As COVID-19 outbreaks have rebounded in many parts of China recently, church leaders in the affected areas have been notified of the suspension of congregational religious activities. No one knows when the churches will be allowed to reopen. According to recent major media reports, both central and local government departments believe that the prevention of the virus is relatively weak in the vast rural areas. Therefore, rural epidemic prevention has become a top priority.
Since there are a considerable number of churches in those areas, it is really worrying for pastors as to how they should carry out their work. The church that I lead also belongs to the same government level of town. Here I would like to share some of my experience during the suspension of gatherings last year.
1. Put together online worship that includes the sharing of information and exposition of Biblical texts as the supplement.
At the beginning of last year's outbreak, a senior pastor insisted, "Make sure that believers hear the voice of the shepherd every Sunday." I cannot agree with him more. During the pandemic, some churches were divided because they invited strangers from out of town to share in their worship services. Because nothing comes wrong to a hungry man, some brothers and sisters felt confused at that time. Some of them were even lured away by heresies. These were all unexpected occurrences and exposed the limitations of the church's pastoral work during the pandemic. As a result, pastors are facing the question of how to disciple believers well in the vast under-resourced rural areas when the churches are closed again.
We were all caught off guard when on-site services were stopped last year. The question was how pastors could properly shepherd their followers? At that time, the methods that came to my mind included these: WeChat group, QQ chat group, WeChat public account, Tencent conference system and/or webcast. However, most rural churches lacked the necessary video equipment and human resources. During that period, I tried to record the sermon in advance on my phone on Saturday, and then let my brothers and sisters listen to it in the WeChat group on Sunday. To my surprise, it did not work well because a different software app was needed to listen to my recording. One day, a preacher from a nearby church called and told me a better way. There was a sharing software on WeChat called Sixty Seconds. We could use it to share directly by voice just by on-touch. It was especially convenient for churches which were mostly led by elderly volunteer preachers. Then, we used the Sixty Seconds for our online gathering on Sunday. I led the online sharing and interacted with brothers and sisters.
Although there were no exact statistics, several church preachers told me that there were about 50-60% of the members who listened to the sermon and gave feedback at the beginning of online worship services. The participation is not very high. As time went on, fewer and fewer people kept listening to the sermons. The participation dropped to 20-30%. Thus, I needed to learn to change roles from being a speaker to a sharing by using written words. I typed the insights that I received from my reading and study and included what others shared. In this way, I provided brothers and sisters with the opportunity to receive the bread of life every day. It helped make up for the shortcomings of online worship.
2. Private counseling is indispensable.
In the vast rural churches, there are many people who do not know how to use smartphones. Therefore, it wasn’t possible to provide the needed pastoral counseling and care during the pandemic. As a pastor, I used QQ and WeChat to communicate with some brothers and sisters and faced others in need. In particular, I often made phone calls to those who were elderly and could only use outdated cell phones. I always prayed for them, especially when they encountered life changes or their loved ones passed away.
3. Do not ignore visitations and establish a district team leader.
Although churches were closed during the pandemic, we were allowed to visit our brothers and sisters in the low-risk areas. In addition to self-protection, the number of visitors was limited to no more than ten by the local government. As the Chinese traditional Spring Festival is coming, we ought to bring God's love to the homes of brothers and sisters.
At the same time, the shepherds need to set up district team leaders to play a role where they keep watch on things. Since no one can predict when the epidemic will be over, the team leaders can act as a liaison for the district. If they are given some pastoral responsibilities, they may prevent heresy from pulling people away from the church and stop people from going astray. They can also report brothers and sisters' problems and needs to the Church. As a result, the church will be able to strengthen its management.
In short, as the wise man said, "You must know the situation of your flock in detail and take care of your herd." (Proverbs, 27:23).
