Editor's note: In a round table discussion with the Christian Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, four young pastors from different churches in Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang focused on how to shepherd young people. In particular, they shared that their own strengths and God's guidance have assisted in building trust and a sense of belonging with people of similar age.
The speakers are Sister Jiang born in the 1970s, Sister Shen and Brother Huang born in the 1980s, and Sister Lin born after 1995.
Christian Times: What are the demography and features of the young people in discipleship?
Keywords: Vitality, love of communication, tolerance, intellectual curiosity, self-abasement, social phobia.
Sister Shen: The members of the fellowship I lead are between 24 and 30. On the positive side, they are optimistic and dare to express their ideas and opinions. On the negative side, they tend to be self-centered and have weak tolerance. They easily give up when they encounter difficulties and fall into self-blame and self-abasement.
Sister Jiang: My young people are about 22 years old. It is easy for me to communicate with them. During our first meeting, they gave me good feedback. I felt their soft hearts, strong intellectual curiosity, and humble attitude. But they resist being taught. They have their own ideas which need to be heard and made known.
Sister Lin: For my part, the young people are between 24 and 32 and were born between 1990 and 1998. Most of them have low self-esteem, social phobia, and many worries about the outside world. They also have a search for eternity and thoughts about life.
Brother Huang: I have young people from 20 to 28. They are energetic, willing to share and communicate, and pay more attention to their own world (games, online society). They have a strong ability to accept and understand new things (and therefore high adaptability), and care less about the details in life (e.g. they cannot wash clean the dishes and clean the floor). Sometimes, they are too honest to think deeply about some events, and would do what others require them to do).
Christian Times: What do you think is the most challenging part of disciplining young people?
Keywords: victimization, trust, battle and burden, prayer, deep thinking
Sister Shin: For me, the most challenging thing is that they have experienced a number of betrayals and lost hope in their hearts. Even if I tell them about hope, it is hard for them to believe it, leading to the loss of hope in both reality and themselves. It takes many sacrifices to disciple such people, and they will not be able to follow the path by faith in a short time.
Sister Jiang: From my side, I think it is the problem of good faith. Their response somewhat deviates from their actions, as the results would be a bit below my estimation. The pastoral challenge is to keep building the relationship, as well as the stickiness of the relationship. It is difficult to fully meet their expectations, as their values are influenced by their own interests.
Sister Lin: My challenge is faith. In the process of leading, I will encounter various problems, and I need to face and bear them together with the young people. I would pray for them and seek God's will, and I need to give more to unite with God. Basically, the young people are those who have never been exposed to Christianity before. It is indeed a great challenge for me to let them accept the existence of God.
Brother Huang: Everyone has a different personality, so it will be difficult to guide them in the same direction. It is also hard to conduct in-depth discussions and thinking.
Christian Times: How do you build trust and a sense of belonging with them?
Keywords: Fellowship activities, ministry, communication, the witness of the shepherd, prayer, Bible study
Sister Shen: I will do some fellowship activities. In fellowship, they experience the real-life embodiment of God's words and come to understand more deeply the world of love they receive from others. In addition, I will lead them in a way that is easy for young people to open their hearts. For example, young people like hanging out, so I would take them out. During this process, we will communicate with each other and build trust through more open communication. I started talking to them more and sharing my own testimony of Christianity faith so that they would really feel it, and then they would open up and share their own struggles.
Sister Jiang: I open my heart, open my home, and take them with me to care for others. In the process, I feel that our relationship has further deepened. When we go to care for others, they can feel the close sense of mission and have the heart to help. As I take them to serve and show them different services, they will also trust me. The role of the model can give them confidence and a sense of belonging to serve.
Sister Lin: In my view, I would rather give them the truth before giving them love, as truth can keep the soul awake. I would let them realize the value of words and ask them to write down their thoughts. I will also post on my Moments and social media to share my life and closely combine faith with life. This is actually to let them constantly feel the life of Christ in me, as my life can affect their lives. Their souls feel the true prayer and love for them, so I can only ask God to let me see their weakness and pain, and add to my heart the love for the souls so that I can hold on.
