After the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1st, 1949, Mr. Wu Yaozong, an outstanding leader of the Chinese Christian Church, launched the Three-self Patriotic Movement, which brought about fundamental changes to Christianity in China. Since then, the Chinese Christian Church had emerged from the control of Foreign Missions and transformed itself from a tool of imperialist aggression to an independent Christian Church run by Chinese Christians and practicing self-rule, self-reliance and self-development. From 1954 when the first National Conference of the Chinese Christian Church was held to September 2000 when the celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Three-self Patriotic Movement was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the half-century history had proved that God had, through the channel of the Three-self Patriotic Movement, made the Chinese Christian Church back to the principles of the Bible and more compliant with the Church's historical traditions and thus more pleasant to the Chinese people in the course of Chinese social development. Just like Bishop K.H. Ting, Honorary Chairman of the National Committee of Three-self Patriotic Movement, Honorary President of China Christian Council and Dean of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, put it: "The Chinese Christianity has found that God has made two arrangements: one is the policy of free religious belief stipulated by Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai; the other is the Three-self Patriotic Movement initiated by the Chinese Christians themselves. With the two arrangements, the Chinese Christian Church is developing instead of dying. I can say these two arrangements are evidence that God is preparing new opportunities and a new start for us." When the Chinese Christian Church has totally shaken off its colonial features and never been separated from the Chinese people, it will be rooted deeper in the Chinese culture and develop with
The Trinity Church, which is located beside the TSPM/CCC new office building at No. 219, Jiujiang Road of Shanghai, was first built between 1866 to 1869. It is a Gothic religious building. As the earliest church in Shanghai built by the British Anglican Churches, it is also one of the earliest among all contemporary religious buildings in Shanghai, The square clock tower was added in the southeast corner of the church in 1893, of which the awl-like top was composed of four small acmes and a big one in the middle. It was the highest building in Shanghai at that time and is viewed as symbolization of old Shanghai.
Bishop Ding Guangxun was born in Shanghai in 1915. He studied in St. John's University in Shanghai, Columbia University in the U.S. and the New York Concord Theological School. As a theologist, he is one of the most important leaders of Chinese Christianity. He is now Honorary Chairman of the TSPM/CCC. The Collected Works of K.H.Ting published in 1998 is his representative theological work.
Luo Guanzong was born in 1920. He graduated from the Department of Politics with the Fudan University. He has long assumed leadership in the Shanghai Young Men's Christian Association and the Shanghai Committee of the Three-self Patriotic Movement. He was elected Chairman of the National Committee of the Three-self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Church in China in its 6th National Conference.
Han Wenzao was born in Shanghai in 192.3. He graduated from St. John's Shanghai with a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He worked for the student Christians and the Chinese Young Men's Christian Association for quite a long time and was once President of the China Christian Council and Vice-chairman and Secretary-general of the Peace Committee of the Chinese Religious World.
Ji Jianhong was born in a Christian family in 1932. He graduated from the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and had worked in thejiangsu Christian Church since 1980. He actively participated in the leadership work of the TSPM/CCC and gave lectures frequently. He was elected Chairman of the National Committee of the Three-self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Church in China and Deputy Dean of the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary in 2.002.
Cao Shengjie was born in Shanghai in 1931. He graduated from the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary in 1956. He was once associate researcher with the Institute of Religious Studies in the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. He worked in the local churches for a long time and was appointed Pastor in 1988. He was elected President of the China Christian Council in 2002. He was elected Vice-chairman of the Peace Committee of the Chinese Religious World in 2004.
Wu Yaozong (1893-1979) was Chairman of the National Committee of the Three-self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Church in China and the initiator and great leader of the Three-self Patriotic Movement in China. He went to study Theology and Philosophy in the New York Concord Theological School and Columbia University in the U.S. and was granted a master's degree in Theology. He went back to China in 1927. He firmly proposed fighting against Japanese aggression and joined the democratic movement of "Anti-Hunger, Anti-Civil War, and Anti-Persecution". He published the Three-self Declaration jointly with other 40 Chinese Christian leasers, which had since opened an independent path for the Chinese Christianity.
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