Lutheran Church of China
[1]: 16 The church survived as an organised body after the Chinese Communist Revolution but was absorbed into the state-backed Three-Self Patriotic Movement.
[2] Karl Gützlaff (also known by his Chinese name, 郭實臘 or Guō Shílà in Pinyin) is generally regarded as the first Lutheran missionary to China.
[2]: v–vii The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 and other experiences acted as an impetus to encourage the various Lutheran bodies to unite into a single organisation to effectively work in China.
While there was a general agreement that Lutheran unity be achieved, practical concerns such as the linguistic differences of the mission fields, the diverse national backgrounds of the missionaries, and a poor nationwide transportation system were voiced.
It was agreed that union should be sought by first adopting the name Xinyi (信義), meaning Faith and Righteousness, to emphasise Luther's doctrine of justification by faith; union would be achieved first in the field of literature and education and that the five mission bodies working in the central Chinese provinces would spearhead the creation of a united Lutheran body.
The result of this consultation was the creation of a Union Lutheran Conference (ULC) which was mandated to follow up and implement the proposals of unity that had been discussed.
Later, during the communist era, this separate mission ceased organized activity, and its church workers set up operations in Hong Kong instead.
The united Lutheran Church of China was formally established on August 22, 1920, in Jigongshan, Henan, and the first General Assembly of the LCC was also convened there.
The Lutheran College that had been promised by the Church of Sweden during the previous assembly was located there together with other institutions of the LCC because it was the working base of both the Norwegian Missionary Society and the Xiangzhong Synod.
This was in view of the growing revivalist movement in China marked by the ministries of individuals like John Sung, Wang Mingdao, and others that had affected many Lutheran churches both positively and negatively.
Far-reaching plans were made, including the release of a statement on social issues from a Lutheran perspective, the establishing of a Youth Committee, and the expansion of theological training and literature work.
Tao Fong Shan has been the centre of the Christian Mission to Buddhists (道友會) since 1930 and was also the temporary campus of the Lutheran Theological Seminary after its evacuation from Shekou on December 1, 1948.
In this meeting, it was decided that:[20] This episode effectively ended the existence of the LCC as an entity in China and by 1958, the TLCC was also abolished with the introduction of union worship and imposition of "post-denominationalism" by the Three-Self Patriotic Movement.
Although the LCC lasted only 30 years as an organised entity in China, its legacy to the development of Lutheranism in East Asia has been substantial.
Many Lutheran Churches in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore trace their beginnings to the work and missions of the LCC.
