Presently, most media reports of rural churches are about the decrease in the number of rural church workers, the inability to pay ministers, the shortage of ministers and spiritual guidance, the lack of responsibility, the rampant heresy, and even the closure of churches. Pastors nationwide are sorry to hear about all of this.
In 2008, recommended by our chief pastor, my wife and I willingly accepted the mission to serve in a small town church. Up until now, we have been serving God full time for 14 years. At that time, my wife and I had just been married for over a year. Before that, I served in another rural church for three years as an intern. My wife and I studied together in an urban seminary for three years and became ministers.
It is a small town in the northeast mountainous area. When my wife and I came here, there was not a single church building. We had gatherings at the deacon’s house where there were sixteen people at our first gathering. The church rented a house for us. However, 14 years have passed, and even now, there are no more than 20 members in this church. We call our church H Church.
In the second year, H Church built a chapel of more than 100 square meters with the help of the county church, and had a fixed place of worship.
Also in that year, in a more remote mountain village 15 kilometers away from H Church, a sister preached the gospel there and set up a gathering place of over a dozen people. They invited me to preach and serve there, and so I rode my motorcycle twice a week to lead the sermons and services there. After about three years, the church there also bought an old house as its venue with the help of the church at an upper hierarchy. We call that church S Church.
It was around the time before and after S Church built its venue that it had the largest number of members, 20 or 30 people. But I knew quite a few of them joined for fun at that time. Some actually had no faith foundation at all. True believers were only over a dozen, some of whom left for cities one after another as time went by. Up to now, there are seven or eight people who usually get together in S Church.
It has been difficult for churches there to grow for many years. Around 2014, I prayed to God to add 10 believers to my church. At the beginning of 2015, God granted my request two fold. There were constant changes to the ministers of the neighboring town. So, as per usual the county church arranged for me to serve that church, which had twenty followers. We call this church C Church.
Although there are not many people in these three churches, they all have their own fixed venues and are independent. When we first arrived at H Church, the church gave us 200 yuan per month, and the church kept increasing our salaries. In the first few years, S Church could not pay for pastors because all of them were new believers, and donations to the church were very little. Later, S Church could pay for pastors. By 2013, S Church would increase its monthly pay from 300 yuan to 500 yuan. I did not agree because I knew that the annual donations of these few people’s church was not reaching 6,000 yuan at that time. But the sisters said, “We give it to you by faith”.
In 2015, because I had one more church to serve at, C Church, I had to reduce the commitment to S Church. I felt that I owed S Church, so I volunteered to reduce my pay. Yet, S Church did not agree to reduce it and gradually increased it instead.
In the same year, my wife’s mother died and left her some money. We bought a second-hand car and gave birth to our second child. We were grateful to God for preparing this car. I had to travel among three churches and a gathering point. At the peak, there would be seven or eight services a week, and it would take hundreds of kilometers to run. The temperature could easily reach below minus twenty degrees in wintry northeast China. Without this car, I would be too cold to travel that distance. Later, C Church gave us a subsidy of 7,000 yuan for this car.
God has taught us that the church does not fall short of finance for paying ministers, and even increases the pay instead. The dedication of the church also increases with it, and the church has more than enough to build a venue and all other needs.
Our source of life is mainly provided by the church. I remember a theological classmate said to us more than ten years ago, “Who still lives by faith now?” But we still live by faith and it is God who supports us. For these years God wants us to experience a life of faith.
During the years of the pandemic, the donations to these churches have not decreased, and the number of people who worship has not decreased but increased slightly.
I also teach my brothers and sisters that working for money is also working for the Lord so that we can help others, instead of asking for money. During the pandemic, our three small churches also contributed seven or eight thousand yuan. I teach my brothers and sisters not to say that the church is poor, because we are God’s family, though small, what we have is more than enough through faith.
By 2022, the payment provided by C Church will rise to 1,200 yuan from 500 yuan which it increased to in 2015. S Church will rise to 800 yuan with the usual seven or eight people. H Church’s living expenses will rise to 1800 yuan. H Church is responsible for renting a house and burning materials for heating, and giving us an extra monthly pay at the end of the year. C Church and H Church usually get together with no more than 20 people. Several churches have extra subsidies during the Spring Festival, and most or even 80% or 90% of church income is used by us. And the church is willing to do it.
In comparison, more than 50 believers in these three rural churches have done their best. According to the proportion of the number of people, they have exceeded their strength, and it is in no way behind the rich churches in the cities. If the church can do its best to love the ministers in this proportion, maybe many ministers can stay.
