The Study About Activities Of The Cooperative Organization Of Christian Higher Education In China

Cooperative Organization of Christian Higher Education("Cooperative Organization"),a service administrative organization of higher education for Christian that co-sponsored in 1920s in North America by western Zion,western Trustees board of Christian Colleges in China,mainly served the common demand for the development of higher education for Christian in China,as well as that provided associative support and guidance in North America,for the ultimate goal of "Christianizing China".Tbe organization and its service to China were an important part of missionary enterprise in China,and have put quite large effect on the development of Christian Higher Education in China.A lot of treasures of experiences and lessons were bequeathed.This article,which uses the method of historical documentary and assisted the methods of comparison and measurement analysis,makes an overall and systematic investigation,based on the original documents of "Cooperative Organization", in this organization's establishment background,historical changes,functional and structural evolvement,service activities and social relations,with an objective evaluation was given as good as possible.I hope this study enrich and deepen the knowledge of China Christian Higher Education and western Christian church and provide references and inspirations for the management reform in nowadays higher education.This article starts from analyzing the establishment background,development and historical changes of the "Cooperative Organization",revealing its motivation,purpose and institutional character.The origin of the organization dates back to the missionary movement in 19 century North America,when many Protestant missionaries came to China in response to the summon called "China belongs to the Lord",enthusiastically engaging in establishing Christian Colleges.However ascribed to the hasty action that lacked concordant organization and an overall plan,it often emerged insufficient resources and violent competition among Christian Higher Education academies.And great challenges posed great pressure to the academies due to the rapid growth of China's local colleges and colleges as well as the social conditional changes.So,this dilemma compelled the western churches and their Christian Colleges to cooperation.This gave birth to the "Cooperative Organization",which in return contributed an overall and profound acceleration of the cooperation movement.In this mutual process,changes of different extent happened to its function,structure, service mode and social relations,only Christian character and its religious intentions were kept constantly unchanged.The two relevant questions,cooperation and support,have companied "Cooperative Organization" in its 30 years' service to China,they've been constantly marked the principle of "enhancing the religious character and missionary function of Christian colleges".Along with seeking development of Christian higher education,"Cooperative Organization" adapted itself functionally and structurally and operationally to serve the cooperative movement:the Central Office of Chinese Union Colleges was only a joint office in North America,together handling part of the administrative affairs in North America of the member colleges trustee board under their indication and commission. The cooperation helped the Christian Colleges more efficient and Christianized.It indeed alleviated the rivalship and cut down the repetitive work.Despite the very limited service available,the central office showed the superiority of cooperation,which inspired western churches,the Christian colleges and their trustee board to further exploring a more efficient cooperative action.Approximately ten years of brewing finally formed the Associated Boards of Christian Colleges in China,which accepted the Committee for Christian Colleges in China and had the Central Office involved.The organization took charge of most of the administration management of the 13 colleges in North America according to the authorized contract with the trustee boards,recruiting funds for the Christian Colleges in China,making plans and policies for overall development for higher education.It aimed at uniting all the supporting forces in serving Christian enterprises in China.Extensive Cooperation reduced the cost,increased the education efficiency,expanded the school scale and enhanced the school running capability.Along with enjoying greater benefit from cooperation,the Christian higher education field was seeking a more thorough collaboration,and then the United Board for Christian Colleges in China was born.It was a separate body corporation with the right of some independent actions,which led to a more efficient management for serving all the member colleges,so as to ensure the western churches a maximum religious benefit in the colleges.Supporting the development of Christian colleges was the central work of the "Cooperative Organization",and also where the emphasis of this article lies.Large quantities of service activities to China,summarized as administration management,funds recruitment,development plan establishment and series of assistance on religious work in colleges,were conducted for the realization of its founder's religious ideal.Although these activities had separate emphasis and different forms,almost all of them were motivated by enhancing the Christian character of the colleges:the dispatched teaching staffs should be Christians or with definite purpose on Christianity; strive for resources from ways of Christianity as much as possible and control the proportion of the recruited funds from non-Christian way;and it had been the premier rule of "greater Christianizing colleges" for making education policies and the plans.The "Cooperative Organization" was responsible for and supervised and controlled by western churches,on which it depended on personnel and economy,and to which it subordinated administratively,and under whose policy framework it took actions of cooperation and support.In the process of pursuing the best service to China,the organization gradually adapted itself to Chinese government decree and won an increasingly understanding and approval of Chinese government, together with whom it carried out many Christian higher education projects.Many universities and colleges in the U.S.had been attracted and joined in by the efficient achievement of support for China that the "Cooperative Organization" had made;therefore they strengthened the fixed communication with the Christian colleges in China or established new partners or assistance.The China Council of Higher Education is the fruit of the Christian higher education cooperating movement in China,it put most of the attention on the cooperation in Christian higher education,constantly assisting "Cooperative Organization" promoting Christian higher education cooperating movement in both China and the U.S.,and being the best partner of the organization.Studies show that all the service to China were aiming at making the Christian colleges more Christianized and advancing gospel enterprise,though the tenet of the organization,namely,all the cooperation and support were pivoted around "enhancing the religious character of the Christian colleges",remained constantly.However,the Christian universities were becoming more and more sanitized and unreligious,along with the continuously bettered professional,due to the impact from Chinese Nationalism Movement and national liberation war,as well as the challenges and competitions from national universities,and the limitation from the law of the development of the higher education.The uncontrollable fading of the Christian character had led to the deviation of the gradually triumphed education proposal of Christian universities and the long desiring religious goal of the "Cooperative Organization".Finally,the organization contributed far less in effect of gospel than that in higher education.Just thanks to the overall support and cooperation of the "Cooperative Organization",without which comes no survival of Christian colleges enduring so many hardships and put very large effect on modern higher education in china in the afterwards 30 years.Besides this,it should be fully praised of the organization for its certain positive impact in its acceleration of the modernization of China's higher education,improvement in its internationalization extent and promotion of the cultural exchange of China and the western world,as well as somewhat propelling the advancement of the gospel enterprise in China.It is easy to discover a social phenomenon in common through review the history of the "Cooperative Organization" that it is bound to be restricted,for a country's education administration service organization that influencing the country's education institution,by the social conditions that surround it.It should meet the need of the society of the country,and simultaneously follow the evolution law of education.Otherwise,none would be easily achieved.