 | This articlemay be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia'slayout guidelines. Please help byediting the article to make improvements to the overall structure.(June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Chinese American church refers toChristian churches in theUnited States made up of predominantlyethnic Chinese congregations. The term is primary used to describe certain Protestant congregations found in large American cities, with a majority Chinese membership, and who typically offer bilingual services in both English and Chinese.
Most Chinese American churches belong to non-ethnic denominations, or are non-denominational. A significant number of them areBaptist and/or refer to themselves as “bible churches”. Chinese American churches tend to be conservativeEvangelical Protestant bodies, following some variation ofReformed theology.[1]
Many Chinese churches originate to serve recent Chinese immigrants arriving fromGreater China. Church services are usually conducted inCantonese,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.[2]
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 theChinese language.[3] In other respects, questions of assimilation relate to the loss ofChinese culture, especially as found inConfucianism.[2]
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.[4] In addition to worship service, generally, churches also serve ministries in their local community context.