Every winter as the Lunar New Year (LNY) approaches, Andrea Lee helps her Southern California Chinese church, New Life Christian Center, prepare red envelopes, a traditional Chinese way of giving gifts during the holidays .
But these are not just any Hongbao (红包, “red envelopes”). Although they contain dollar bills, they also include bookmarks bearing Bible verses designed and printed by the church. Throughout the LNY season, members of the congregation distribute them to newcomers and those attending church-hosted celebrations, which often include a communal meal and a sermon from the pastor.
“It’s a way of honoring Chinese tradition, spreading a sense of warmth and goodwill to the Chinese diaspora,” said Lee, content manager at ChinaSource. “The elderly people at the church are particularly delighted and the children love it too. The joyful faces of the elderly, middle-aged and young, of all ages, coupled with the gospel message and encouragement from the pastor, foster a sense of belonging and belonging.
In Chinese culture, the color red signifies celebration and red envelopes symbolize happiness and prosperity. So, during the Spring Festival, Chinese people often say to each other jokingly: “Gong xi fa cai, hong bao na lai» (恭喜发财，红包拿来), which means: “Congratulations on the good fortune, but first give me the red packet.” » Today, a digital version of this playful practice has also extended to the realm of Chinese social media app WeChat, where people can virtually “to tear out“red envelopes.
Generally, red envelopes only go in one direction: from elders to the younger (single) generation, from adults to children and from employees to students. The actual amount placed in the red envelope varies. For those who are not particularly close, a token amount is sufficient as a symbolic gesture. Only among relatives or on special occasions, such as company parties during which bonuses may be paid to employees, is a substantial cash sum included.
Christians have increasingly appropriated hong bao for the end of the Gospel. In Singapore, a Christian art gift company partnered with local churches to design a series evangelical red envelopes (called “the paos» in Singapore) presenting the 37 miracles performed by Jesus. Another company, The Commandment Co., used “God’s creation” as the theme for its red envelope series, portrait God’s abundant blessings through colorful designs.
To learn more about how Chinese Christians on the mainland and in the diaspora are using red envelopes for their ministries, CT spoke with seven pastors and church and ministry leaders in five cities.
Chinese diaspora
All leaders of overseas Chinese churches and organizations interviewed by CT affirmed that distributing red gospel envelopes during the Spring Festival is a common practice in their congregations and felt positive sentiment toward it. .
Agnese Tan, editor-in-chief, See reviewLos Angeles:
Red envelopes are a useful tool for evangelism, creating a feeling of welcome and goodwill. We like to include a quarter, dollar bill or chocolate gold coin inside, which symbolizes blessing and conveys a sense of togetherness.
(As Christians) we know that some will come to have a meal and “enjoy church.” But we do this because we are genuinely happy to serve others voluntarily. We do this without expecting gratitude or anything in return and resist complaining that our guests are there just to eat.
James Hwang, former director of the Chinese division of the Far East Broadcasting Company, Los Angeles:
Even though my church’s red envelope only contains the symbolic gesture of a dollar, the recipient is still happy to receive it. Its presence allows the pastor to elaborate on the symbolism of the “renewal of all things” (Revelation 21:5), creating a specific Chinese pun (in Chinese, 一元, “one dollar”, can mean “the beginning of all things “. ). Coupled with the eight fu (“blessings”), i.e. the Beatitudes, printed in Chinese on the red envelopes, in this context it embodies the essence of an evangelical tract.
Nan Qiu, editor-in-chief of the Australian edition of The Monthly Herald in Brisbane, Australia:
As Christians, if we remain vigilant and do not succumb to the love of money associated with the secular tradition of giving red envelopes, then the distribution of Gospel red envelopes can serve as a way to participate in the celebration, making the Good News more humble. towards the earth. It is a practice that can conform to traditional customs and serve to glorify God and benefit others.
Karen Wong, Christian writer, Hong Kong:
Note: In Hong Kong, the money in the red envelope is called “I see » (利是).
