The World Council of Churches’ (WCC) executive committee sponsored a gathering in November with the Chinese Christian Council. The World Council of Churches is one of the partners supported by the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund apportionment.
The WCC executive committee is convened in Hangzhou, China embarking on both a business agenda and a pilgrimage encounter with the people and churches in Hangzhou, China, exploring the theme of “Christ, culture, and context.”
In a reflection offered during the opening prayer Rev. Dr Manhong Lin, general secretary and vice president of the China Christian Council, spoke on the theme “Women Bearing Witness to Hope.”
Those gathered observed Thursdays in Black, the global campaign for a world free from rape and violence.
Women Have Their Own Witness
“Women have borne such witness to hope across nearly all walks of life in countless ways, contributing greatly to human development,” said Lin, who is also a professor and doctoral advisor of Christian Ethics at the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary. “In China, for example, women account for 43% of the total employed population and 45.8% of scientific and technological professionals.”
Lin noted that Chinese women have made outstanding contributions in fields like aerospace, biomedicine, ocean expeditions, and artificial intelligence. “Women have also excelled in sports: women athletes have won over 60% of medals for China in the past four Summer Olympic Games,” she said. “In 2024, female students made up more than half of the total student population in higher education in China.”
Lin also said that, within Chinese churches, women hold leadership roles in seminaries and congregations.
“Of all ordained pastors, 42% are women, and numerous women serve as elders, deacons, and volunteers in church ministry,” she said, yet also noted: “For many women worldwide, even sustaining basic survival is a struggle—let alone living a normal, decent life or enjoying gender equality.”
The church in China has taken significant steps to promote gender equality, she said.
Advancing Women’s Causes Makes Historic Progress
“After years of hard work, China has achieved historic progress in advancing women’s causes, lifting 690 million women out of poverty and meeting the poverty reduction targets of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ahead of schedule,” she said. “The average life expectancy of women in China has risen to 80.9 years in 2025, and women’s overall health has improved significantly.”
Lin reflected that love is God’s highest attribute. “God creates and sustains the world through love, so Christian love must be expressed in loving all people, including those of different faiths and of no religious faith,” she said. "When people have love, compassion and kindness, they are more likely to be willing to respect differences in tradition, culture, race, ethnicity, religion, and ideology—rather than seeking to ignore, criticize, or diminish those differences.”
WCC leaders were welcomed by the vibrant church in China, meeting with the China Christian Council, and visited the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, Amity Printing, Amity Foundation, and viewed pilot projects on green energy.
How Can You Help?
Your support of the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund apportionment allows our ecumenical partners around the world to speak out against atrocities such as war and poverty for those who don’t have a voice. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund apportionment at 100 percent.
World Council of Churches website
This story shows the impact of the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund—one of seven apportionment funds of The United Methodist Church—to foster unity and shared witness among Christians worldwide. Through this fund, the Church participates in ecumenical partnerships, interfaith dialogues, and collaborative ministries that extend the reach of the Gospel. Together, we model Christ’s prayer that all may be one.
When your church supports the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund, you help The United Methodist Church build bridges of faith and partnership across the global Church.
