Christ Church of Evangelical Love

Christ Church of Evangelical Love

Christ Church of Evangelical Love is a well-known Christian church in Shanghai, China, located at 375 North Shaanxi Road, Jing'an District (at the intersection with Beijing West Road).

The church was founded in 1910 (the second year of the Xuantong reign in the Qing Dynasty), originally located on North Sichuan Road in Hongkou. American Southern Baptist missionary Leslie T. Lyall acquired over 20 acres of land here to establish Christ Church of Evangelical Love, as well as Minqiang Middle School and Yen Mow Girls’ School (now Peiyao Middle School). In 1924, due to a sharp rise in land prices on North Sichuan Road, the American Southern Baptist Convention sold the original site buildings, relocated the two middle schools to Beibaoshing Road, and built "Baptist Village." Additionally, funding was allocated to construct a four-story building at 271 Dongbaoshing Road to serve as the new location for Christ Church of Evangelical Love and the associated Christ Church primary and secondary schools. In December 1935, the church invited Rev. Qi Qingcai to serve as pastor, a role he held until his death in 1990.

In 1937, with the outbreak of the Battle of Shanghai, Hongkou became a battlefield, and Christ Church of Evangelical Love was forced to relocate to No. 32, Wangjiasha Garden, Lane 605, Avenue Road (now Huashan Road). Due to a continuously growing congregation, in 1940, a plot of land at 375 Ximen Road (now North Shaanxi Road) was purchased, and construction of the new church began. By 1942, the new church was completed, with a capacity to accommodate over a thousand people. It became one of the main Christian churches in Shanghai. Rev. Qi Qingcai also served as the chairman of the National Baptist Convention of China.

In 1950, Rev. Qi Qingcai was one of the 40 founding members of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of Christianity. Christ Church of Evangelical Love no longer had any affiliation with the American Southern Baptist Convention. In 1954, Rev. Qi Qingcai was elected as a standing committee member and vice-chairman of the National Christian Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee. After the establishment of the Shanghai Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee in 1955, Rev. Qi was re-elected as vice-chairman for three consecutive terms.

In 1958, Shanghai’s Christian community implemented united worship services, merging the original 208 churches into 22, which were further reduced to 11 by 1965. This church was among those retained. On August 23, 1966, during the peak of the Cultural Revolution, the church was closed. On December 28, 1980, Christ Church of Evangelical Love reopened and resumed worship services. Upon reopening, Rev. Qi Qingcai was elected as the head of church affairs. By 1987, the registered congregation had reached 9,535 members, making it one of the larger churches in Shanghai. The church can accommodate over 2,000 worshippers during services, making it one of the largest-capacity churches in Shanghai. It has also been listed as a protected municipal architectural heritage site in Shanghai.

Opening Hours: 09:00–19:00 (Saturday to Sunday)

Transportation

Address: 375 North Shaanxi Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai

Transportation: Bus routes 927, 15, 21, 939, 206, 104