Navigating Faith, Family, and Culture in the Chinese-Canadian ChurcH
*中文版在頁面底部（繁體）
Growing up as the son of Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong in the 1990s, I experienced what many Chinese families faced when moving to Canada. My mother, younger sister, and I came to Vancouver, while my father stayed in Hong Kong as an “astronaut father” (太空人) to support us financially. Like many immigrant kids, I struggled with racism in school, watched my mom face prejudice at work, and wrestled with cultural identity.
By the time I had adapted to Canadian culture, I felt caught in-between—too Chinese to fit in fully here, but too Western to belong in Hong Kong. This “in-between” struggle was not just in my personal life, but also in the Chinese church. I saw the same cultural tensions between the 1st generation (Chinese-speaking parents) and the 2nd generation (English-speaking children) playing out in church life.
The Silent Exodus of the 2nd Generation
One of the greatest challenges Chinese-Canadian churches face is what writer Helen Lee called the “Silent Exodus”—the trend of young people leaving their parents’ churches, and sometimes even leaving Christianity altogether. Many of my peers felt that Chinese churches were “irrelevant, culturally stifling, and unequipped” to guide them in faith for life in Canada.
This loss is painful on many levels:
For the church – without the younger generation, there is no future leadership.
For the individuals – many carry hurt, resentment, or disillusionment.
For other churches – those who welcome 2nd-generation believers often don’t understand the cultural baggage they bring.
Why Culture Matters in the Church
It’s tempting to think these are just “age” or “personality” issues, but much of the conflict is cultural. Chinese parents value family, respect for elders, and stability, while their Canadian-raised children value independence, openness, and freedom of expression. Both sides deeply love God, but they often clash because they see the world differently.
Culture shapes how we think about leadership, communication, evangelism, and discipleship. If churches ignore culture, they risk misunderstanding each other. If they only focus on programs or technical fixes, they miss the deeper issues of identity, respect, and spiritual maturity.
A Biblical Framework for Culture
As Christians, we don’t simply accept or reject culture. The Bible teaches us to:
Affirm the good – culture reflects God’s good creation.
Reject the sinful – pride, judgment, and prejudice have no place in Christ’s body.
Redeem what can be used – traditions, language, and values can be transformed for God’s glory.
The goal is not to erase culture, but to disciple both generations so that Christ reshapes their cultural identity. This means the 1st generation needs to grow in cultural awareness of their Canadian-born children, and the 2nd generation needs to understand the cultural sacrifices of their parents.
Moving Forward Together
For the Chinese church in Canada to thrive, both generations must:
Listen with humility – cultural differences are not always sins, but opportunities to grow.
Respect each other’s identity – older Chinese believers need to see that Westernized values are not automatically rebellion; younger believers need to appreciate their parents’ sacrifices.
Keep Scripture central – culture is important, but God’s Word is the final authority guiding forgiveness, unity, and discipleship.
As someone who once struggled with identity but have served as a pastor in a Chinese-Canadian church, I believe God can turn bicultural “burdens” into blessings. When both generations seek Christ above culture, the Chinese church can become a powerful witness—not only to Chinese immigrants, but to the wider Canadian society.
**This is an A.I. generated article whose content is based on excerpts from Pastor James’ paper on Learning the Culture of Our Family: Addressing Intergenerational Challenges in Chinese-Canadian Churches.
父母與孩子的代購，就是教會裡的代購
我是上世紀90年代隨母親和妹妹從香港移民到溫哥華的華人移民之子。那時候，我的父親留在香港做生意，成了所謂的「太空人」來養家。像許多移民孩子一樣，我在學校裡經歷過種族歧視，也親眼看到媽媽在工作中因為身份和口音常常遭遇偏見。
當我慢慢適應加拿大文化後，卻發現自己處在「兩邊不靠」的境地——在加拿大覺得自己太「Chinese」，在香港又覺得自己太「西化」。這種夾在中間的掙扎，不僅在我的個人生活中存在，在華人教會裡也同樣明顯。我看到第一代（講中文的父母）和第二代（在加拿大長大、說英文的孩子）之間的文化張力，在教會生活中不斷出現。
第二代信徒的「無聲出走」
華人教會面臨的最大挑戰之一，就是作者李海倫（Helen Lee）所說的「無聲出走」（Silent Exodus）——許多年輕人離開父母的教會，有些甚至連基督信仰都放棄了。我的很多同齡人覺得華人教會「無關緊要、文化壓抑、也沒有裝備他們面對加拿大的生活」。
這種流失帶來多方面的痛苦：
對教會來說 – 年輕一代不在，就沒有未來的領導層。
對個人來說 – 許多人帶著傷害、怨恨或失望離開。
對其他教會來說 – 即使他們接納了這些年輕信徒，也往往不明白他們背後的文化傷痕。
為什麼文化在教會裡很重要
我們容易把這些衝突當作「代溝」或者「性格差異」，但其實很大程度上是文化差異。第一代華人父母看重家庭、尊重長輩、追求穩定，而在加拿大長大的孩子們更強調獨立、開放、自由表達。兩代人都真心愛主，卻常常因為看待世界的方式不同而產生摩擦。
文化影響我們對領導方式、溝通方式、傳福音和門徒訓練的理解。如果忽視文化，教會就會互相誤解；如果只靠專案和技術層面的改動，就解決不了身份、尊重和靈命成熟這些更深的問題。
聖經中的文化觀
作為基督徒，我們對文化的態度不是簡單地全盤接受或全盤拒絕。聖經教導我們要：
肯定美好的部分 – 文化中有上帝創造的美善。
拒絕有罪的部分 – 驕傲、論斷和偏見不屬於基督的身體。
善用可被使用的部分 – 傳統、語言和價值觀都可以被基督轉化來榮耀上帝。
目標不是抹去文化，而是讓兩代人都在基督裡被更新，讓祂來塑造我們的文化身份。這意味著第一代要更多理解在加拿大長大的孩子，而第二代也要學會體會父母的犧牲。
一起往前走
如果華人教會要在加拿大健康成長，兩代人必須學會：
謙卑地傾聽 – 文化差異並不總是罪，而是成長的機會。
彼此尊重身份 – 年長一代要明白「西化」的價值觀不等於叛逆；年輕一代要懂得感激父母的犧牲。
以聖經為中心 – 文化固然重要，但上帝的話語才是最終的權威，引導我們去饒恕、合一和跟隨主。
作為一個曾經飽受身份掙扎、如今在華人教會牧會的人，我深信上帝能把這種「雙文化」的「負擔」轉化為祝福。當兩代人都把基督放在文化之上，加拿大的華人教會就能成為有力的見證——不僅祝福華人移民，也祝福更廣泛的加拿大社會。