- Translated by Charlie Li
最近从网络上看到关于乡村教会现状的信息，大多是关于乡村教会人员减少、无力供给传道人、缺乏传道人、缺乏属灵喂养、无人负责、异端在其中横行，甚至教会关门的。传道人看到这样的信息，是比较痛心的。
2008年我和妻子经牧长介绍，愿意去一个小乡镇教会事奉，一直到现在有14年的时间，并且一直是全职侍奉神。那时我和妻子刚结婚一年多，在那之前我在另外一个乡村教会侍奉三年算是实习的经历。我和妻子都是在市里教会的神学院学习三年成为传道人。
这里是东北山区小乡镇。我和妻子来到这里的教会，当时还没有教堂，是在执事家里聚会，第一次聚会时有十六个人。教会为我们租了房子。但14年过去了，就是现在这个教会平时聚会，也达不到二十个人。在这里我们把这个教会叫做H教会。
第二年H教会在县里教会的帮助下建设了一百多平的小教堂，有了固定的礼拜场所。
也是在这年，离H教会15公里的一个更偏远山村里，一个爱主的姊妹在那里传福音建立了十几个人的聚会。他们找我到那里讲道服事，我每周骑摩托车去两次带领讲道服事。大概是第三年，那里的教会也由上边教会的帮助买了旧房子作教堂。在这里我们用S教会来叫这个教会。
S教会在修建教堂前后是人最多的时候，有二三十人。但我知道那时凑热闹的比较多，有些人其实没有生命根基。确实信主的有十几个人，后来又有陆续去到市里的，到现在平时聚会有七八个人。
多年教会难以成长，约2014年的时候，我向神祷告求神给教会加添10个信徒。2015年初，神加倍地成就了。相邻乡镇的教会传道人有变动，县里教会安排我再服事那个教会，那个教会有二十个信徒。这个教会我们在这里叫C教会。
这三个教会虽然人都不多，但都有自己固定的教堂，是独立的教会。从我们刚到H教会时，教会给我们每月二百元生活费起，教会不断地给我们增加生活费。头几年S教会没有生活费，因为都是新的信徒，本教会奉献很少。后来S教会有了生活费，到2013年左右，S教会要从300元的生活费涨到500元每月生活费，我不同意，因为我知道当时这几个人的教会每年的奉献还不够6000元。但姊妹们说：“我们凭着信心给你”。
2015年，因为多了C教会要服侍，不得不减少来S教会的次数，我觉得亏欠S，就主动要求减少我们的生活费。但S教会没同意减少，反而还逐渐加增。
同年，妻子的母亲去世给她留下些钱，我们买了台二手小车，生了第二个孩子。感恩神预备了这小车。三个教会再加一个聚会点，多的时候一周要有七八次聚会，跑上百公里，东北冬天零下二十多度，若没有这小车，跑那么远真是太冷。后来C教会为这小车给我们补助了7000元。
神让我们经历到，教会并没有因给传道人生活费而缺乏，反而是生活费增长了，教会的奉献也随之增加，而且教会修建和各方面需用都有余的。
我们的生活来源主要就是教会的供给。记得十几年前一个神学时的同学对我们说：“现在谁还凭信心生活呀！”但我们到现今仍然凭信心生活，支持我们的就是神。这些年是神要我们经历信心的生活。
疫情几年中，这几个教会的奉献没有减少，恢复礼拜时人数也没有减少，还略有增加。
我也教导兄弟姐妹们在钱财上要多为主作工，能帮助别人，而不去向人要。疫情期间我们这三个小教会向外的奉献和捐款也有七八千元。我教导弟兄姊妹不可以说教会穷，因为是神的家虽然小，但凭着信所需用的都有余。
到今年2022年，C教会从2015年刚去时的500元生活费涨到1200元。S教会涨到800元生活费，还是平时七八个人的聚会。H教会涨到了1800元的生活费。并且H教会负责给我们租房子和取暖的烧材，年底还多给一个月的生活费。C教会和H教会平时聚会也都不过二十人。几个教会过春节时都格外有补助，教会收入的大多数甚至是百分之八九十都给我们使用。并且是教会甘心乐意的。
相比较之下，这三个乡村教会50多个信徒，尽了教会最大的力量，按照人数比例，是过了力量，甚至不输城市富有的教会。若是教会都能尽这样最大的力量，按这样的比例来爱传道人，或许有许多传道人可以留下来。
乡村教会侍奉经历：教会没有因给传道人生活费而缺乏
Presently, most media reports of rural churches are about the decrease in the number of rural church workers, the inability to pay ministers, the shortage of ministers and spiritual guidance, the lack of responsibility, the rampant heresy, and even the closure of churches. Pastors nationwide are sorry to hear about all of this.
