Chinese Christians face bureaucratic obstacles

YONGQING, China — About 50,000 Protestant churches and meeting points have been officially registered with the Chinese government. However, opposition, corruption and bureaucratic regulations are all hurdles which Christians must overcome if they desire to open a legally recognized place of worship.

In a recent letter from Hebei province, a young church worker recounted his difficulty in acquiring official permission. “To date, I have approached the government more than 20 times, but they have still not agreed to issue a registration certificate. I now have more than 50 believers here ready to form a church. We want to re-open the old church that was formerly open here, but the government does not respond. So I have given 10 rooms of my own home and the courtyard to be the definite venue for our church meetings.”