Chinese pastor dismissed after opposing forced removal of church crosses

The pastor of a government-controlled Church in China was dismissed after he opposed the forced removal of church crosses across the region.

Gu Yuese, the senior pastor of Chongyi Church in Hangzhou, was removed from office by the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the China Christian Council (CCC), as mentioned in a written statement.

The two religious committees operate along Zhejiang, a coastal province in China.

The statement reads, "The chairman of the provincial Chinese Christian Council, Gu Yuese, will no longer work as the senior pastor of Chongyi Church in Hangzhou."

In the announcement, the two groups made the decision in order to "move one step closer towards the proper self-establishment and management of church locations."

According to Persecution.org, Pastor Yuese may have been dismissed as senior pastor because of his opposition in the two agencies' steps to forcely demolish crosses in churches across the region.

Meanwhile, taking the place of Yuese is Pastor Zhang Zhongcheng, who is the temporary secretary general of the Hangzhou Chinese Christian Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee.

Pastor Gu Yuese has already responded to the dismissal through a written statement.

He said that like the freezing climate that the region is facing, the church should also face trials against the church by depending on the grace of the Lord.

"Thank you for the deep, loving concern you have showed to the two of us recently as a married couple! We are so touched and will engrave this on our hearts," he said in the statement.

In addition, Pastor Gu said that in the upcoming days, they will pray in order to understand God's plan and ask for His grace. However, he assured the readers that he and wife's love for the Lord and his "flock" will not change.

Chongyi Church is the largest Christian church in China, seating 5000 people every week. It is managed by the Chinese government.