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Jerry Liu
教会再次暂停实地礼拜，牧者当如何做好牧养工作？
近期，因国内好多地方疫情反弹，许多地方的教会已经接到暂停聚集性宗教活动的通知，何时重新开放尚不得而知。而从近期各大媒体报道看来，中央及地方有关部门皆认为广大农村地区的防控形势比较薄弱，农村的防疫成为重中之重。暂停聚会的堂点亦有相当数量是在乡镇或农村地区，如何牧养他们确实让人揪心。笔者所带领的教会也属于三线（镇级）教会，兹根据去年暂停聚会期间的一些服侍经验，提出一些浅见。
1、作好线上崇拜——以信息分享为主，文字表达为辅
去年疫情刚开始时，有位资深牧者一直强调：“每个主日，一定要让信徒听到本堂牧者的声音。”这点笔者非常赞同和认可，因为在过去疫情严重期间，因邀请外地不认识的人分享信息而造成教会分裂有之；因为饥不择食，而造成教会困惑、甚至被异端“拉羊”亦有之。凡此种种，皆暴露了疫情中教会牧养功能的局限性。对于资源更为缺乏的广大农村教会，该如何在教会再次关门期间牧养好信徒呢？
去年刚开始停止实地聚会的时候，大家都措手不及，要用什么方式牧养群羊？当时想到的有：微信群、QQ群、微信公众号、腾迅会议系统或直播，可是广大农村教会大多没有录像设备及相关人手。在此期间，我也曾试着在周六把星期天要传讲的信息用手机录下来，第二天放到微信群里让弟兄姊妹收听。可是有一天，附近一间教会的传道人给我打电话说：“牧师，你是用60秒（即主日在微信群里直接用语音分享，只要点击最上面一个，就可以连续听完）讲道还是录音？事先录音放在群里的，很多弟兄姊妹都听不到，因为还要下载另外的软件才可以收听，很多上了年纪的肢体都不会操作。”这是很现实的问题，尤其是广大农村教会大都是由年纪比较大的义工传道带领，或许微信60秒语音是更方便快捷的一种方式。在每个主日，都按着本堂平时聚会的时间进行线上带领、分享，会后还可以跟弟兄姊妹互动。
虽然没有确切统计过，但在跟几个堂的传道同工交流时，他们都不约而同告诉我，刚开始进行线上崇拜时，群里大约有五六成肢体收听和反馈信息，参与度不是很高。后来随着时间推移，慢慢收听的人越来越少，只有两三成人参与。由此可见，牧者还需要学会适当转变角色，由言说者到文字分享者，可以分享周间从灵修读经或弟兄姊妹的分享中得到的亮光或自己的洞察，每天向大家提供生命之粮，以弥补主日线上崇拜的不足。
2、私下辅导不可缺
在广大农村教会，不会用智能手机的同道不计其数，因此教会牧养就无法做到面面俱到。因此作为牧者，可以用QQ、微信私下交通，辅导有需要的弟兄姊妹，直接面对他们的属灵需求。尤其是那些已经上了年纪、只能用“老人机”的弟兄姊妹，可以电话探访，为他们守望祈祷，尤其是在他们遇到人生变故或者亲人过世时。
3、不可忽视探访，同时发挥片区小组长的作用
不知大家有否注意到，虽然教堂关门，但除了中高风险地区以外，低风险地区在做好自身防护措施以外，按照各地政府防控指挥部的人数限定（一般不超过10人），牧者依然可以出门探访，尤其是在中国传统新春佳节来临之际，更要将神的关爱带到弟兄姊妹的家中。
与此同时，牧者需要设立片区小组长，发挥小组长的“口哨”作用。因为大家都无法预测未来停止聚会到何时，因此小组长就可以成为片区的联络员，让其承担一部分的牧养职能。“有了小组长，就可以防止异端邪说拉人，或者羊误入歧途，并且可以随时将弟兄姊妹的问题与需要报告给教会，让教会加强管理。
总之，正如智者所言：“你要详细知道你羊群的景况，留心料理你的牛群。”（箴27:23）
教会再次暂停实地礼拜，牧者当如何做好牧养工作？
As COVID-19 outbreaks have rebounded in many parts of China recently, church leaders in the affected areas have been notified of the suspension of congregational religious activities. No one knows when the churches will be allowed to reopen. According to recent major media reports, both central and local government departments believe that the prevention of the virus is relatively weak in the vast rural areas. Therefore, rural epidemic prevention has become a top priority.
