A huge Bible training initiative has recently been launched by Open Doors in China focusing on education for the younger generation. Despite the restrictive policy of the Communist government regarding religious freedom, the believers in China are ever-growing. Therefore, the need for bible education has become more desperate.

According to Open Doors, an international Christian ministry to persecuted Christians, there are an estimated 60 to 80 million Christians in China, making it one of the most heavily populated Christian countries in the world.

Under the existing religious law in China, only the Three-Self Church is officially recognised by the Chinese government. All gatherings or worship carried out by other unregistered Christian groups are illegal. However, the revival of Christianity in China has commenced via unregistered house churches or underground churches, which Open Doors says they include an estimated 75 percent of all Christians in China.

Church leaders or pastors of the house churches have been known to have been arrested by the government and many thrown into prison. The distribution of Bibles and Christian literature is restricted as well, especially in the countryside.

Open Doors, believes the Body of Christ in the West needs to mobilise to help strengthen the fellow-believers in China. Open Doors is launching The Lighthouse Project - China, with the view of educating the younger generation.

There is an estimated 500 million youths under 18 years old in China, however, many house churches have not yet reached out to children. Open Doors plans to send 125,000 Children’s Bibles and 1,086,000 pieces of Sunday school curricula and youth-oriented materials to China this year.

Open Doors USA President Dr Carl Moeller explained the importance of the project, "There are many cultic movements in China today. That is why Open Doors is focusing on training pastors and church leaders."

"To do that we will provide 238,000 Study Bibles along with other tools they can use to understand God’s Word and teach it accurately. In addition, we will train 8,400 pastors, lay leaders, Sunday School teachers and youth workers across China. By targeting key leaders of the house churches, Open Doors will be able to impact thousands of Christians," he continued.

The overall goal of the project is to provide 3.4 million Bibles, Study Bibles, commentaries, hymnals and other resources, an increase of 400,000 more items from 2004. Especially in rural areas where house churches are growing, there is still a huge need for God’s Word.

China is ranked No. 9 on Open Doors’ World Watch List of countries where Christians are most severely persecuted. Since 1999, the US State Department has designated China a "Country of Particular Concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious freedom.