"The shortage can easily be seen from the figures. Each pastor would have to serve between 5,000 and 10,000 followers in each parish. The ideal situation is for one pastor to serve 150 followers," he said.

Gao said there are about 800 graduates from seminaries under the Protestant Church each year, while 400,000 to 500,000 people in the country are baptized as Protestants annually.

"The graduates would need proper training in parishes before becoming elders and pastors. It is virtually impossible for us to catch up with the increase in the number of followers," he said.

Gao added that a majority of newly trained graduates from seminaries are focusing on parish management, but few are focusing on theological research.

According to the China Christian Council, there are 22 Protestant seminaries in China, with 292 theology teachers providing training sessions to more than 3,000 students.