A reflection on going abroad, studying theology, and life choices: before asking how to leave, examine your motives, calling, and the direction you are truly following.
By Muchangke
By Muchangke
Recently, several people have asked me:
“Is there still any way to go abroad?”
“How can I get to the United States?”
“Can I come to America by studying theology?”
Some time ago, I wrote an article titled How to Come to the United States to Study Theology, sharing what I knew with readers.
Recently, however, China introduced new regulations concerning exit and entry administration.
The State Council Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration, promulgated by the State Council, will officially take effect on September 15, 2026.
I read the original text carefully. Some claims online have been exaggerated, as though no one will be able to leave China after September 15. That is not accurate. But one thing is clear:
In the future, whether you are applying for exit documents, explaining the purpose of your travel, or using an intermediary to handle related procedures, “authenticity” and “legality” will become increasingly important.
The new regulations explicitly state that the reasons for applications involving exit and entry, stay, or residence must be truthful and lawful. When verifying an applicant’s identity and stated reasons, the relevant authorities may ask questions and may require supporting documents, information, and even electronic data.
Chinese citizens preparing to travel to countries or regions classified at the highest risk level, or places where incidents seriously threatening personal safety are sudden or frequent, may also be advised not to travel when necessary.
At the same time, the new regulations set out clearer rules and legal responsibilities for exit-entry intermediary agencies.
So at least one trend is already very clear:
Going abroad is becoming more regulated, and it increasingly requires reasons that are genuine, clear, and able to withstand verification.
But today, I do not really want to continue discussing “how to get out.”
I want to ask a different question:
Why do you have to leave?
Perhaps that is the question we really need to think through.
Over the years, I have lived, studied, and served in the United States, and I have met many people who came here from China.
The more I see, the more I realize how easily we turn “going abroad” into a life goal.
It can seem as though arriving in America automatically opens a new chapter in life; as though sending your children overseas means you have already won half the battle; as though obtaining legal status gives you entry into an entirely different world.
But that is not how life works.
America is not heaven.
And going abroad is not a shortcut to upgrading your life.
Many of the problems you face in China will still be there after you move abroad. In fact, changes in language, culture, immigration status, finances, and social relationships can create many new problems that you never had before.
Some people thrive after coming to America. Others have lived here for many years and still struggle tremendously.
Some discover a path overseas that truly suits them. Others leave China only to realize that the place where they are best suited to live and develop was China after all.
That is why I am increasingly reluctant to tell people simply:
“If you have a chance to get out, leave as soon as possible.”
That would be irresponsible.
The real questions should be:
Why are you leaving?
What is your goal?
What are you planning to do after you leave?
What price are you willing to pay for this choice?
If you have not thought these questions through, even if an airplane carries you to the other side of the world, your life may still have no clearer direction.
Some time ago, someone contacted me.
His first question was:
“How can I go abroad?”
Then he asked several other questions about leaving China.
There were things I simply did not know, so I told him honestly that I did not know.
Later, when he learned that I am a pastor in the United States, he asked:
“Were you already a pastor in China, or did you become a pastor only after coming to America?”
I replied:
“I was already a pastor in China.”
Then he asked another question:
“How can I get a position in a church?”
At that point, a question suddenly arose in my mind.
So I asked him very directly:
“Do you know Jesus?”
Then I asked:
“Are you trying to come to America by studying theology or by using the church as a pathway?”
I admit that I was very direct.
But I meant no harm.
For me, this was not a question of technique. It was a fundamental question.
If someone asks, “How can I get a position in a church?” my first instinct is not to tell him how to find a church job. I want to know:
Why do you want to enter the church?
Why do you want to study theology?
Why do you want to become a minister?
Unfortunately, he became very upset and even accused me of being “bitter” and “resentful.”
I did not continue arguing with him, nor did I want to waste either his time or mine.
But the encounter stayed with me for a long time.
Because I realized something:
Very often, we are in a hurry to ask, “Where is the road?” before we have asked, “Where am I actually trying to go?”
Actually, if that man had simply said to me:
“Paul, I just want to go abroad. I heard that studying theology might give me an opportunity, so I want to try.”
I would have found that much easier to talk about.
At least it would have been honest.
I would not humiliate him for it, nor would I imagine myself more spiritual than he is.
People have real-life needs.
Some want better work. Some think about their children. Some want better education. Some want a different environment. Others are looking for new opportunities in life.
We can talk about all of these things.
But I would tell him very seriously:
If you treat believing in Jesus as a tool for going abroad, you have the order backward.
The Christian faith has never been an immigration agency.
The church is not a stepping-stone to overseas residency.
And seminary is certainly not a respectable cover for an entirely different life plan.
Why do we believe in Jesus?
Because we are sinners who need forgiveness.
Because humanity is separated from the God who created us, and through Jesus Christ we need to be reconciled to Him.
Because Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead.
Because what we need is not merely an American status, but a new identity in Christ.
