Partners: Who we are

what has happened | teaching and studying | our history | current year | the Chinese church

China Partners was begun by a team of three people in 1996. Their desire was to reach college students with the gospel and change the nation. We went first to a poor, heavily polluted, backwater industrial city that was less than 1% Christian, but at the same time was a regional transportation hub starting to be transformed by the forces changing China's coastal regions. Over time we have lived and invested in six different ministry sites in two cities. We have witnessed a rapid change in student background and culture, through a time when China has more than doubled the numbers of its college student enrollment.

1996-1998 were groundbreaking years - years of exciting possibilities, experimentation, encouraging successes, discouraging mistakes and plain old survival. Crucial steps: arriving in China, being faithful and surviving.
1998-2000 were formational years - years of developing a team culture, learning how to love each other, and defining ourselves and our work. Crucial steps: failing in one attempt to train Chinese leaders, and getting back up to succeed the next time, planting a church in partnership with a native teacher.
2000-2002 were flourishing years - years of reaping what we'd sown in ministry, booming staff numbers, new successes… Crucial steps: embracing six new staff in one year, and overcoming obstacles to living in Chinese homes as language students.
2002-2006 were refining years - years of defining our vision, a maturing and changing team culture (we're not all single any more!), and embracing broad new doors in partnership. Crucial steps: maturing in the Holy Spirit, overcoming an internal crisis and continuing to stretch into multiple new ministry partnerships. We celebrated 10 years by blessing the now-flourishing Chinese ministry at our longest-running ministry site, phasing out and moving on to new place.