BEIING, China — A survey carried out in recent months by leaders of the official Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) church in Beijing showed that house churches are multiplying in the city.
China’s Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) had asked TSPM leaders to collect the information from house church contacts.
The survey concluded there are at least 3,000 unregistered churches in the city.
Most are small fellowships with an average of 20 members, but larger groups meet on the outskirts of the city. House church leaders said groups usually divide when they reach 70 members in order to avoid trouble with the authorities.
Meanwhile, RAB officials say the construction of two new official church buildings will be completed by December 2004.
Some observers believe the provision of these churches is a move to encourage house church Christians to attend official services.
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