Since January 23, 2020, when in-person meetings were suspended for the first time due to the "COVID-19" pandemic, a Chinese church has gone through 828 days. During this period, the church keeps switching between the two modes: "double suspension of opening and all collective religious activities" and "resuming in-person gathering", with only 157 normally opening days.
This is a church with more than 1,000 believers. Over the past two years, more than a dozen co-workers have been serving, and the offering is enough to pay the wages of the co-workers, and there is almost no loss of believers. How did they do it?
Recently, Gospel Times, an online Christian newspaper, contacted the senior pastor of this church to share the story.
A few years before the pandemic, the church had been busy building the place because of relocation, but the co-workers felt exhausted and in need of spiritual refreshment in the following years.
Since the outbreak in early 2020, church co-workers owned many opportunities to improve themselves. The church trains co-workers from three aspects: spirit, soul, and body. The staff engages in spiritual practices by reading scriptures, praying, listening to God’s words, studying theology and reading spiritual books. Recently, they have been reading the book Pastoring Without Tears together and discussing it.
To enhance their ministry skills, the church organizes counseling, philosophy, marriage, cultural lessons, as well as eloquence lectures. Among them, the church invites practitioners of TV stations and radio stations to give lectures on eloquence learning, help co-workers to pronounce right, and correct problems such as flat cocky.
Physically, the church arranges exercise time for the co-workers every day. The programs include jumping rope, kicking shuttlecock, badminton, and other jumping exercises.
When co-workers are equipped with these, they can serve the believers more powerfully.
As in-person gatherings are impossible, church co-workers expand online pastoring ways. The online pastoral activities are mainly carried out through live broadcast, WeChat official account and WeChat group. The live broadcast is mainly used for Sunday worship. The WeChat official account mainly shares spiritual content in audio and texts. A series of contents such as Bible Reading Plan, Bible Knowledge Q&A, Holy Word at Your Side, and 365 Grace Program has been published. The audio contents are recorded by professional Christians with radio and television station working experiences. The Wechat group focuses on communication and interaction with believers.
In addition to online pastoring, the church co-workers also conduct online visits by telephone and WeChat to contact and comfort weak believers.
"With a little greeting and a little care, they are satisfied, and they will respond with joy." The middle-aged female pastor continued, "When they cry, you should listen to them and pray with them together, then the believers will be comforted."
For Thanksgiving and Christmas festivals during the lockdown period as families cannot celebrate and worship together in the church, the church co-workers would record the holiday wishes for them, and lead them to worship through live broadcast and recording. They also give holiday gifts to every believer.
With the care, believers have been keeping the good faith and can actively contribute to and support the church's development.
There are about 100 church members who keep praying, who have been always praying for the church's growth and the weak believers.
The congregation gave through the Internet during the pandemic. If they did not know how to offer online, they would put donation money in the donation box and leave immediately. The donation during the pandemic is enough to pay the co-worker wages.
The church has a pastor, four teachers, as well as full-time preaching deacons and volunteers, all of whom are paid or subsidized. Further, in addition to the tuition, accommodation, and transportation expenses for the theologs, the church also subsidizes them some living expenses every month.
Even though there are over a dozen co-workers involved in ministries, the senior pastor still feels a serious shortage of workers. "There are not enough co-workers serving! A co-worker has to hold two or even three positions".
While ensuring online pastoring, the church has been looking forward to resuming in-person services. When the on-site gathering was resumed for the first time, a co-worker excitedly shared in the WeChat Moments, "After 465 days of waiting, hoping, and preparing, we finally ushered in the resumption of church service! We thank God for his untold gifts."
At present, churches in some China provinces have resumed in-person worship, while this church is still waiting due to COVID-19 control measures.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
自2020年1月23日首次因“新冠”疫情暂停聚会至今，国内一间教会已走过了828个日夜。期间，该教会不断在“双暂停”和“恢复实地聚会”这两个模式切换着，教堂正常开放的日子仅有157天。
这是一间拥有一千多位信徒的教会，在聚少散多的这两年多时间里，这间教会的十多位同工一直在坚持服侍，教会的奉献款足以供应同工们的工资，信徒几乎没有流失。他们是怎么做到的呢？
近日，福音时报同工联系了这间教会的主任牧师，听她讲述了其中的故事。
疫情期间集中精力抓同工培训。
疫情前的几年时间里，该教会因为动迁，一直在忙着建圣殿，几年下来，同工们感觉被掏空了，急需建造属灵的圣殿。
疫情后，教会同工们有了许多学习、充电的机会。教会从灵、魂、体三个方面对同工进行培养。属灵方面，同工们藉着读经、祷告、听道、学神学、读属灵书籍来操练；近期，大家在一起学习书籍《服侍可以不流泪》，读过之后一同谈论、交通。
魂的方面，有关于辅导、哲学、婚姻、文化课等内容，还有口才的学习。其中口才学习，教会邀请电视台、广播电台的从业人员授课，帮助同工们正确发声，纠正平翘舌不分等问题。
体的方面，教会给同工们每天安排了运动时间，大家可以跳绳、踢毽子、打羽毛球、跳操等。
同工们得到装备后，可以更有力量地服侍会众。
因为不能开展线下聚会，教会同工们积极拓展线上牧养的方式。该教会的线上牧养主要以直播、公众号以及微信群来展开。直播主要用于主日崇拜。微信公众号主要以音频和文字的形式分享灵修内容，曾发布过“读经计划”“圣经知识问答”“圣言在身边”“365恩典计划”等系列内容；其中的音频是由有过广播电台和电视台从业经历的基督徒录制，相当专业。微信群侧重跟信徒交流、互动。
