Hong Kong SAR Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Hong Kong, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites
'''Ancestry.com, findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Hong Kong, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Hong Kong, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Historical Background
Christianity was one of the most influential religions in Hong Kong. It gained influence partially due to its existence Hong Kong under British Crown rule from 1841 to 1997, and the work of many Western mission agencies from many countries. The Anglican church held a nominal privileged status through the influence of the British colonial government. After the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997 governmental support of the Church of England was reduced. In China, the ruling Communist Party of China distrusts missions and humanitarian entities with international religious ties. This includes religious organizations with missionary connected objectives. China officially supports State atheism and views all religion and Christianity as subversive.

The Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1841 and as an Apostolic Vicariate in 1874. It became a diocese in 1946. About 379,000 Hong Kong people are Catholics as of 2016, many of them immigrants from the Philippines. Masses are conducted in Cantonese, with around three-fifths of the parishes providing services in English and in Tagalog (for the Filipino community) in some cases.

The presence of the Protestant community dates back to 1841. According to the data of HKSAR government, About 480,000 Protestants live in Hong Kong as of 2016. Major denominations are Adventists, Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Church of Christ in China, Methodists, Pentecostals and the Salvation Army.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had 22,500 recorded members in Hong Kong in 2013. The LDS Church first sent missionaries to Hong Kong in 1853 but did not establish headquarters until 1949.

The Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia is the only church of Eastern Christianity in Hong Kong. It was set up in November 1996 by the decision of the Holy Great Synod of Constantinople. It is now under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Hong Kong.
 * b. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * c. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Writing to a Local Parish
To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Hong Kong

Historical Background
The Catholic Church in Hong Kong, established in 1841, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. All Catholics in Hong Kong are under the Diocese of Hong Kong. There are approximately 389,000 Catholics in Hong Kong - around 5% of the total population - most being Latin Rite Catholics. The majority of the Hong Kong Catholics are Chinese. However, there are various national groups of Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Indian, French and German active Catholics. Sunday religious services are offered in 99 places.

Online Records
Online church information is available to current members, deceased members, and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background
The first missionaries to Hong Kong visited for four months in 1853, but internal problems in China made missionary efforts difficult. The Church began to grow when missionary headquarters were established in Hong Kong in 1949. By 1951, approximately 30 people attended weekly Church meetings. By 1960, approximately 1,700 members were divided into eight congregations. Over the next five years, membership grew to 3,000. In 1975, membership was 10,000. In the next 10 years, membership nearly doubled. Total Church Membership: 24,933. Congregations: 39.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Hong Kong

Historical Background
The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (abbreviated SKH), also known as the Anglican Church in Hong Kong, is the Anglican Church in Hong Kong and Macao. It is the 38th Province of the Anglican Communion. It is also one of the major denominations in Hong Kong. The church has approximately 29,000 members.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Baptist churches in Hong Kong

Historical Backgroud
The Baptist Convention of Hong Kong is a Baptist Christian denomination in Hong Kong. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Mong Kok.

Baptist work in Hong Kong traces its roots from the first missionaries sent by the Triennial Convention to work with the Chinese. Due to the hostility to foreigners in China at that time, missionaries were forced to work in areas with significant Chinese population in territories outside of Chinese control. In 1835, Dr. and Mrs. William Dean begun work with the Chaozhou speaking Chinese in Bangkok, Thailand whereas the Revd. Jehu Lewis Shuck and his wife, Henrietta Shuck, started work among the Cantonese speaking Chinese in Portuguese ruled Macau. With the cession of Hong Kong to the United Kingdom in 1842, the Shucks relocated to the colony in March of the same year and were joined later in the year by the Deans. The first chapel was established in 1842 in Queen's Road known as the Queen's Road Baptist Church.

With the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, many refugees entered Hong Kong, including Christians from the Baptist churches in China. This helped in the expansion of the work of the BCHK. This included Chaozhou speaking Baptists affiliated with the mission established by William Dean who set up the Hong Kong Swatow Baptist Church in 1948. In 1954, Chaozhou speaking missionaries were sent by the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society at the request of local workers to help in the work and the Chaozhou speaking churches, collectively known as the Swatow Baptist Churches (later Shantou Baptist Churches) joined the BCHK.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Christian and Missionary Alliance churches in Hong Kong

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Church of Christ in China churches in Hong Kong

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Eastern Orthodox churches in Hong Kong

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Lutheran churches in Hong Kong

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Hong Kong

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Pentecostal churches in Hong Kong

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Salvation Army churches in Hong Kong