized religions in China are not allowed to acknowledge allegiance to any foreign spiritual leader. For example, the Catholics in China do not answer to the Pope. Of course, the Chinese government mandates that it must approve (or in some cases, appoint) the leaders of the officially-recognized religions.
Most current estimates on the total number of Christians in China range between 90 million and 120 million. There is a Protestant house church movement in China which reportedly has been growing quite rapidly. Estimates of 20-40 million house church believers in China have been circulated, although of course I am not in a position to vouch for the reliability of that data. This movement, however, is illegal. Unregistered churches are routinely shut down and participants are jailed. Last month, the government substantially cut the number of bibles that registered Christian churches are allowed to publish nationwide, and Protestant groups note a major bible shortage. The number of pastors who can be trained is also sharply limited. In January, a Chinese pastor who had been sentenced to death for his activities was given a last-minute reprieve.
Some churches seem to be prospering in China, notwithstanding the above. The Seventh-Day Adventists have over 284,000 believers in 740 congregations across China and conduct humanitarian activities in China routinely. They seem to be growing in China at a rapid but sustained pace (10% a year on average -- well over 3 times the average LDS growth rate worldwide.) Interestingly, the Adventists -- who have protested loudly about the persecution of their believers in nations like Turkmenistan -- seem to be getting along quite nicely in China without much difficulty from the government. The extensive Adventist hospital, school, and humanitarian programs undoubtedly played a key role in winning respect and cooperation in China. The Adventists run over 5800 schools and 680 hospitals, clinics, and care centers around the world, and have rendered significant assistance to China.
Some may wonder why Latter-day Saints haven't received the same type of recognition in China as Adventists. Latter-day Saints do obey the law of the land, unlike many Protestant groups which boast of "Bible-smuggling" and engage in illegal proselytism. The LDS Church has engaged in extensive humanitarian and service activities benefitting China, although Latter-day Saints do not have the organized, long-term commitment to hospitals and schools of the Adventists. Latter-day Saints, too, could never give up acknowledging a foreign religious leader (the prophet) in order to achieve recognition. The introduction of foreign missionaries that are the mainstay of current LDS church growth efforts would definitely be unacceptable to the Chinese government. The Adventists have been able to achieve high growth largely though effective member-missionary efforts of self-sufficient local units in China and elsewhere, but the Adventists also achieve about 61% member participation in member-missionary efforts in the U.S., compared to about 26% LDS member-missionary participation, according to Barna's studies, or only 35% of active North American members, according to official missionary department research cited by Elder Ballard in the September 2000 Ensign. LDS member-missionary participation is only about 40% that of Pentecostals and Adventists, which explains to a great extent why our annual world growth rates have also been much lower (around 3% instead of 5-10%). To ever reach the church growth potential in nations like China and India, we will need more effective and more consistent member-missionary initiatives firmly grounded in the teachings of modern prophets like Presidents Kimball, Benson, and Hinckley.
FUTURE PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES
Brother Kemsley notes, "Elder Richard noted at a recent conference in China, 'People often ask me when China will be open to the missionaries. My question, is when will we be ready? If the current 60,000 missionaries were set loose in China, we may never find them. It's simply not enough people to handle the job.' He then quoted Elder Oaks' response to this that the only place we could find the missionaries in China would be in McDonald's on a Saturday evening."
As Elder Richard alluded, some of the most serious challenges for future LDS outreach are in the areas of mass outreach and convert retention. LDS missionary approaches have traditionally been geared towards interpersonal evangelism, and many MTC teachings presuppose a large infrastructure of existing members. Since the era of great proselytizers like Dan Jones, Brigham Young, and Wilford Woodruff, few missionaries -- or even mission presidents -- have made effective use of local mass media for sharing the gospel. While mass media was inexpensive and widely available in the early 1990s, such means were used for sharing the gospel only as infrequent events on a small scale in isolated locales. Mass media is not considered or addressed in Missionary Guide paradigms, and is therefore rarely used in the areas where it is most effective: in newly-opened areas with few existing members. Now, 13 years after the first missionaries entered Russia and Ukraine, some small-scale media efforts are planned, but at much greater expense and with less potential as it is populace that has already been inundated with other religious mass media for many years. Church growth has been modest in areas like the United States with such an infrastructure, however, the church has had great difficulty in fully utilizing opportunities for mass outreach, particularly in areas without large infrastructures of existing members. For example, LDS church growth outpaces the growth of Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States. However, in Russia and Ukraine, both Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses have outpaced the growth of Latter-day Saints in active membership by over an order of magnitude, in spite of the fact that there are many times more LDS missionaries than Adventist or JW missionaries in those countries. Much of the discrepancy is accounted for by cheaper and more effective methods of mass outreach used by Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses in those areas, mass literature campaigns, broadcast outreach, and careful strategic planning, as well as much higher rates of member-missionary involvement. LDS missionaries in some areas believe that contacting is "not effective" and contact only a handful of people each day, while other faiths reach thousands by well-coordinated tracting efforts and mass media. More consistent and effective usage of mass media, both at a mission level and at the level of individual missionaries, will be crucial for meeting the challenges of China.
Another challenge is that of quality-control for new converts being baptized. Mark Kemsley notes: "People are sometimes baptized so that they or the missionaries will not lose face. Chinese people are very polite to guests, and missionaries from more abrupt cultures sometimes misread this as interest in the gospel." Discerning true conviction from social politeness will be critical to avoid some of the difficulties with inactivity that have plagued LDS wards and branches in South America and Asia. With average LDS retention rates for new international converts of approximately 25%, many existing missions have experienced difficulty with rampant inactivity from the outset that has made it difficult to establish self-sufficient branches with solid leadership bases. In fact, many major cities in Eastern Europe have fewer LDS branches today than in 1994. Improving the teaching and consistently ensuring true pre-baptismal commitment will be vital to avoid past errors and develop a solid membership base from the outset.
If anything, an awareness of the internal challenges we face with our own missionary efforts inspires a sense of gratitude for the Lord's wisdom that Latter-day Saints are not yet to proselyte in mainland China. LDS missionary growth would be far outpaced by numerous other groups and the nation would be overrun with other faiths while Latter-day Saints are still getting out of doors. Only with careful planning and continuous quality improvement efforts, and only by following Spencer W. Kimball's admonition that "we must do things differently and better" (Regional Representative Seminar Address, Oct. 3, 1974), will there be any possibility for the full potential of LDS church growth to be met when the doors of China are opened. Clearly, we aren't ready yet.
Copyright 2002 Cumorah News Service