In my church we print I see envelopes with Bible verses and place a small amount of money inside. Apart from the outer envelope, it is indistinguishable from ordinary red envelopes distributed among friends and relatives.
I’ve also heard of unbelieving friends receiving red envelopes from churches, but when they saw Bible verses inside in addition to money, they felt uncomfortable because they felt like they were proselytizing.
Another drawback of the Gospel I see The envelope is that recipients cannot read Christian verses or messages – most people quickly throw away the paper card or envelope printed with such words.
Chen Daode, Southern Baptist pastor, Los Angeles:
Red envelopes and the Spring Festival are cultural symbols of the Chinese. Christians express their love for their neighbors with specific items (such as red envelopes) at a specific time (during the Spring Festival), providing an opportunity to build relationships, much like sending Christmas cards to Christmas.
We should not expect too much from the evangelistic efforts of the red envelope distribution process. The primary purpose of distributing red gospel envelopes is to build relationships and convey goodwill. Therefore, we approach the results of the Gospel Red Envelope distribution with realistic and relaxed expectations.
Mainland China
Pastors and house church leaders on the Chinese mainland told CT that their churches did not distribute gospel red envelopes during the Spring Festival, and they did not heard of other Chinese house churches doing the same. Some of them said they were “not opposed” to the practice, while others said they “would not support it.”
These pastors believe that the difference in attitude toward distributing gospel red envelopes between overseas Chinese Christians and mainland Chinese Christians in house churches is mainly due to cultural differences caused by different environments.
Note: CT interviewed a few pastors and leaders in China and two of them are quoted below.
Han Jianshe (pseudonym for security reasons), house church pastor, Shanghai:
Our ministries are the application of our theology in specific situations. I think overseas Chinese churches can be influenced by the evangelical movement and attach more importance to evangelism. Red envelope culture can help achieve the goal of “achieving information” and realizing “evangelism”. KPIs» – the rejection rate is very low, so I can understand why this type of ministry model would be adopted.
However, for national churches in China, the general culture of giving red envelopes has declined. In today’s urban culture, accepting red envelopes from strangers generally arouses suspicion rather than (being seen as) a friendly gesture to break the ice.
From my personal pastoral perspective, we have many ways to preach the Gospel to people, whether from the Sunday pulpit or through daily conversations, ministries of charity and mercy or witnessing at the place of work.
Therefore, carrying out evangelical action through a declining cultural phenomenon is not a good practice. Additionally, the custom of giving red envelopes has a popular religious origin, so we are more careful with this practice (Chinese Christians with fundamentalist leanings generally oppose “lucky money” because the idea comes from the corruption of ghosts and gods).
Sean Long, pastor of an urban house church in China, is currently studying for a doctorate in theology in the United States:
We must be thoughtful in our approach to the relationship between gospel, faith, and culture, rather than simply merging them.
One of the potential pitfalls of distributing Gospel red envelopes is the risk of materialize blessings God grants people. Even from the perspective of Chinese culture, the true beauty of celebrating the Lunar New Year lies mainly in the family reunion and expression of affection, not in winning money at mahjong or receive red envelopes. Furthermore, from the perspective of Christian faith values, material blessings are not equivalent to gospel blessings. The greatest blessing God gives us is found in Jesus Christ.
In light of these potential drawbacks of churches handing out red envelopes, I would like to suggest a constructive and innovative idea for using red envelopes in caring ministry.
When the Church distributes red gospel envelopes to more effectively embody the spirit of the gospel that “it is more blessed to give than to receive,” we could use actual red packets filled with money to support and help those in need, such as refugees and the poor. and vulnerable.
However, the Church did not directly insert money into the red envelopes. Instead, the church would provide the outer envelope and include an evangelical pamphlet or blessing card with Scripture inside, then distribute these red envelopes without money to the brothers and sisters, who, if pushed by the Holy Spirit, would contribute a certain amount of money. , then distribute it to those in need, expressing Christian love.