Brother Huang: I build a relationship through eating and playing together and communicating stories with each other.
Christian Times: How do you conduct Bible studies on usual days? Do they accept it?
Keywords: Conversation, communication, Bible study, sharing guidance, discussion, OIA
Sister Shen: I talk, preach, share and pray. First of all, I will learn about their faith level through simple communication. Then, I will preach according to their situation. When there are some obstacles or conflicts, I will take them to pray together. Some get answers through the words of the Bible. Some form a relationship with the leader by sharing their true experiences so that I can interpret their experiences with the Bible. I think it is very important to guide them to share actively when leading the Bible study, as I will know them better, and then can guide them well and explain things in life according to the Bible teaching.
Sister Jiang: We will form a Sunday group. They can actively discuss, combine truth with life, and share their values. It will also have a subtle effect when leading them to pray.
Sister Lin: I usually invite them to online Bible study a few times and then invite them to fellowship when appropriate. This way, they more easily open their hearts and prepare their minds. In the morning, we will regularly set up Bible reading classes, lead them to read Bible together, and help them develop a habit of getting near to God.
Brother Huang: We use OIA (Observe, Interpret, Apply) method in Bible study. We would observe the Bible contents from each word and sentence, places, time and people, and their relationships. We would then interpret the reasons, and ask questions to decompose the sentences. Finally, we would apply it to real life from the above discussion, find out the reminders and lessons, and compare the Bible with our real life. If time permits, we would observe the application scenarios, interpret and apply them again, which becomes a circular guided questioning, discussion, and sharing. At the moment, we invest time and effort in building relationships. Later, it will be different. As they have different learning and understanding abilities, those who already have Bible knowledge would find it easy, while others would find it appropriate.
Christian Times: In what ways do you build their sense of commitment and mission to the church?
Keywords: Bible study, prayer, trust, the invitation to ministry, challenge, the pastor
Sister Shen: The first step is to build their trust in God through His words, and then the church silently prays for these souls, so that they can experience the real work of God in their lives. Let the souls know that they are loved through visible and invisible ministrations and love for the souls. In this way, the souls will gradually trust the pastor and the church. When the trust in the church is built, the church should constantly invite them to participate in ministry, even if it is small, such as leading Bible reading and praise, so that they can feel that they are needed. By serving bit by bit, they will feel their own preciousness. Give them more confidence and courage, and gradually give them more challenges, then they will find the true value and meaning of their lives.
Sister Jiang: I will sort out their life with faith during my care for them. First of all, I would share with them a combination of my ministry path, my testimony of life growth, and my service to the church. Then, I would listen to their sharing and explain their experience with Bible words and principles to slowly build a sense of mission.
Sister Lin: First, the pastor’s life itself has to be a witness. When I have a good relationship with God, they are curious and attracted. Then I would pray for the Holy Spirit to work. Several times, the Holy Spirit worked immediately, and many young people followed me and were naturally attracted to the life of the church. By comparison, they can feel that people need to have a mission, and their own lives keep being renewed and changed.
