Today, many Chinese engage in WeChat commerce or social commerce and direct sales to make money. Are missionaries decent to join this group?
We need to know first the identity of missionaries. Similar to priests and prophets serving God in the Old Testament, they are God's full-time servants. They are required to concentrate on preaching and prayer in life. Therefore, I do not agree that missionaries join WeChat commerce.
Then how do a preacher make a living? In the Old Testament, God decreed that priests from the tribe of Levi serving in the temple be supported by people who owns the property (such as land.)
Missionaries today are like Levites. In China's context, though they should be supported by the church, they often struggle with poverty because the church believes that missionaries should live a poor life in pride. To survive and support their family, they have to try to make money by themselves. WeChat business and direct sales models are suitable for them for they have good relationships.
In Mainland China, many qualified missionaries are doing part-time or full-time business. On the other hand, a large number of volunteer missionaries or church leaders without degrees are serving the church in faith and out of their love for Christ.
Is the Chinese Church rich enough to support missionaries so that they do not need to worry about survival and just concentrate on preaching?
God's grace is enough; but, China lacks a headquarters for these missionaries to manage and supervise financing work for the many churches in the country, some of which are richer than others.
If some trustworthy institution would take it over the financial aspect of the churches, I think many churches should share their financial resources together in doing the mission and assist their workers and volunteers. At the same time, the church should support only the full-time missionaries who are not greedy so that missionaries can do God's work in security and dignity in this secular world where people worship money rather than support those who are just doing God's mission for profit.
Translated by Alvin Zhou