In 2008, recommended by our chief pastor, my wife and I willingly accepted the mission to serve in a small town church. Up until now, we have been serving God full time for 14 years. At that time, my wife and I had just been married for over a year. Before that, I served in another rural church for three years as an intern. My wife and I studied together in an urban seminary for three years and became ministers.
It is a small town in the northeast mountainous area. When my wife and I came here, there was not a single church building. We had gatherings at the deacon’s house where there were sixteen people at our first gathering. The church rented a house for us. However, 14 years have passed, and even now, there are no more than 20 members in this church. We call our church H Church.
In the second year, H Church built a chapel of more than 100 square meters with the help of the county church, and had a fixed place of worship.
Also in that year, in a more remote mountain village 15 kilometers away from H Church, a sister preached the gospel there and set up a gathering place of over a dozen people. They invited me to preach and serve there, and so I rode my motorcycle twice a week to lead the sermons and services there. After about three years, the church there also bought an old house as its venue with the help of the church at an upper hierarchy. We call that church S Church.
It was around the time before and after S Church built its venue that it had the largest number of members, 20 or 30 people. But I knew quite a few of them joined for fun at that time. Some actually had no faith foundation at all. True believers were only over a dozen, some of whom left for cities one after another as time went by. Up to now, there are seven or eight people who usually get together in S Church.
It has been difficult for churches there to grow for many years. Around 2014, I prayed to God to add 10 believers to my church. At the beginning of 2015, God granted my request two fold. There were constant changes to the ministers of the neighboring town. So, as per usual the county church arranged for me to serve that church, which had twenty followers. We call this church C Church.
Although there are not many people in these three churches, they all have their own fixed venues and are independent. When we first arrived at H Church, the church gave us 200 yuan per month, and the church kept increasing our salaries. In the first few years, S Church could not pay for pastors because all of them were new believers, and donations to the church were very little. Later, S Church could pay for pastors. By 2013, S Church would increase its monthly pay from 300 yuan to 500 yuan. I did not agree because I knew that the annual donations of these few people’s church was not reaching 6,000 yuan at that time. But the sisters said, “We give it to you by faith”.
In 2015, because I had one more church to serve at, C Church, I had to reduce the commitment to S Church. I felt that I owed S Church, so I volunteered to reduce my pay. Yet, S Church did not agree to reduce it and gradually increased it instead.
In the same year, my wife’s mother died and left her some money. We bought a second-hand car and gave birth to our second child. We were grateful to God for preparing this car. I had to travel among three churches and a gathering point. At the peak, there would be seven or eight services a week, and it would take hundreds of kilometers to run. The temperature could easily reach below minus twenty degrees in wintry northeast China. Without this car, I would be too cold to travel that distance. Later, C Church gave us a subsidy of 7,000 yuan for this car.
God has taught us that the church does not fall short of finance for paying ministers, and even increases the pay instead. The dedication of the church also increases with it, and the church has more than enough to build a venue and all other needs.
Our source of life is mainly provided by the church. I remember a theological classmate said to us more than ten years ago, “Who still lives by faith now?” But we still live by faith and it is God who supports us. For these years God wants us to experience a life of faith.
During the years of the pandemic, the donations to these churches have not decreased, and the number of people who worship has not decreased but increased slightly.
I also teach my brothers and sisters that working for money is also working for the Lord so that we can help others, instead of asking for money. During the pandemic, our three small churches also contributed seven or eight thousand yuan. I teach my brothers and sisters not to say that the church is poor, because we are God’s family, though small, what we have is more than enough through faith.
By 2022, the payment provided by C Church will rise to 1,200 yuan from 500 yuan which it increased to in 2015. S Church will rise to 800 yuan with the usual seven or eight people. H Church’s living expenses will rise to 1800 yuan. H Church is responsible for renting a house and burning materials for heating, and giving us an extra monthly pay at the end of the year. C Church and H Church usually get together with no more than 20 people. Several churches have extra subsidies during the Spring Festival, and most or even 80% or 90% of church income is used by us. And the church is willing to do it.
In comparison, more than 50 believers in these three rural churches have done their best. According to the proportion of the number of people, they have exceeded their strength, and it is in no way behind the rich churches in the cities. If the church can do its best to love the ministers in this proportion, maybe many ministers can stay.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Rural Church Pastor: My Churches Don't Become Poor for Paying Staff
