The National Christian Council of China (NCC) was a Protestant organization in China. Its members were both Chinese Protestant churches and foreign missionary societies and its purpose was to promote cooperation among these churches and societies. The NCC was formed in 1922 in the aftermath of the Edinburgh Missionary Conference.
In its formative years, the NCC became involved in the endeavors of Chinese nationalists. It sided with protesters in the May Thirtieth Incident and went as far as calling for the re-evaluation of "unequal treaties" China had with foreign powers. This angered foreign missionaries working in China. The NCC took an increasingly liberal theological stance, leading some foreign missionary organizations like the China Inland Mission and the Christian and Missionary Alliance to resign from its ranks.
During Nationalist China, the council undertook many projects to improve literacy, education of women, living conditions in the countryside, and disaster management, although the Great Depression hampered them. The Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II further damaged the NCC's efforts, which were reduced to mostly helping war orphans while the leadership of the organization was at large.
After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the NCC came under government pressure. It was sidelined from talks with the new rulers, which were instead handled by pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Protestants. The NCC convened its first national meeting after the war in October 1950, only to approve a pro-communist "Christian Manifesto" and support the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). Neither had been on its agenda before the meeting, but the NCC was unable to resist the pressure. The NCC ceased to exist and Chinese Protestantism would continue to operate under the government-controlled TSPM, but without foreign missionaries who had to leave China.
Organization
The National Christian Council of China (NCC) was not a church in itself. It was a liaison and coordination organization among Chinese Protestants of varying denominations and between Chinese churches and foreign missionaries. Exchange of information and ecumenism were key in its activities. The NCC had delegates from both missions and churches and acted as an advisory body to Protestants in China. Its task was to facilitate cooperation among churches and missions of varying Protestant backgrounds. The organization, however, did not have legislative or mandatory authority over its members. Additionally, from its inception, the NCC was to "study the development of the Church in self-support, self-government, and self-propagation". These are known as the Three-self principles. The NCC was based in 169 Yuanmingyuan Road in Shanghai. It was a member in the International Missionary Council.
The NCC had both Chinese and Westerners as members. Founding members included the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui. Its largest and most powerful Chinese member church was the Church of Christ in China.
The NCC had many sub-committees and published large numbers of Christian materials, including the China for Christ Bulletin in Chinese and The NCC Bulletin in English, its official organ. In 1923 it set up the Society for the Advancement of Christian Literature that was run by Chinese Christians and published in Chinese. The NCC campaigned for literacy, and against opium use. The NCC also had programs to better the living conditions in the countryside, and ran charities, but its efforts were hampered by the Great Depression.