Recently, Gospel Times, a Chinese Christian newspaper, launched a campaign of soliciting essays called “Why Did They Leave the Church?” When thinking about this topic, my heart feels dull pain.
I live in a remote mountainous area, where the gospel has only been introduced for only more than 30 years, and the rural church is desolate. What I have seen during my church life over the years is that the churchgoers of the local village (because some people do not have true Christian faith, they are called “churchgoers”) come and go, one after another, and there are not many believers who really have faith in Christian teachings. I have even seen some pastors leave the church and abandon the life of faith. Especially, I noticed that there were two local village churches, which had been closed in recent years, with their followers scattered!
The first church was built in 2000 and closed around 2015, lasting less than 15 years.
The church was built by an individual, Z (born in that village), from an organization (which was also founded in that village) and served by one of the largest churches in that area. This church was built through the efforts of the co-workers of the CCC&TSPM in the area to seek external aid and raise money from believers at the village’s temporary meeting point. Once, there were up to 60 or 70 people attending the meeting. However, since the church had no preacher of its own, a layperson Y (a volunteer without theological training) from another church in the district was sent to preach at that church meeting on Sundays. Z often returned to that church to preach on Sundays.
Z is from a wealthy family. Although he served full-time, he did not get a salary. He did not receive any theological training or any knowledge about church management and pastoral care. Besides, he was very complacent and overzealous to receive foreign “missionaries”. Due to the lack of distinguishing ability, soon after the church was built, he mistakenly received the heretic “Born Again Movement” or All Ranges Church and was soon misled by that movement, which resulted in coworker Y and many other people also getting misled.
Later, Z and Y joined hands to receive the “pastors” sent by All Ranges Church and led them to hold many "revival meetings" in the church. These foreign “pastors” identified the churchgoers that cried loudly as “saved” and those that did not cry as “unsaved”. Moreover, they were lukewarm or even indifferent to the “unsaved” believers during Sunday services, causing some of the “unsaved” to refuse to meet. The churchgoers gradually dwindled away until there were only a dozen who were called “saved.”
After discovering this situation, the fellow administration workers of the registered churches in that area exhorted Z and Y to stop the act, but they refused. Later, Y broke away from his senior church, and the church managed by Z broke away from the local official church. What’s more, Y left the church with more than a dozen members of the so-called “saved” churchgoers and set up a secret meeting place. Since then, the church has been closed.
The church B was built in 2005, but it was completely closed last year after the pandemic, lasting only about 10 years. The church was initiated by two persons (volunteers) in charge of the village temporary meeting place, and was built through the efforts of the co-workers of the CCC&TSPM in the area to seek external aid and raise money from believers at the village’s temporary meeting point. Once, there were up to fifty or sixty churchgoers. However, it did not last long. Two of the church’s responsible workers (who were also pastors, both volunteers, and without theological training) had passed away successively the year before. One of them died of old age and the other, a middle-aged man, died of cancer. However, no one in the church was willing to take the lead, and a suitable leader was hard to find. As a result, the church was left without a supervisor and pastor.
Later, with the help of the District CC&TSPM, they temporarily found a believer from the laities to be responsible for pastoral care. However, this believer did not receive any theological training and had never participated in the management and pastoral care of the church before. Therefore, he did not know how to conduct pastoral care and was unable to do his best in the management and pastoral care. As a result, the faithful have not been fed for a long time and began to stop coming to the meeting. After last year’s pandemic, only seven or eight people still went to the meeting. So the church had to be closed; the few remaining believers had to meet at a church in a nearby town.
In addition, several churches in the area are on the verge of closing due to a lack of management and pastoral staff.
The two closed churches and the others on the verge of closing have three things in common: First, the preachers and administrators are not trained in theology; second, the church relies entirely on laities and volunteers to manage and provide pastoral care; third, there is no construction of the second echelon of workers. It also reminds pastors of today’s rural churches that it is far more important to train and equip church workers and to provide for them than to build churches and office buildings (or training centers). And we should pay attention to the reservation and training of church workers of the second echelon, even the third echelon!
I believe that if a church knows and is willing to provide for its preachers, there will be excellent young believers who are willing to dedicate themselves and take up church ministry posts; there will also be excellent young believers who choose to study in theological schools and are willing to accept theological training. Only in this way can the quality of the preachers be ensured and the preachers be reassured to serve. Only in this way can a church grow in the organization, number, and spiritual life; Only in this way can the church stay away from the harm of heresy, so that the church can walk towards revival!
