Withdrawal of OMF from China

The following is the Appendix of the book “Under His Wings: The Life Story of Water and Helen Jespersen” by Agnus Lawless. It is an excellent article regarding the stability of the church in China even during the Communist takeover. Dr. Glasser writes as follows.

Withdrawal of OMF from China

Appendix A (pages 247-249) from, Under His Wings
By Arthur F. Glasser

Walter and Helen Jespersen left China almost a year and a half after Chairman Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong) established the People's Republican October It, 1949. At that time, only a few missionaries remained) in China. They were either in jail, under house arrest, struggling to secure exit permits, or overlooked by Chinese officials because they were working in remote non-Chinese areas.

This was a far cry from 1926 when more than eight thousand Protestant missionaries in China had founded and subsidized schools, medical facilities, and emerging churches. Fortunately, the China Inland Mission established an indigenous church movement free from dependence on Western finance and direction. Even so, by 1965, the Communist authorities had seen to it that nothing of this Western presence remained. Not a single indigenous Chinese congregation was functioning. Most national Christians had gone underground to survive. Indeed, "the sufferings of this period have had few parallels in the entire history of the Christian Church" (Lambert 1994:25). Government terror against all religious activity lessened in 1976, following Mao's death. Then began the ''undreamed of reversal of government policy toward religion," even though the government retained exclusive authority over all centers of political, financial, and social control.

This strange paradox continues - the Communist control of China and the amazing turning of many Chinese people to Christ. First, the failure of Mao's vision destroyed people's faith in Maoism. Then into this unprecedented situation, "the deeply personal experience of the Christian faith enabled many Christians to reach out in love to their neighbors. Freed from Western forms and traditions, the Christian message in its biblical simplicity took on new life and meaning, as it was spread by the lives and words of ordinary Christians" (1994:19). Today this evangelical movement far exceeds in sheer size almost every other comparable movement in a major country in the world with the possible exception of the United States (1994:289). And yet China's political leaders continue to treat this movement with hostility, imprisonment, even violence.

When will this period of protracted suffering for religious reasons finally end? Scripture predicts an unprecedented response to the Christian faith prior to Christ's second coming. The harvest will take place in all parts of the world (see Joel 2:32; Matt. 24:14; Luke 12:3637; James 5:7-8; Rev. 7:9) despite what Satan and his human cohorts do to prevent such gatherings.

While scholars have been writing on the resurrection of the Christian movement and its subsequent amazing growth particularly after 1976, a wonderful resurrection also took place within the China Inland Mission following its total exodus from China in 1951. After the homeside rehabilitation of many younger members, couples like the Jespersens could not believe that their missionary service had ended. Most were reluctant to close down the worldwide fellowship and structure of the CIM. They soon raised questions: "China has been closed to us. But why should not our leaders call us to move out to other unevangelized areas in the world? Surely, God wants us to utilize the experience we gained over the years' in China." This growing concern led to much prayer and discussion. God began to draw their leaders to reflect on East Asians-among the least evangelized people in the world-and the Overseas Missionary Fellowship was formed "to glorify God by the urgent evangelization of East Asia's millions."

In contrast to China's 1.3 billion (20 to 50 percent Buddhists), East Asians constitute almost one billion (50 to 90 percent) Buddhists and exist in two thousand separate unreached people groups. Quite naturally, the Jespersens responded to this new opportunity to serve the Lord. Largely for Helen's health, their new assignment was not in East Asia but in western Canada and the northwestern states of the U.S. as representatives of the OMP.

In spite of persecution, the phenomenal growth of Christians in China largely dominated Jespersens' thoughts and prayers. But what seemed most significant were increasing reports of a missionary concern among young, recently converted Chinese Christians. Moreover, about 60 million Chinese were scattered in more than sixty countries around the world. At present, "about 10 percent of the 170,000 Chinese scholars currently residing in North America have become Christians," and "by 1998 there were at least 8,000 Chinese churches in more than 50 countries of the world" (Perspectives 1999: #93 Wang/Chan, pp. 641-645).

Furthermore, it is estimated that by 2030, China will become a superpower. Then follows the growing vision of not a few Chinese Christian scholars: "Shall we dare to believe that someday China may become a Christian nation?" They expect that China will have ideological pluralism and religious freedom and are urging their fellow Christians even now to "prepare for that day when China relaxes all restrictions on religious activities and opens its door for missionaries-both to be received and to be sent to the rest of the world" (641-645).
Has the Christian movement within the largest segment of the human race at long last come of age despite unimaginable suffering? Is its task now to call all God's people to follow fully the example of Jesus Christ and with him to carry to completion his missionary purpose?

This brings us back to the Jespersens. Their story includes unwavering loyalty to Christ, unquestioning acceptance of his Word, much patience and perseverance in prayer- and faith - and always the willingness, despite suffering, to face the cross and embrace its implications fully. Do we not all need a fresh release from self-serving materialism and a renewed determination to do the will of God and to love our neighbors as ourselves? Thank God for Walter and Helen's consistent example of missionary obedience and their genuine love of all neighbors. And let us never forget that we live in demanding days, with always the prospect of ultimate expectations tomorrow.

Arthur F. Glasser
Overseas Missionary Fellowship