The opportunities remain significant for the church and international student ministries to reach and disciple Chinese students and scholars, the majority of whom (about 80 percent) will go back to China.
We long to see returnees not just survive their transition home, but return well, engage with and get involved in the local church, and be ambassadors for Christ to their families, friends, colleagues, and the world.
Returnee ministry is clearly for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) and stands as a God-given opportunity in this generation. We thank the Lord that we can have a part in witnessing his marvelous work.
Jesus Christ is the true hope of Christian returnees who have experienced loneliness, who have struggled to save themselves, and who have faced disappointments and despair.
Onesimus went back to Colossae as a powerful agent of change, demonstrating the gospel’s power to redeem and break down barriers. May those returning to China from around the world also be used powerfully for God’s kingdom.
In truth, it is always easier to run away than to face challenges but fleeing from difficulties is not God's will. I thank the Lord for protecting and keeping me in my work and in helping me find a church, and for giving me confidence and joy to rebuild my life.
It is important for returnee Christians to ask God for wisdom as they follow Peter’s admonition to early Christians who were struggling: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
We know that our love for God, for his kingdom in China, and for returning Chinese Christians demands that we equip our returnees with all that they need to remain faithful to Jesus.
![A young Chinese man reads the Bible sitting outside. May we welcome [Chinese international students], love them, teach them about Jesus, and disciple those who believe. May we prepare them well to return and may the churches in China prepare well to receive them.](https://media.chinasource.org/uploads/2024/12/QAR-2024-04-CSP-9-ChinaSource-Chinese-Christianity-Returnees-International-Students-Sino-US-Relations-300x150.jpg)
May we welcome [Chinese international students], love them, teach them about Jesus, and disciple those who believe. May we prepare them well to return and may the churches in China prepare well to receive them.
Check out the books in the Resource Corner to help the returnees and returnee ministries in your life.
Guangxiao Church and Zion Church, two of Guangzhou’s leading and historical churches, are pioneering youth-focused outreach efforts to counter the decline in youth attendance. To attract them to the church, the two churches offer various youth-centered activities, including a "Faith Pharmacy," comic exhibitions, and storytelling sessions.
I was born in a Christian family and my grandma is a faithful Christian. She likes reading the Bible in the afternoon even though she only has a primary school education. At that age, I couldn’t understand what this meant to me, but seeds of faith were planted in my heart though I didn’t know it yet.