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
日前，《福音时报》编辑发起了“Ta为何离开教会？”的征文。当思想起这一话题，笔者的心就隐隐作痛。因为，笔者所处地域属边远山区，福音进入这里也只有短短的三十余年，乡村教会荒凉。这些年来在教会生活中所看到的是当地乡村教会的会众（因为，有的人没有真实的基督信仰，故称“会众”）进进出出，换了一茬又一茬，真正有基督信仰根基的信徒并不多；甚至还看到有的传道人离开教会，放弃了信仰生活。特别是看到当地有两间乡村堂会的教堂，在近几年相继关门，其信徒已经是流离失所！
甲堂会，教堂于2000年兴建，2015年前后关闭，历时不到十五年。
该教堂由出生于该乡村、在该地区一较大堂会事奉的Z某组织，通过该地区基督教两会同工争取外援和发动本乡村临时集会点信徒集资而建成。集会人数也曾达到六七十人。但是，建成后，由于教会没有自己的传道人，只是由区基督教两会从本地区另一堂会差派一名传道人Y某（义工，没有任何神学装备，实为平信徒，比较胆大和热心），在主日去这间堂会负责讲道；Z某也时常在主日回到这间堂会讲道。
Z某家庭殷实，虽然全职事奉，但不拿教会工资；他没有接受过任何的神学装备，不懂教会管理和牧养，却十分自满，对接待外来“传道人”过分热心。因缺乏分辨能力，在教堂建成不久，错误地接待了异端“重生派”（“哭重生派”），并很快被“重生派”迷惑，致使与其同工的Y某等多人也被迷惑。
后来，Z某和Y某等联手，接待“重生派”差来的“传道人”，在这间堂会开了多场“奋兴会”。这些外来“传道人”在“奋兴会”中，将大声哭号的会众认定为“得救了的”，将不哭的会众认定为“未得救的”。而且，在主日聚会时，他们对“未得救的”会众是不冷不热，甚至是不理不睬，致使部分“未得救的”的信徒不愿意聚会了。会众就渐渐减少，最后只剩下了十多位所谓“得救了的”。
该地区基督教两会同工发现这一情况后，对Z某和Y某等进行了劝诫；然而，他们完全听不进去。后来，Y某脱离了其母会，Z某所管理的堂会也脱离了该地区两会的管理；而且，Y某带着该堂点那些所谓“得救了的”十多个会众离开教堂，另外建立了秘密聚会点。从此，这间教堂关门了。
乙堂会，教堂于2005年兴建，于去年疫情后彻底关门，历时只有近十年。该教堂由该乡村临时聚会点的两位负责人员（义工）发起，通过该地区基督教两会同工争取外援和动员临时聚会点的信徒奉献而建成。会众也曾达到五六十人。然而，好景不长，该堂的这两位负责同工（兼牧养，均为义工，也没有任何神学装备），于前年先后离世。其中，一位因年老离世，另一位是中年人，因患癌症离世。然而，该堂会信徒无人愿意出来作领头羊，也找不出合适的领头人选，从而，致使该堂会没有了管理和牧养人员。
后来，虽然在区两会的帮助下，赶鸭子上架，从平信徒中临时物色了一名信徒负责牧养，但是这名信徒未接受任何的神学装备，且之前从未参与过教会的管理和牧养，从而，不知道如何牧会，在管理和牧养上均是力不从心。故此，信徒长时间得不到喂养，就开始不来聚会了。在去年疫情后，聚会人员只剩下七八个了。因此，这间教堂只得关门；剩下的几位信徒只好转到邻近集镇的教堂聚会。
另外，该地区还有几间堂会也因缺乏管理和牧养人员，已处于濒临教堂关门的境地。
这两间已关门和其余几间濒临教堂关门的堂会，有三个共同点：一是没有经过神学装备的传道人和管理人员；二是完全依靠平信徒义工来管理和牧养；三是没有第二梯队的工人队伍建设。这也提醒今天农村地区教会的牧长，当看到培养和装备教会工人，解决和落实教会工人生活供养问题，远比建教堂和办公楼（或培训中心）重要；且应该注重教会第二梯队，甚至第三梯队工人的储备和培养！
笔者认为，一间教会若懂得和愿意供养传道人，就会有优秀的青年信徒奉献自己，而走上教会事奉岗位；也就会有优秀青年信徒选择报读神学院校，愿意接受神学装备；也才能保证传道人的素质，并促使传道人安心事奉。才能够达成一间教会在组织、人数和信徒灵命上全面成长；才能使教会免受异端的危害，使教会走向复兴！
痛心！某地两间乡村教堂关门，群羊失散
Recently, Gospel Times, a Chinese Christian newspaper, launched a campaign of soliciting essays called “Why Did They Leave the Church?” When thinking about this topic, my heart feels dull pain.