除了网络牧养，教会同工们还进行“云”探访工作，通过电话以及微信等方式联系、安慰软弱的肢体。
“稍微一个问候，给信徒一点点的关怀，他们就很满足，他们会满满地回应。”这位中年女牧师继续说道，“她们哭一哭，你听一听，再一起祷告一下，信徒们就很得安慰。”
疫情期间的感恩节、圣诞节，家人们不能在教堂一同欢庆、敬拜，教会同工就录制好节日的祝福送给大家，并通过直播、录播的形式带领大家敬拜，还将节日礼物逐户送给信徒们。
信徒们得到了牧养、关心，因此保持了较好的信仰状态，可以积极奉献、支持教会的发展。
教会有一群坚持祷告的弟兄姐妹，其中有100人左右一直在为教会的发展以及教会中软弱的弟兄姐妹代祷。
弟兄姐妹们在疫情期间通过网络进行奉献，有不会网络奉献的弟兄姐妹，就把奉献款带到教堂，投入奉献箱后立即离开。该教会疫情期间的奉献款，足以供应教会同工们的工资。
该教会有一位牧师，四位教师，另外还有全职服侍的执事以及义工传道，这些都是有工资或者补助的；另外，该教会除了担负在读神学生的学费、食宿费、交通费，每个月还额外补助一定的生活费。
即便拥有十多位参与服侍的同工，这位主任牧师仍觉得严重缺人，“服侍的同工太不够了！一个同工要身兼两职甚至三职”。
在做好网络牧养的同时，教会一直企盼着能够恢复实地的聚会。在首次恢复聚会时，一位同工兴奋地在朋友圈分享道：“经过465天的等待、盼望、预备……我们终于迎来了复堂时刻！……我们感谢神，因他有说不尽的恩赐。”
目前，国内已经有一些省份的教会再次恢复了实地崇拜；这间仍在暂停聚会的教会，还在翘首以待……
828天里教堂只开放了157天，这间教会的光景如何？
Since January 23, 2020, when in-person meetings were suspended for the first time due to the "COVID-19" pandemic, a Chinese church has gone through 828 days. During this period, the church keeps switching between the two modes: "double suspension of opening and all collective religious activities" and "resuming in-person gathering", with only 157 normally opening days.
This is a church with more than 1,000 believers. Over the past two years, more than a dozen co-workers have been serving, and the offering is enough to pay the wages of the co-workers, and there is almost no loss of believers. How did they do it?
Recently, Gospel Times, an online Christian newspaper, contacted the senior pastor of this church to share the story.
A few years before the pandemic, the church had been busy building the place because of relocation, but the co-workers felt exhausted and in need of spiritual refreshment in the following years.
Since the outbreak in early 2020, church co-workers owned many opportunities to improve themselves. The church trains co-workers from three aspects: spirit, soul, and body. The staff engages in spiritual practices by reading scriptures, praying, listening to God’s words, studying theology and reading spiritual books. Recently, they have been reading the book Pastoring Without Tears together and discussing it.
To enhance their ministry skills, the church organizes counseling, philosophy, marriage, cultural lessons, as well as eloquence lectures. Among them, the church invites practitioners of TV stations and radio stations to give lectures on eloquence learning, help co-workers to pronounce right, and correct problems such as flat cocky.
Physically, the church arranges exercise time for the co-workers every day. The programs include jumping rope, kicking shuttlecock, badminton, and other jumping exercises.
When co-workers are equipped with these, they can serve the believers more powerfully.
As in-person gatherings are impossible, church co-workers expand online pastoring ways. The online pastoral activities are mainly carried out through live broadcast, WeChat official account and WeChat group. The live broadcast is mainly used for Sunday worship. The WeChat official account mainly shares spiritual content in audio and texts. A series of contents such as Bible Reading Plan, Bible Knowledge Q&A, Holy Word at Your Side, and 365 Grace Program has been published. The audio contents are recorded by professional Christians with radio and television station working experiences. The Wechat group focuses on communication and interaction with believers.
In addition to online pastoring, the church co-workers also conduct online visits by telephone and WeChat to contact and comfort weak believers.
"With a little greeting and a little care, they are satisfied, and they will respond with joy." The middle-aged female pastor continued, "When they cry, you should listen to them and pray with them together, then the believers will be comforted."
For Thanksgiving and Christmas festivals during the lockdown period as families cannot celebrate and worship together in the church, the church co-workers would record the holiday wishes for them, and lead them to worship through live broadcast and recording. They also give holiday gifts to every believer.
With the care, believers have been keeping the good faith and can actively contribute to and support the church's development.
There are about 100 church members who keep praying, who have been always praying for the church's growth and the weak believers.
The congregation gave through the Internet during the pandemic. If they did not know how to offer online, they would put donation money in the donation box and leave immediately. The donation during the pandemic is enough to pay the co-worker wages.
The church has a pastor, four teachers, as well as full-time preaching deacons and volunteers, all of whom are paid or subsidized. Further, in addition to the tuition, accommodation, and transportation expenses for the theologs, the church also subsidizes them some living expenses every month.
Even though there are over a dozen co-workers involved in ministries, the senior pastor still feels a serious shortage of workers. "There are not enough co-workers serving! A co-worker has to hold two or even three positions".
While ensuring online pastoring, the church has been looking forward to resuming in-person services. When the on-site gathering was resumed for the first time, a co-worker excitedly shared in the WeChat Moments, "After 465 days of waiting, hoping, and preparing, we finally ushered in the resumption of church service! We thank God for his untold gifts."
At present, churches in some China provinces have resumed in-person worship, while this church is still waiting due to COVID-19 control measures.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
Only 157 Days Opened out of 828 days, How Is This Church Now?