Brother Huang: I would invite them to observe others’ services to the church, and participate in the ministry (cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, leading poetry and worship, etc.). The commitment to God is imperceptible. In the application part of the Bible study, their thoughts and reminders are like planting a seed to serve God.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
这一期的圆桌谈，来自山东、江苏、浙江的四位不同教会的青年牧者对话如何牧养青年人。他们分别是70后的姜姐妹，80后申姐妹和黄弟兄，95后的林姐妹。
他们尤其分享了与这个年龄段群体建立信任感与归属感的方面都有各自的特长和上帝的带领。
以下为访谈内容：
主持人：大家现在牧养的青年人的年龄分布是怎样的，都有哪些特点？
关键词：“活力、爱交流、承受力、求知欲、自卑、社恐。”
申姐妹：我带领的团契成员的年龄24-30岁左右。积极方面来看，他们有积极向上，勇于表达自己的想法和看法的一面。消极的方面，他们比较自我，承受能力比较弱，稍稍遇到困难就容易放弃，容易陷入到自责和自卑当中。
姜姐妹：我这边的年轻人是22岁左右。我这边和青年人的交流是比较容易打开心门的，第一次的接触，他们的回馈还是不错的，感受到年轻人身上的柔和的心和比较强的求知欲，谦卑的姿态。但是他们比较抵触被教导，他们比较有自己的想法，需要被了解和看见。
林姐妹：我带领的青年人是从90年到98年之间——24到32岁。我这边的青年人，他们大多数内心都比较自卑，有社恐，有很多世上的忧虑，对永恒又有寻求，对人生也有思考。
黄弟兄：我这边的年纪是从20到28岁的都有。我这边的青年人的特点：有活力、爱交流分享、比较关注在自己的世界中（游戏、网络世界）、接受和理解新鲜事物的能力强（因此可塑性很高）、不太关注生活中的细节（例如洗碗可能洗得不干净、拖地类似）、过于诚实（不善于思考一些现象，他人要求做什么基本上会去做或者回答）…
主持人：你们觉得对于青年人的牧养最有挑战的部分是什么？
关键词：“受害意识、信任感、争战与背负、祷告、深入思考”
申姐妹：对于我来说，最挑战的就是，他们曾经经历很多背叛，心里失去盼望，即便给他们讲盼望的世界，但很难能够真实去相信，导致对现实和对自己失去盼望。这样的人牧养起来需要很多的牺牲和付出，而且他们不能短时间内能够凭着信心走门徒的道路。
姜姐妹：我这边我觉得是诚信的问题，他们的回应和行动有些偏差，我会有一些的误判，一般都是预估得很好，结果有点不尽人意。牧养上的挑战是持续的建立关系，关系的粘性是一种挑战，他们的回馈感觉和期待的或者是成为滚雪球的模式，有些困难，价值观受跟自己利益相关的影响。
林姐妹：我这边是信心的挑战，带领的过程中会遇到各种各样的问题，需要和他们一起去面对去背负，很多要为他们去祷告，寻求神的旨意，自己需要给更多的和上帝去联合。基本上牧养的都是之前没接触过基督教的，从没有接触过到接受有上帝的存在，确实是很大的挑战。
黄弟兄：我这边每个人都有自己的个性，因此往同一个方向引导的时候，会显得吃力和难；做深入的讨论和思考的时候会难。
主持人：大家是如何与他们建立信任感和归属感？
关键词：“团契活动、事奉、交流、牧者做见证、祷告、查经”
申姐妹：我会通过做一些团契活动。在团契生活中，他们亲自经历上帝的话语在现实生活中的体现，从而更深明白自己所得到的别人服事他们的爱的世界。而且我会以现在年轻人容易打开心门的方式带领他们，比如现在的年轻人比较喜欢吃喝玩，那就是带带他们出去玩，这过程中也交流，通过彼此更敞开的交流建立信任感。刚开始跟他们交流更多分享我自己的信仰见证，这样他们听的也有实感，慢慢他们自己也会敞开心门分享内心深处的挣扎。
姜姐妹：敞开自己的心扉，敞开自己的家，带着他们一起去关怀其他人。在这个过程中感觉到我们的关系有进一步的加深，一起去关怀的时候，他们能感受到关系亲密的使命感，会有想要帮忙的心，带他们来服事，给他们看，他们也会有信任感，榜样的作用，也会给他们的服事增加一些的信心、归属感。
林姐妹：我认为，比起给爱先给他们真理，真理是可以让灵魂不断苏醒过来的。让他们认识到话语的宝贵，每次听完都要让他们写感想。自己也会经营自己的朋友圈和自媒体，分享自己的生活，将信仰与生活密切结合，其实就是让他们不断感受到我里面基督的生命，因为生命是能够影响生命的。他们的灵魂知道为他们真实的祷告和爱，所以只能求神不断让我看到他们里面的软弱和痛苦，加添给我爱灵魂的心，不然根本坚持不下来。
