INTRODUCTION

In chapter 2 we described the atmosphere and organization of urban TSPM churches, based on observation in cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. We may call these the show cases of the official church, and not in any pejorative sense. They are stable centres for mainstream Protestantism and offer numerous services to the members of their congregations. In their upper echelons are the personnel responsible for the political activities of the TSPM and relations with the local and national government, although little of this is apparent to ordinary believers who come to church as a place of worship. These churches are also the most accessible to foreign visitors, and many of them have personnel specially designated to help overseas guests who provide hymnals, find seats and offer to interpret. Quite often foreigners are invited to meet church workers after a service, and many have been touched by the warmth with which they were received.

Such churches, despite their influence in the large cities, are a tiny number compared to the Christian communities in China. They are to be found only in the municipalities, provincial capitals and a few other affluent cities, mostly on the coast: in the whole of China they perhaps number only around a hundred. They reflect the prosperity and high educational and cultural standards that have been achieved; but these cities are also the most closely controlled by the CCP and its agencies, and the careful political supervision is extended to religious institutions.