I live in a remote mountainous area, where the gospel has only been introduced for only more than 30 years, and the rural church is desolate. What I have seen during my church life over the years is that the churchgoers of the local village (because some people do not have true Christian faith, they are called “churchgoers”) come and go, one after another, and there are not many believers who really have faith in Christian teachings. I have even seen some pastors leave the church and abandon the life of faith. Especially, I noticed that there were two local village churches, which had been closed in recent years, with their followers scattered!
The first church was built in 2000 and closed around 2015, lasting less than 15 years.
The church was built by an individual, Z (born in that village), from an organization (which was also founded in that village) and served by one of the largest churches in that area. This church was built through the efforts of the co-workers of the CCC&TSPM in the area to seek external aid and raise money from believers at the village’s temporary meeting point. Once, there were up to 60 or 70 people attending the meeting. However, since the church had no preacher of its own, a layperson Y (a volunteer without theological training) from another church in the district was sent to preach at that church meeting on Sundays. Z often returned to that church to preach on Sundays.
Z is from a wealthy family. Although he served full-time, he did not get a salary. He did not receive any theological training or any knowledge about church management and pastoral care. Besides, he was very complacent and overzealous to receive foreign “missionaries”. Due to the lack of distinguishing ability, soon after the church was built, he mistakenly received the heretic “Born Again Movement” or All Ranges Church and was soon misled by that movement, which resulted in coworker Y and many other people also getting misled.
Later, Z and Y joined hands to receive the “pastors” sent by All Ranges Church and led them to hold many "revival meetings" in the church. These foreign “pastors” identified the churchgoers that cried loudly as “saved” and those that did not cry as “unsaved”. Moreover, they were lukewarm or even indifferent to the “unsaved” believers during Sunday services, causing some of the “unsaved” to refuse to meet. The churchgoers gradually dwindled away until there were only a dozen who were called “saved.”
After discovering this situation, the fellow administration workers of the registered churches in that area exhorted Z and Y to stop the act, but they refused. Later, Y broke away from his senior church, and the church managed by Z broke away from the local official church. What’s more, Y left the church with more than a dozen members of the so-called “saved” churchgoers and set up a secret meeting place. Since then, the church has been closed.
The church B was built in 2005, but it was completely closed last year after the pandemic, lasting only about 10 years. The church was initiated by two persons (volunteers) in charge of the village temporary meeting place, and was built through the efforts of the co-workers of the CCC&TSPM in the area to seek external aid and raise money from believers at the village’s temporary meeting point. Once, there were up to fifty or sixty churchgoers. However, it did not last long. Two of the church’s responsible workers (who were also pastors, both volunteers, and without theological training) had passed away successively the year before. One of them died of old age and the other, a middle-aged man, died of cancer. However, no one in the church was willing to take the lead, and a suitable leader was hard to find. As a result, the church was left without a supervisor and pastor.
Later, with the help of the District CC&TSPM, they temporarily found a believer from the laities to be responsible for pastoral care. However, this believer did not receive any theological training and had never participated in the management and pastoral care of the church before. Therefore, he did not know how to conduct pastoral care and was unable to do his best in the management and pastoral care. As a result, the faithful have not been fed for a long time and began to stop coming to the meeting. After last year’s pandemic, only seven or eight people still went to the meeting. So the church had to be closed; the few remaining believers had to meet at a church in a nearby town.
In addition, several churches in the area are on the verge of closing due to a lack of management and pastoral staff.
The two closed churches and the others on the verge of closing have three things in common: First, the preachers and administrators are not trained in theology; second, the church relies entirely on laities and volunteers to manage and provide pastoral care; third, there is no construction of the second echelon of workers. It also reminds pastors of today’s rural churches that it is far more important to train and equip church workers and to provide for them than to build churches and office buildings (or training centers). And we should pay attention to the reservation and training of church workers of the second echelon, even the third echelon!
I believe that if a church knows and is willing to provide for its preachers, there will be excellent young believers who are willing to dedicate themselves and take up church ministry posts; there will also be excellent young believers who choose to study in theological schools and are willing to accept theological training. Only in this way can the quality of the preachers be ensured and the preachers be reassured to serve. Only in this way can a church grow in the organization, number, and spiritual life; Only in this way can the church stay away from the harm of heresy, so that the church can walk towards revival!
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
Heartache! Two Village Churches Closed Down Due to Lack of Pastors