黄弟兄：我这边就是通过，吃饭、游戏、交流（彼此的故事分享）来建立的。
主持人：大家平时做圣经学习的时候一般采用哪种方式，接受的情况如何？
关键词：“谈话、交流、查经、引导分享、讨论、OAI”
申姐妹：我会用交流谈话，讲道，分享和祷告的方式。首先会简单交流的方式了解对方的信仰程度，接着根据他们的情况讲道，中间遇到一些阻拦或者争战的事情的时候，会带他们一起祷告。有些人是通过圣经的话语得到很多的解答；有些人是通过分享自己真实的经历与牧者建立关系，这样我会以圣经的方式解释他们的经历。我觉得带领圣经学习的时候很重要的一点，就是不断的引导让他们积极的分享，因为会更加了解对方，然后牧者可以很好地按照圣经的教导去引导他们，去解释生活当中所遇到的事情。
姜姐妹：我们会以主日小组的形式，他们可以积极讨论，把真理与生活结合，几乎会碰触到他们的价值观，带他们祷告中会有潜移默化的作用。
林姐妹：一般会先线上邀请他们参加几次圣经学习，然后合适的时候积极邀请他们参加团契生活。这样更容易打开心，预备他们的心。早上都会固定开设读经班，带领他们一起读经，帮助他们养成亲近上帝的好习惯。
黄弟兄：我们这边用OIA查经的方式，观察（Observation）经文的内容，从字词句分段开始，地点时间人物关系等等，进而开始解释（Interpretation）为什么是这样的，通过问问题分解了解经文，最后从以上的探讨中，运用（Application ）到实际的生活用，看看有什么提醒和教训，对比经文和自己的现实生活。时间够的话，就从运用中又可以开始观察、解释再应用，就成为一个循环引导式提问讨论分享；目前是建立关系优先考虑（花时间和精力多的地方所在），之后会区别对待，因此他们的学习理解能力不一，对于已经有圣经功底的，会觉得简单，其他人会觉得不错。
主持人：大家是通过什么方式和方法来建立他们对教会的委身感和使命感？
关键词：“查经、祷告、信任、邀请事奉、挑战、牧者自身”
申姐妹：首先是得通过上帝的话语，让他对上帝建立信任，之后教会也默默地为这些灵魂们献上祷告，让他的生活当中真实经历神的工作。通过看的见和看不见的事奉和对灵魂爱的心，让灵魂知道自己是被爱的，这样跟牧者也慢慢建立信任的关系，那就会慢慢对教会也有信任的心。当一个人的心有对教会信任感之后，教会要不断邀请他参与一些事奉，哪怕很小的事情，比如带领读经、赞美等等，让对方感受到自己是很需要的存在。通过事奉一点点感受到自己的宝贵性，那么给与更大的自信和勇气，慢慢给更大挑战，他就会找到自己真正生命的价值和意义。
姜姐妹：我会在对他们的关怀中用信仰观给他们梳理人生。首先，我从个人服事上的路，生命成长之路的见证，以及对教会的服事，把这些相结合分享给他们。然后，再听他们分享，我来用圣经上的话和原则来解释他们所经历的，这样慢慢建立使命感。
林姐妹：首先是牧者的生活本身要成为见证，当我和上帝建立了美好的关系，他们很自然会有好奇心，也会被吸引。接着就是不断祈求圣灵来工作，经历过好几次，有圣灵工作的时候，是立竿见影，很多青年人就很自然就跟过来了，也很自然就被教会的生活吸引。通过对比，会觉得确实人是需要有使命的，他们自己的生活也不断真实来到更新和改变。
黄弟兄：邀请他们观察他人的服事、邀请他们参与服事（做饭、洗碗、打扫卫生、带领诗歌敬拜等）；对于信仰的委身是潜移默化的，之前主要是在查经的最后应用部分他们自己思考与被提醒，好像是种种子在他们心中。
圆桌谈｜对话四位牧者同工：如何迎接牧养青年人的挑战？
Editor's note: In a round table discussion with the Christian Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, four young pastors from different churches in Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang focused on how to shepherd young people. In particular, they shared that their own strengths and God's guidance have assisted in building trust and a sense of belonging with people of similar age.
The speakers are Sister Jiang born in the 1970s, Sister Shen and Brother Huang born in the 1980s, and Sister Lin born after 1995.
