Changsha South Church was found in 1907 from the Chinese Inland Mission Gospel Church (the 33rd year of Qing Emperor GuanXu).
The Chinese Inland Mission Church is a branch founded by a British pastor, Hudson Taylor, and was established in the UK in 1865. The Missionaries involved in the church’s formation came from 15 countries including: China, The United Kingdom, The United States of America, Germany, and Norway.
In 1898, American Pastor Dr. GeYinHua who was a member of the Chinese Inland Mission, came to Changsha and organized a small scaled work in XueYuan Street. Dr. GeYinHua rented a house to establish Changsha’s Inland Mission congregation in 1902.
Pastor Hudson Taylor came to Changsha’s Inland Mission congregation on June 1st 1905. The next day, he went to the South Gate of the City Wall to view YueLu mountain, the XiangJiang river, and to pray for the City and its people. On June 3rd he preached in the morning and attended a Tea Ceremony in the afternoon. Afterwards, returning home to rest and read letters, he died peacefully and entered to God’s arms.
In 1907, German Pastor Dr. HeLunWei and GuMengEn purchased a land in SheTan Street and established a Gospel Church, which included three apartments.
In 1909, the Gospel Church in SheTan Street and Inland Mission Congregation in XueYuan Street combined to form the Chinese Inland Mission Gospel Church. In 1923, an International Christian group sent German Dr. AnDe to Changsha to establish a hospital. He renovated all the apartments in XueYuan Street for hospital usages and named it in memory of Hudson Taylor.
現在的長沙市基督教城南堂
The church was damaged by fire twice: firstly in 1910 during the Rice Revolution, but was restored that summer, and then in 1930, when the Church was burned during the war, but was again restored and suffered no further damage during war time until 1949.
In 1958 the Chinese Inland Mission Gospel Church, in order to break the boundaries of different denominations, combined with more than ten different Christian fellowships and changed its name to the Chinese Christian South Church. This became the place for Christians in the south of Changsha to worship God. In 1966, the church closed its doors due to The Culture Revolution and the building was occupied by some companies and used as warehouses or garages.
現在的長沙市基督教城南堂
In 1982, by government approval, South Church reopened as a religious meeting place. After the establishment of the Communist Party’s religious policy in 1985, management was transferred to Changsha Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee by the City Real Estate department. However, the church building hadn’t repair for many years and became desolated. Changsha Christian Board raised over 200,000RMB to restore the church and after two years’ of hard work the building was finally completed at the end of 1987. The building was officially re-opened on January 1st 1988.