This book will focus on some institutional aspects of Chinese Christian churches in America. I will address these questions: why are Chinese Protestant churches mainly nondenominational? How do Chinese churches relate to each other, and to other Christian churches, denominations, parachurch organizations, and associations? Are Chinese churches moving from the immigrant through the ethnic and to the multiethnic stages, like earlier European immigrant churches did? What are the factors that slow down this development? To what extent and in what ways arc Chinese churches influenced by American theologies? Are they constructing distinctly Chinese theologies? In short, this book will focus on various aspects of independence and integration of Chinese churches in America.

I will argue that independence and integration arc not exclusive, but actually coexist. Although Chinese Protestant churches tend to be nondenominational, they are integrated with the broader American Christian community through seminaries, parachurch organizations, and college-campus ministries. Chinese Christians tend to be conservative in their theological orientation, carefully following mainstream evangelical theologies. On the other hand, however, some distinctly Chinese theologies are emerging, which are challenging Chinese evangelical Christians to broaden up their theological understanding. Globalization is a major contextual factor affecting the dynamics of independence and integration.