Christian Times: What are the demography and features of the young people in discipleship?
Keywords: Vitality, love of communication, tolerance, intellectual curiosity, self-abasement, social phobia.
Sister Shen: The members of the fellowship I lead are between 24 and 30. On the positive side, they are optimistic and dare to express their ideas and opinions. On the negative side, they tend to be self-centered and have weak tolerance. They easily give up when they encounter difficulties and fall into self-blame and self-abasement.
Sister Jiang: My young people are about 22 years old. It is easy for me to communicate with them. During our first meeting, they gave me good feedback. I felt their soft hearts, strong intellectual curiosity, and humble attitude. But they resist being taught. They have their own ideas which need to be heard and made known.
Sister Lin: For my part, the young people are between 24 and 32 and were born between 1990 and 1998. Most of them have low self-esteem, social phobia, and many worries about the outside world. They also have a search for eternity and thoughts about life.
Brother Huang: I have young people from 20 to 28. They are energetic, willing to share and communicate, and pay more attention to their own world (games, online society). They have a strong ability to accept and understand new things (and therefore high adaptability), and care less about the details in life (e.g. they cannot wash clean the dishes and clean the floor). Sometimes, they are too honest to think deeply about some events, and would do what others require them to do).
Christian Times: What do you think is the most challenging part of disciplining young people?
Keywords: victimization, trust, battle and burden, prayer, deep thinking
Sister Shin: For me, the most challenging thing is that they have experienced a number of betrayals and lost hope in their hearts. Even if I tell them about hope, it is hard for them to believe it, leading to the loss of hope in both reality and themselves. It takes many sacrifices to disciple such people, and they will not be able to follow the path by faith in a short time.
Sister Jiang: From my side, I think it is the problem of good faith. Their response somewhat deviates from their actions, as the results would be a bit below my estimation. The pastoral challenge is to keep building the relationship, as well as the stickiness of the relationship. It is difficult to fully meet their expectations, as their values are influenced by their own interests.
Sister Lin: My challenge is faith. In the process of leading, I will encounter various problems, and I need to face and bear them together with the young people. I would pray for them and seek God's will, and I need to give more to unite with God. Basically, the young people are those who have never been exposed to Christianity before. It is indeed a great challenge for me to let them accept the existence of God.
Brother Huang: Everyone has a different personality, so it will be difficult to guide them in the same direction. It is also hard to conduct in-depth discussions and thinking.
Christian Times: How do you build trust and a sense of belonging with them?
Keywords: Fellowship activities, ministry, communication, the witness of the shepherd, prayer, Bible study
Sister Shen: I will do some fellowship activities. In fellowship, they experience the real-life embodiment of God's words and come to understand more deeply the world of love they receive from others. In addition, I will lead them in a way that is easy for young people to open their hearts. For example, young people like hanging out, so I would take them out. During this process, we will communicate with each other and build trust through more open communication. I started talking to them more and sharing my own testimony of Christianity faith so that they would really feel it, and then they would open up and share their own struggles.
Sister Jiang: I open my heart, open my home, and take them with me to care for others. In the process, I feel that our relationship has further deepened. When we go to care for others, they can feel the close sense of mission and have the heart to help. As I take them to serve and show them different services, they will also trust me. The role of the model can give them confidence and a sense of belonging to serve.
Sister Lin: In my view, I would rather give them the truth before giving them love, as truth can keep the soul awake. I would let them realize the value of words and ask them to write down their thoughts. I will also post on my Moments and social media to share my life and closely combine faith with life. This is actually to let them constantly feel the life of Christ in me, as my life can affect their lives. Their souls feel the true prayer and love for them, so I can only ask God to let me see their weakness and pain, and add to my heart the love for the souls so that I can hold on.
Brother Huang: I build a relationship through eating and playing together and communicating stories with each other.
Christian Times: How do you conduct Bible studies on usual days? Do they accept it?
Keywords: Conversation, communication, Bible study, sharing guidance, discussion, OIA
Sister Shen: I talk, preach, share and pray. First of all, I will learn about their faith level through simple communication. