I graduated from China’s house church Wilderness Theology and have been engaged in the work of Wilderness Theology. In 1997, our first   graduating class of Wilderness Theology in southern China took this commemorative photo. It is indeed a very precious photograph.
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“Wilderness theology in China” can be understood as a theological reflection that connects the biblical theme of the “wilderness” with the long experience of marginalization, pressure, lack of resources, migration, waiting, and perseverance in faith experienced by the Chinese church, especially house churches.

The wilderness in the Bible is not merely a “place of suffering”. It is also a place of testing, formation, provision, revelation, and being sent out again. The Israelites learned to depend on God in the wilderness; Moses was called in the wilderness; Elijah experienced weakness and provision in the wilderness; John the Baptist prepared the way in the wilderness; Jesus also entered the wilderness to be tempted. Therefore, the core of “wilderness theology” is not to sanctify suffering itself, but to consider this: when familiar institutions, resources, security, and paths are no longer reliable, how can the church learn to depend more deeply on God and rediscover its identity and mission.

Placed within the context of the Chinese church, this can be understood from several aspects:

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The wilderness is a place where identity is reshaped. The church no longer primarily relies on buildings, size, social status, or external resources to prove itself, but returns to the question of “Who are we”: we are first and foremost a community that belongs to Christ.

The wilderness is a place of learning dependence. When resources are limited, conditions for gathering change, and ministry is restricted, the church faces a question more directly: Where does our sense of security ultimately come from—from institutions, relationships, and resources, or from God’s provision and guidance.

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The wilderness is also a place where the church becomes decentralized. When large-scale, fixed, centralized models are restricted, faith may return more to homes, small groups, discipleship, and daily life. In this respect, it resonates in some way with the tradition of the early church gathering in homes.

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The wilderness is not a permanent destination. In the Bible, the wilderness is usually a stage, not the endpoint. Its purpose is not to keep people forever within a narrative of suffering, but to lead them, after being formed, more clearly into mission. Therefore, the Chinese church cannot establish only a “theology of suffering”; it also needs to develop a “theology of sending”, a “theology of hope”, and a “theology of public witness”.

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The church in the wilderness still belongs to the universal body of Christ. In times of difficulty, the Chinese church receives prayer, Bibles, training, and support from overseas churches, organizations, and brothers and sisters, which can be understood as a form of “manna”-like provision in the wilderness. At the same time, a mature wilderness theology will also emphasize that the Chinese church cannot understand itself merely as a recipient of help; it should also become one that blesses churches in other regions.

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If condensed into one sentence, it could be put this way:

Wilderness theology in China is the Chinese church learning, amid pressure, scarcity, and uncertainty, to define itself by Christ rather than by circumstances, to sustain its mission by faith rather than by resources, and to be formed in the wilderness into a church that is more humble, more resilient, and more deeply loving toward one another.

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The Wilderness Theology of China’s House Churches

I. What Is “Wilderness Theology”
In the Bible, “wilderness” is never merely a geographical concept.

The wilderness means lack, loneliness, testing, and uncertainty, but it also means waiting, provision, revelation, formation, and renewal. Many important spiritual events took place in the wilderness.

After the Israelites left Egypt, they did not immediately enter the Promised Land, but instead underwent a long process of formation in the wilderness. Moses was prepared in the wilderness and received his calling there. Elijah experienced weakness in the wilderness, and there he also experienced God’s provision. John the Baptist proclaimed a message of repentance in the wilderness. Before beginning His public ministry, Jesus also entered the wilderness to undergo temptation.

Therefore, in the Bible, the wilderness is not a place where God is absent.

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Very often, the wilderness instead becomes the place where a person or a community comes to know God most deeply.

“Wilderness theology” begins with this biblical picture and reflects on one question:

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When circumstances lose their stability, resources become limited, and the way becomes difficult, how does God shape His people?

For China’s house churches, this question has particular practical significance.

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2. The Wilderness Is First of All a Place Where Identity Is Reshaped
The Israelites lived in Egypt for hundreds of years.

