Written by Nicky Andrews

 

2021 was a watershed year for the UK’s  Chinese population - in response to major political changes in Hong Kong, the UK government launched the British Nationals (Overseas) (BNO) passport scheme. This has  enabled at least 200,000 people to resettle here to date; that is in addition  to the half-million people of Chinese heritage already living in the UK (2021 Census) and 100,000 students from mainland China in UK universities.

Many Chinese people are seeking out Chinese churches, whose leaders are working flat out to meet the pastoral needs of their growing congregations. With so much going on, Cheuk Chung Lau, then senior leader of OM in Hong Kong, sensed God’s call to follow his compatriots to Britain. Arriving in 2022, he now heads up the Chinese ministries team for OM in the UK.

In a two-part interview with Nicky Andrews, Cheuk Chung shares his vision: assisting hard-pressed pastors, promoting collaboration between Chinese churches and encouraging a broad missions mindset among Chinese believers - reaching out to make disciples beyond their own communities,  into all the world. There are great opportunities too for UK Christians, as individuals and churches, to embrace their Chinese family. Challenging and exciting times!

 

Nicky Andrews: Tell me about Chinese churches in the UK?

Cheuk Chung Lau: In overview, there are about 50 churches in the London area alone, with at least 150 more up and down the UK – geographically, the Chinese are the UK’s most widespread ethnic minority. And churches are really disparate, covering the whole spectrum of theology and leadership styles, most worshipping in Cantonese, others in Mandarin – some both!

Historically, there have been a few denominational structures but many Chinese churches have been small and low-profile, operating independently of each other and consisting largely of an earlier wave of Hong Kongers (HKers) who came to the UK in the 1960s and 70s.

What has changed?

Bible Society research in 2023* suggested that 25,000 newly-arrived HKers joined existing Chinese churches between 2021 and 2023: mostly younger folk holding BNO passports, and generally very politically aware. In contrast, the earlier generation of HKers were largely economic migrants, with whom ‘talking politics’ in church doesn’t sit well. Conflicting priorities rather ‘rocked the boat’ in many congregations; some BNO arrivals were even leaving them to start churches for their own very specific demographic.

Politics is maybe less of an emphasis now, as ‘new’ people have to grapple with finding homes, jobs, schools, adapting to British culture etc. But while I see the Chinese church scene as stabilising over the past two-three years, it is still fragmented. My longing is our churches live out Scriptures like John 17:23 and Colossians 3: 11-14 which call for unity in love before the world, Christ being all, and in all.

We have such a big mission field here in the UK and in Europe these days among both our own people and the least reached from other backgrounds. I’d love to see Chinese churches increasingly stepping up into cross-cultural missions in the UK and abroad, being revitalised by building the Kingdom. It’s a potential which really excites me and my colleagues in OM’s Chinese team here in the UK.

[* “Bible and the Chinese Community in Britain (BCCB) project”  (2023) British & Foreign Bible Society and the London School of Theology]

How is OM involved with UK Chinese churches?

OM follows a church-planting cycle of evangelism, making disciples, gathering as a body, building up leaders then growing new churches. Our team is a half-dozen people (most are like me with a HK missions background) dotted round the UK who focus on support for pastors. Historically, Chinese church leaders have been trained to concentrate specifically on church members’ pastoral needs, and Chinese people tend to have high expectations of what ‘the pastor’ does. For churches with an influx of new members, whether from HK or China, pastors are now running to stand still which inevitably takes a big toll on them.

As a team we are building ‘helping’ relationships with a handful of pastors each, ready to walk alongside them with friendship and counsel, taking services etc. We also run online workshops and seminars which gather pastors together and promote inter-church connections for mutual support.

Do you work directly with congregations too?

For the half-dozen churches whose leaders I’m personally supporting, I visit and take two services a year and at the same time offer additional workshops to ‘make a weekend of it’ for the whole church. That’s about developing a shift in culture over time, envisioning every member in their personal discipleship. One aspect is gradually helping them feel more confident in supporting each pastorally. That’s biblical, and going forwards could reduce the pressure on ‘the pastor’ too, if he/she can master the art of delegation, and leadership structures flex to allow that.

And when individuals grow in personal discipleship, their churches are more effective when they engage in intra-cultural outreach. That used to be primarily through special concerts or services taken by a visiting foreign evangelist, maybe from Malaysia or Hong Kong. Nowadays we encourage churches to use the Alpha Course as an outreach tool amongst other Chinese since the latest versions come in Chinese languages and are specifically made for east Asian peoples and cultures. These are far more relatable than the standard UK edition and also work well because they offer a broad theological base.

What about cross-cultural missions in the UK?

Looking beyond our own diaspora, Chinese churches with more English-speakers may want to engage directly with their local communities. If they’re not sure where to start, OM can provide training on giving a simple testimony in English or low-key evangelism tools like surveys, and we will go out with a church and help them make first contacts and follow-up.

And in OM we can help people in a practical way to  see that ‘the world’ is on their doorstep right here. For example, it’s been a joy to introduce folk from Chinese churches in north London to OM’s local ministries amongst Turkish-speaking people and see them start getting involved in joint outreach and prayer. As an organisation we so value partnering with churches. We need their support!

…and abroad?

This is the other aspect we major on as a team when connecting with churches. It’s my passion that Chinese believers grasp how cross-cultural mission is expressing God’s love for all mankind, and is at His very heart – it is not something complicated for ‘experts’, requiring huge logistics. Those assumptions have deterred many churches in the past from any involvement, and kept them inward-looking.

So on my church workshops, I’m also exploring how involvement starts with small steps like regular prayer for a particular country or missions worker. Everyone can do this! And the next easy step is a church committing 5 or 10 per cent of its finances to supporting missions.

I also encourage people to see Europe as a modern-day mission field where English-speaking Chinese in particular can make a significant contribution. And I emphasise it’s not expensive to join an OM short-term outreach in Eastern Europe for a week! In summer 2025 I took one church group to OM in Poland to serve Ukrainian refugees, and another church is going there this year. That’s a great start.

 

Tomorrow Cheuk Chung shares more about OM’s role in building up Chinese churches in the UK, including some special events happening around the Logos Hope visits in London and Liverpool, and TeenStreet, OM’s youth discipleship movement. He also suggests ways that individuals and churches can build relationships with local Chinese people and congregations.