Active Adaptation and Passive Dependence: A Comparison of Protestant and Buddhist Social Services in Contemporary China

China’s religious social services complement the statutory welfare. Clarifying situations and characteristics of different types is conducive to promoting their better integration into public With help existing policy texts, research documents, website data, this paper employs thematic framework analysis method analyze texts documents uses NVivo12 SPSS26 data. We explore similarities differences between contemporary Chinese Protestant Buddhist from perspectives service program, organizations, resources, starting multiple dimensions such as vertical horizontal, similarity difference. The main findings include following: (a) In terms programs, are more inclusive than in participant selection, environment, use spiritual methods. open value expression, while localized politically consistent with government. (b) based on three legal persons. were first register organizational organizations differentiated special institutions have core strong mobilization capabilities (CCC/TSPM). There little difference private non-enterprise units foundations (transparency index, business scope). (c) both rely donations. sources funds for international, diversified, market-oriented. government resource acquisition, actively “adapt”, passively “rely”.