Wang Laijun — A Pillar of the Zhejiang Church
Wang Laijun was a key church leader in Zhejiang for 46 years.
Apart from the many foreign missionaries who gave their lives to serve the people of Zhejiang, God raised up a large number of key Chinese church leaders in the province. One of the most prominent leaders was Wang Laijun, who died in 1901, at the age of 72.
Wang, who led an extraordinary life for God, was born in a small village south of Ningbo in 1829. His reputation as a skilled painter and decorator reached the ears of Hudson Taylor, who was residing in the city. Taylor hired Wang to do some work on his home, and it was there that he first heard the gospel. He surrendered his life to Christ in 1855, at the age of 26, and was baptized by Taylor.
When the great mission statesman returned to Britain in 1859, Wang accompanied him on the long journey. For the next few years he assisted Taylor in translating the New Testament into the Ningbo dialect, and he also helped new missionary recruits gain a basic knowledge of Chinese before they left for the Orient.
Wang proved highly capable, and at Taylor's suggestion the Zhejiang native studied medicine at the London Hospital, where he won the respect of the surgeons. Taylor had plans to establish a medical work in Ningbo, and Wang helped the vision become reality.
Finally, after five years in England, Wang Laijun returned to China where he preached the gospel and healed the sick. When the first church was established at Hangzhou in 1867, Wang was ordained as its pastor. He worked tirelessly at strengthening the faith of God's children in the city, and also established several out-stations in the surrounding districts.
The same year he was appointed to lead the Hangzhou church, Wang's wife gave birth to their only child, a daughter. She later married a godly man, Ren Chengyuan. For decades Ren was a key leader of the body of Christ in Zhejiang, assisting his father-in-law in Hangzhou.
One Sunday morning in 1901, just after Wang had administered Communion to his church members, he was suddenly taken ill with fever. As he lay in bed, a malignant boil developed on his spine. Knowing his days on the earth were coming to an end, he summoned his loved ones and told them he was going to be with Jesus, and he appointed his son-in-law to handle his affairs and to lead the church. Wang then passed into the glorious presence of his Lord and Savior.
Those who knew Wang Laijun were keen to speak of his qualities and godly character. One tribute said:
"In character, Pastor Wang was diligent in business, meek and unobtrusive, kind, gentle and good to all; his speech and demeanor unblameable; faithful to his Lord and Master; sincere and reverent in his devotion, apt and diligent in feeding and nourishing the Church; impartial in his attitude toward and treatment of others.... He was ever ready to forgive and easy to entreat; forgiving and forgetting any ill-treatment he received at the hands of those who, at one time, were envious and jealous of his position and influence. Thus the heathen and church members alike respected and loved him, and received stimulus from his virtuous and godly example."1
Footnotes:
1. "In Memoriam—Pastor Wang Lae-djun," China's Millions (May 1901), p. 75.
© This article is an extract from Paul Hattaway's book 'Zhejiang: The Jerusalem of China'. You can order this or any of The China Chronicles books and e-books from our online bookstore.