Since there are a considerable number of churches in those areas, it is really worrying for pastors as to how they should carry out their work. The church that I lead also belongs to the same government level of town. Here I would like to share some of my experience during the suspension of gatherings last year.
1. Put together online worship that includes the sharing of information and exposition of Biblical texts as the supplement.
At the beginning of last year's outbreak, a senior pastor insisted, "Make sure that believers hear the voice of the shepherd every Sunday." I cannot agree with him more. During the pandemic, some churches were divided because they invited strangers from out of town to share in their worship services. Because nothing comes wrong to a hungry man, some brothers and sisters felt confused at that time. Some of them were even lured away by heresies. These were all unexpected occurrences and exposed the limitations of the church's pastoral work during the pandemic. As a result, pastors are facing the question of how to disciple believers well in the vast under-resourced rural areas when the churches are closed again.
We were all caught off guard when on-site services were stopped last year. The question was how pastors could properly shepherd their followers? At that time, the methods that came to my mind included these: WeChat group, QQ chat group, WeChat public account, Tencent conference system and/or webcast. However, most rural churches lacked the necessary video equipment and human resources. During that period, I tried to record the sermon in advance on my phone on Saturday, and then let my brothers and sisters listen to it in the WeChat group on Sunday. To my surprise, it did not work well because a different software app was needed to listen to my recording. One day, a preacher from a nearby church called and told me a better way. There was a sharing software on WeChat called Sixty Seconds. We could use it to share directly by voice just by on-touch. It was especially convenient for churches which were mostly led by elderly volunteer preachers. Then, we used the Sixty Seconds for our online gathering on Sunday. I led the online sharing and interacted with brothers and sisters.
Although there were no exact statistics, several church preachers told me that there were about 50-60% of the members who listened to the sermon and gave feedback at the beginning of online worship services. The participation is not very high. As time went on, fewer and fewer people kept listening to the sermons. The participation dropped to 20-30%. Thus, I needed to learn to change roles from being a speaker to a sharing by using written words. I typed the insights that I received from my reading and study and included what others shared. In this way, I provided brothers and sisters with the opportunity to receive the bread of life every day. It helped make up for the shortcomings of online worship.
2. Private counseling is indispensable.
In the vast rural churches, there are many people who do not know how to use smartphones. Therefore, it wasn’t possible to provide the needed pastoral counseling and care during the pandemic. As a pastor, I used QQ and WeChat to communicate with some brothers and sisters and faced others in need. In particular, I often made phone calls to those who were elderly and could only use outdated cell phones. I always prayed for them, especially when they encountered life changes or their loved ones passed away.
3. Do not ignore visitations and establish a district team leader.
Although churches were closed during the pandemic, we were allowed to visit our brothers and sisters in the low-risk areas. In addition to self-protection, the number of visitors was limited to no more than ten by the local government. As the Chinese traditional Spring Festival is coming, we ought to bring God's love to the homes of brothers and sisters.
At the same time, the shepherds need to set up district team leaders to play a role where they keep watch on things. Since no one can predict when the epidemic will be over, the team leaders can act as a liaison for the district. If they are given some pastoral responsibilities, they may prevent heresy from pulling people away from the church and stop people from going astray. They can also report brothers and sisters' problems and needs to the Church. As a result, the church will be able to strengthen its management.
In short, as the wise man said, "You must know the situation of your flock in detail and take care of your herd." (Proverbs, 27:23).
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Jerry Liu
How Can Pastors Do Pastoral Work When In-person Worship is Suspended Again?
