There are probably about 350,000 Christians in Shaanxi, though hard figures are impossible to come by. In many places, only a small fraction of the believers have been baptized. There are only 45 pastors in the province, and most of the 170 or so seminary graduates have not yet been ordained. The 600 or so churches and meeting points are scattered widely in often difficult terrain, and many believers live as many as 30 kilometers away from the nearest gathering place. Classes are currently held at an old church compound in Sanyuan City, about an hour's drive from Xi'an.
Conditions are very cramped.
A new, large seminary building is currently being built in the outskirts of Xi'an, and classes will move there with the beginning of the new school year in September. The poverty of most Christians means that congregations have very little money to spend. Church buildings are extremely simple, and many meeting points on the loess plateau in the north of the province have been set up in caves. In many of the larger cities, church property has not or has only partly been returned to congregations. For some church workers, some of the Christian radio broadcasts from abroad also represent one possible source of spiritual education and edification.