On January 4, 2018, the Jiangsu CCC&TSPM ordained 14 pastors, one curator, and seven elders in Huai'an, a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province. Four curates were promoted as pastors.
The church claimed that this marked the highest number of clergy ordained at one time in the history of the church in Huaian.
The gospel was introduced to the city in 1887, and an American Presbyterian preacher named Absalom Sydenstricker, the father of Pearl S. BucK, was the first missionary to share the gospel with local people.
Statistics collected in 1957 showed that there were 208 local churches and gatherings where 188 preachers served, including 11 pastors and 67 full-time preachers. The number of congregations reached 17,600.
After the policy of freedom of religious belief was implemented in the 1980s, the congregations grew. The local church has trained over 400 preachers.
- Translated by Karen Luo
