Emblem of the Church of China
Leader: Head of the Church of China, Archbishop Chang Te-shun (elected by the College of Bishops, ceremonially appointed by the Ministry of the Interior)
Structure: Split into 25 archdioceses, each governed by an archbishop, and then 484 dioceses, each governed by a bishop; 1 archdiocese represents all overseas communities, which is divided into 21 dioceses.
Governance: Matters of doctrine and significant issues are dealt with by the College of Bishops, which is the assembly of all archbishops and bishops in China; this body meets every six years, and extraordinary sessions are convened at the behest of the Head of the Church or the petition of over 10% of all bishops.
Members: 172 million (2016)
Doctrine:
- Trinitarian
- Chalcadonian
- Protestant
- Apostolic succession
- Church affirms legitimacy of the government and its decisions
- Peace and disarmament
- Abolition of capital punishment and slavery
- Social legislation
- Members encouraged to donate to the Church but not required to do so
- Corporate social responsibility
- Dialogue with other faiths and denominations within Christianity to consolidate all efforts to promote peace and human rights
- No-strings-attached social programmes in less developed nations
Status: currently the largest organized religious group in China. Due to informal government favours, can be considered the "official" denomination of Christianity in China, though it is not an established church. Currently also one of the largest land-holding public groups in China.