We need more than a change of country; we need transformed lives.
We need more than plans for the next few decades; we need eternal life.
So if someone asks me:
“Can believing in Jesus help me get to America?”
My answer may disappoint him:
The first question you should ask is not whether Jesus can help you obtain the life you want. The question is whether you are willing to entrust your life to Jesus.
Those are two completely different questions.
I previously wrote How to Come to the United States to Study Theology because there truly are brothers and sisters who want better theological training and genuinely do not know how to apply.
If I know how to help, I am willing to help.
We can talk about choosing a school, preparing your English, gathering application materials, obtaining church recommendations, and planning financially.
But I want to add one more sentence:
Do not study theology simply as a way to come to America.
If you are truly called to serve God, there is plenty of ministry to do in China.
If God wants you to remain in China, faithfully serving Him there does not make your calling one level lower than serving in America.
Likewise, if God truly leads you abroad for training, do not refuse to go merely because you are afraid of difficulty.
The key question has never been:
China or overseas?
The key question is:
Where does God want me to be?
Why am I studying theology?
Is it to gain a title?
To obtain a position?
To improve my social status?
To find a route out of the country?
Or is it because I genuinely long to know God’s Word, to be equipped, and to serve the church, shepherd His flock, and proclaim the gospel more faithfully?
If you have not thought these questions through, you may earn a doctorate in theology and still be empty inside.
Of course, talking about motives does not mean ignoring reality.
Policies change.
The international environment changes.
Visa policies change.
Admissions policies change.
Things that were relatively easy ten years ago may be much harder today. Procedures that are still possible today may face additional requirements in the future.
Therefore, if you are already clear about your direction and you have a genuine and lawful need to study, work, visit family, or travel abroad for some other reason, then learn the relevant policies carefully, prepare the necessary documents, and apply when the time is right.
Do not procrastinate, and do not falsify anything.
In particular, the new regulations taking effect on September 15 explicitly require the reasons stated in applications to be “truthful and lawful,” and the relevant authorities may further verify an applicant’s identity, documents, and reasons for applying.
So anyone seriously preparing to go abroad should remember a few things:
Your purpose should be genuine.
Your documents should be genuine.
Your identity should be genuine.
Your plan should be genuine.
Do not believe people who promise to “package your background.”
Do not fabricate documents.
Do not invent a story for a visa that even you cannot explain consistently.
A beginning built on lies rarely leads to genuine peace.
This is the sentence I most want to say today.
People in our generation easily turn something into their own form of “salvation.”
Some think:
Everything will be fine once I have enough money.
Everything will be fine once my child gets into a prestigious school.
Everything will be fine once I get a green card.
Everything will be fine once I make it to America.
Everything will be fine once I get a church position.
But what happens after you get it?
Slowly, you discover that the deepest problems of human life are not that simple.
A person can cross the Pacific Ocean and still be unable to cross the emptiness within;
can change passports without changing his life;
can move into a larger house without necessarily building a happier family;
can obtain a religious position without truly knowing Christ.
So no matter how policies change, and no matter how exit administration is implemented after September 15, I still want to remind those who are considering going abroad:
Before asking, “Can I still get out?” ask, “Why do I want to leave?”
If you are simply running away from the problems in front of you, you may change countries only to find those same problems waiting for you there.
If your only goal is to make money, then calculate the cost: your family, your time, your relationships, and your life. Is the price truly worth paying?
If you are doing it for your children, you also need to ask whether what they really need is merely a better school—or a healthy family, sound values, and the genuine presence of their parents.
And if you are going abroad to study theology, you need to ask even more seriously:
Am I looking for a plane ticket to America, or am I responding to God’s call on my life?
Over the years, I have become increasingly convinced of this:
When we face major life decisions, we cannot simply ask, “Which option is better?”
Is China better or America?
Is it better to stay or to leave?
Is it better to study theology or to work?
Is it better to be a pastor or to run a business?
There is no single answer that fits everyone.
Some people should go.
Some should stay.
Some should study theology.
Some should not study theology at all.
Some are suited for full-time ministry.
Others can live out the mission God has given them in business, education, technology, or other professions.
The real question is not where other people have gone, but where God has placed you.
So as exit policies change, I hope we can become quiet for a moment and ask again the most fundamental question of our lives:
What do I really want?
And deeper still:
What kind of person does God want me to become?
Once that question is clear, whether or not you can go abroad will no longer determine the value of your life.
If the door opens, walk through it in faith.
If the door closes, faithfully do what you are called to do today.
Because in the end, the value of a person’s life is never determined by whether his feet stand on Chinese soil or American soil. What matters is this:
Wherever God places him, does he know why he is there, and will he faithfully walk the path entrusted to him?
Going abroad is one path.
Staying is another.
Seminary is one path.
The workplace is another.
But the path itself is not the answer.
Knowing why you walk it—and knowing whom you follow—is the answer.
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