The Amazing Hao Ya Jie Story – Pastor Hao Ya Jie, a woman, is the pastor of the Beiguan Seventh-day Adventist Church in Shenyang, China. It started as a small group of 10 people in her living room in 1985. Now it has a membership of more than 7,000 and is considered the largest Adventist Church in the world. Pastor Hao oversees the day-to-day operation of the church, its lay-training program, a feeding program for the needy, and morning worship that starts each day at 5:00 a.m. with hundreds of members in attendance. The Beiguan church has prompted the growth of more than 120 church-plants.

When asked why she felt called to ministry, Pastor Hao offered a simple answer: “When I was reading the writings of Ellen White, I felt that God was calling me to leave my former profession and serve Him in evangelizing those in my community. I felt moved to a life of serving God.”

More than half of the Adventist pastors in China are women, and a large majority of the members are also female. God is working in mighty ways to spread the Gospel through their willing efforts.