Group of 17 examines work in China

China Educational Exchange is now called Mennonite Partners in China.

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A report issued after a China Study Tour last fall urges continued partnership with Chinese church leaders and the expansion of the Chinese Educational Exchange program. Since the trip, CEE has been renamed Mennonite Partners in China.

“We are deeply convinced that China and the church in China will play an increasingly important role in the emerging world and in ecumenical relationships,” wrote Carl Redekop and John A. Lapp in the group’s report released Dec. 24, 2006.

Led by Mennonite Partners in China director Myrrl Byler, the three-week trip included 17 retired teachers, spouses, a physician and an artist from five U.S. states—none of whom were sponsored by or directly representing any organization. The trip was jointly-sponsored by Mennonite Partners in China and the Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society.

“We went to China, as this remarkable people is becoming increasingly influential in our world. We wanted to see CEE at work. We were interested in deepening our understanding of the substantial changes in Chinese life, and above all, we wanted to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches in China,” said the report.

Mennonite Partners in China carries out projects with Chinese partners in educational institutions, local government organizations. Study Tour participants met with six Chinese church leaders and scholars in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai. There they found a growing interest in religious studies and a readiness to explore the history and contribution of Christianity in China.

“We feel this context offers an unusual opportunity for conversation and dialogue,” said participants. “In our conversations with Chinese Christians we felt their passionate commitment to be a postdenominational church. We do not understand the fullness of what this means or its implications for the church beyond China.

Participants urged new and creative ways for church agencies to interact with Chinese agencies, modeled on mutuality and partnership.

“This suggests giving those working in China freedom to relate in a collegial way, moving from a giving/serving role to a learning/receiving role. Mutuality should be our essential mark in mission.”

According to the report, this already exists. “We wish to express fully our enthusiasm for the work of CEE,” participants said. “Both leaders and staff impressed us with their competence, spiritual motivation, cultural sensitivity and above all with the quality and extent of their relationships.”

Several factors that contribute to this growing enthusiasm include China’s increasingly open political climate. “We quickly discovered the radical change going on in China. We were overwhelmed with the frenetic building boom and growing consumerism. We heard virtually no comments on Maoism or Communist ideology.”

The churches in China struggle with questions regarding identity and calling. However, the Mennonite tradition of “alternative approaches to being church” situates it well in relating to Chinese churches, said the report.—Sarah Roth, an intern this semester at The Mennonite

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Additional Notes

Sarah Roth, an intern this semester at The Mennonite