Although Egypt brought them slavery, it also represented a familiar way of life. After leaving Egypt, they suddenly lost the familiar systems, order, and security.

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Then the wilderness brought forth a fundamental question:

Who are you, after all?

This is one of the most important questions of wilderness theology.

The same is true for the church.

A church can easily define itself by external conditions:

How many people are there, how large is the meeting place, how many resources are there, how many co-workers are there, and how much social influence does it have.

But when these external conditions change, the church is forced to rethink:

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If we do not have these things, are we still the church?

The Bible’s answer is yes.

The church’s most fundamental identity does not come from buildings, size, or social recognition, but from Jesus Christ.

The church is first and foremost a community called out by Christ, the body of Christ, and the people of God.

Therefore, the wilderness experience of China’s house churches can serve as a spiritual reminder:

Our identity cannot be built on circumstances; it can only be built on Christ.

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3. The Wilderness Teaches the Church to Learn “Dependence” Again
One of the most important lessons the Israelites learned in the wilderness was manna.

They could not store up enough food to last for several years at a time.

Every day when they woke up, they had to learn again to trust that God would still provide that day.

This kind of life is extremely contrary to the human sense of security.

People want to control the future.

We want to know what resources will be available next year, what security there will be in the future, and how circumstances will change.

But faith in the wilderness is a kind of “daily faith.”

As the Lord’s Prayer says:

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

At many stages, Chinese house churches have also experienced similar lessons.

Resources may be limited, the environment for gatherings may change, and ministry plans may need to be adjusted at any time.

These difficulties themselves are not things worth glorifying.

Christian faith does not romanticize suffering.

But when difficulties truly exist, the church can learn an extremely precious lesson through them:

What, ultimately, are we relying on?

Funding?

A venue?

A particular leader?

A certain fixed model?

Or God Himself?

The wilderness continually dismantles people’s false sense of security, so that they can learn true trust again.

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4. The Wilderness Brings the Church Back from “Bigness” to “Life”
It is easy for the church to pursue visible results.

Growth in numbers, expansion of buildings, institutional development, and increased influence are not necessarily problems in themselves.

But the wilderness forces the church to rethink:

If we cannot become bigger, can we still go deeper?

If we cannot expand publicly, can we still faithfully shepherd one life?

If large gatherings become difficult, can we still build disciples through families, small groups, and person-to-person relationships?

From this perspective, some of the characteristics that Chinese house churches have developed over the years carry deep spiritual significance.

Home gatherings, small-group relationships, life-on-life accompaniment, personal evangelism, and discipleship may not be as conspicuous as large institutions, yet they may be closer to the church’s most basic form.

The early church itself often gathered in homes.

Therefore, the wilderness sometimes does not cause the church to stop growing, but changes the way it grows.

The church can move from “growth in size” back to “growth in life.”

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5. The Wilderness Teaches the Church to Care for One Another
In times of prosperity, it is easy for people to become independent.

But in the wilderness, people come to understand more deeply that they need one another.

The Israelites in the wilderness did not walk alone, but journeyed forward together as a community.

Likewise, the wilderness of the church reminds us:

No church can exist completely independently.

We need to pray for one another, support one another, correct one another, and bear one another’s burdens.

This also helps us understand more deeply “the body of Christ.”

The body of Christ transcends nations, languages, cultures, and regions.

When the Chinese church receives intercession, Bibles, training, and assistance from churches in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, or other regions, we can see an important spiritual reality in this:

There is only one body of Christ.

When one member suffers, the other members suffer together.

When one member receives comfort, the whole body receives comfort.

Therefore, external support for the Chinese church should not be understood merely as charity or resource assistance.

Theologically speaking, it is also an expression of the members of Christ’s body caring for one another.

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6. The Wilderness Cannot Become the Church’s Self-Glorification
Here we must also be very careful.

A church that has experienced hardship for a long time can easily develop a dangerous tendency:

To regard suffering itself as a form of spiritual superiority.

As though the more hardship one experiences, the more spiritual one must be.

