Bay Area Chinese Churches Project - Phase 2

THE BAY AREA CHINESE CHURCHES RESEARCH PROJECT will document and describe Christian ministry and outreach to the Chinese in six Bay Area Counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin. The study will cover both evangelical and mainline churches, those denominationally connected as well as those that are independent.

THIS PROJECT BUILDS ON AN EARLIER STUDY completed in 1996, which documented the growth of Chinese Protestant congregations in the five Bay Area counties from 1955 through the middle of 1996.   During that period, the number of Chinese Protestant congregations grew from 15 to 158.

NOW, TEN YEARS LATER , we are revisiting these churches to update their profiles, add profiles of new congregations that have been formed since 1996, and assess the present situation.

AS PROFILES ARE UPDATED FOR EACH AREA, we will work with pastors and lay leaders to convene a CONSULTATION, to share our findings and observations, and to invite input and dialogue. The first such consultation was held on January 13, 2007, for the churches in the greater Chinatown area of San Francisco.   We anticipate that process will take us through 2008.

A COMPLETE REPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF THE STUDY.    At the present time, we expect the report to be augmented by short articles dealing with various issues related to Christian mission and ministry to the Chinese in the Bay Area.