Many Chinese churches originate to serve recent Chinese immigrants arriving from
Greater China. Church services are usually conducted in
Cantonese,
Mandarin or other Chinese languages. With the growing numbers of children and youth, there is often an increased need for English-speaking programs to address subsequent generations.[1]
As with other ethnic churches, Chinese American churches raise concerns around "assimilation" into the broader European American context versus preserving Chinese identity, especially with subsequent generations. On one level, this revolves around the preservation of the
Chinese language.[2] In other respects, questions of assimilation relate to the loss of
Chinese culture, especially as found in
Confucianism.[1]
However, while the older generations tend to be less confident in English, many churches find themselves being "multi-congregational" by the fact that English-speaking younger generations are typically served under the same roof. According to this type of church organization and growth model, the problem occurs when the Chinese speaking congregation shrinks and leaves behind the larger non-Chinese speaking members. The failure to attract new members usually means the end of the church, especially when the original purpose of worship seems to be lost.[3] In addition to worship service, generally, churches also serve ministries in their local community context.
Notable churches
Boston Chinese Evangelical Church in Boston and Newtonville, Massachusetts
Bay Area Chinese Bible Church in Alameda, California
Chinese Bible Church Detroit in Farmington Hills, Michigan
^Tow, Fee Kee (2008). Training American-born Chinese pastors to minister in a predominantly Chinese bicultural church (PhD Dissertation). Asbury Theological Seminary.
ProQuest304814962.
^"OUR STORY". Presbyterian Church in Chinatown. Retrieved 3 April 2019.