As though having experienced persecution automatically means that one’s faith is correct.

The Bible does not teach this.

Suffering itself cannot prove that a person is right.

Difficult circumstances cannot replace repentance, holiness, truth, and love.

Therefore, a mature theology of the wilderness cannot only say:

“How much suffering have we endured.”

Instead, we should continue to ask:

Have these experiences made us more like Christ?

Have they made us more humble?

Have they made us love one another more?

Have they made us more willing to forgive?

Have they made church leaders more vigilant in confronting power and pride?

If suffering has only made us angry, closed off, and self-righteous, then perhaps the lesson of the wilderness has not yet been completed.

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7. The Wilderness Is Not the Destination
The destination of the Israelites was not the wilderness.

God brought them out of Egypt, and it was not so that they would wander forever.

The wilderness is the road, not the destination.

This is very important for Chinese house churches.

We cannot define ourselves forever only as a “suffering church.”

The Chinese church must think further:

After all these years of shaping, what kind of church does God ultimately want us to become?

Perhaps the most important mission of the Chinese church in the future is not merely survival.

But sending.

Not merely receiving help.

But becoming a church that helps others.

Not merely receiving missions.

But participating in global missions.

Not merely having the world pray for the Chinese church.

But also having the Chinese church pray for the world.

This is the more complete mission after the wilderness.

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8. From “Those Who Are Helped” to “Those Who Become a Blessing”
Over the past several decades, Chinese house churches have received much help from churches overseas.

Bibles, theological books, training, missions experience, financial support, and long-term intercession have all been important blessings.

We should be grateful.

But a mature church cannot remain forever at the stage of “receiving help.”

God gives grace so that those who receive grace may also become channels of grace.

Therefore, the Chinese church needs to ask in the future:

What can we bring to the global church?

Perhaps the Chinese church can share lessons about perseverance.

Share how to build churches in environments with limited resources.

Share experiences of house gatherings and relational discipleship.

Share cross-cultural missions.

Share prayer.

Share financial resources.

Share missionaries.

A truly mature church will gradually move from being a recipient to being a giver.

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9. Several Key Words in the Wilderness Theology of the Chinese Church
If we were to condense the “wilderness theology of the Chinese house churches” into several key words, they could be summarized as follows:

First, identity.

Our identity comes from Christ, not from our circumstances.

Second, trust.

We learn to depend on God each day, rather than building our sense of security entirely on resources.

Third, discipleship.

The more difficult the circumstances, the more we need genuine and in-depth discipleship.

Fourth, community.

The wilderness makes us realize that no one can complete the journey of faith alone.

Fifth, humility.

Suffering cannot become a source of pride; it can only become a school in which life is shaped.

Sixth, mission.

The church exists not merely to survive, but to continue bearing witness to the gospel.

Seventh, hope.

The wilderness is not the final chapter.

God is still sovereign.

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10. Conclusion: The Church in the Wilderness
The Chinese house churches have experienced many difficult seasons.

Perhaps there will still be new challenges in the future.

But the church’s real question has never been merely whether the circumstances will change.

The more important question is:

When the circumstances change, what kind of people will we become?

The wilderness can make people complain, but it can also lead people to worship.

The wilderness can make people afraid, but it can also teach people to trust.

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The wilderness can cause a community to fall apart, but it can also cause a community to love one another more deeply.

Therefore, the wilderness theology of the Chinese house churches is ultimately not a theology about suffering.

It is a theology about the presence of God.

It does not say:

“Because we have experienced difficulties, we are great.”

Rather, it says:

“Although we have experienced difficulties, God remains faithful.”

It does not say:

“The wilderness is our destiny.”

Rather, it says:

“God can shape His people in the wilderness and send them out again.”

The truly precious testimony of the Chinese house churches may not be how much hardship we have experienced.

It may be that after going through these hardships, we can still say:

God is faithful.

Christ is still the head of the church.

The gospel is still the power of God.

The church must still love one another.

The mission must still continue.

And this may be precisely the “wilderness gift” that the Chinese church can share with the worldwide church in this era.