Chinese Christian community and network in Germany

Jie Kang

Chinese Christian fellowships in Germany can be seen as significant strands of the transnational ethnic Chinese Christian network or diaspora covering Southeast Asia, North America and Europe. This consists of overseas Chinese, Hongkongese and Taiwanese Christians who have been establishing a Christian network outside China. Their aim is to convert mainland Chinese living abroad, with the intention that the converts would eventually return to China and themselves become seeds of Christianity. Chinese speaking Christians have in this way established a Christian network connecting North America and Europe in which Hongkong and Taiwanese churches are involved. The project explores the nature of the connections between North America and Europe of the Christian network? How do they understand their identity in relation to China or in being Chinese? Moreover, the network of North American/European/South East Asian Chinese Christians not only have little connection with the Chinese mainland Christian church but also differ from the Chinese mainland mission. The project, therefore, compares two Christian networks and their mission by asking to what extent they are different and why. Is it because of different social-political contexts or it is based on different theological and biblical training of church leaders who practice a different church governance and organizational system? Or is it perhaps that Chinese House Church Protestantism can be seen as at an ‘early stage’ of Christianity compared with overseas Chinese groups  influenced by longer established Western Christian versions?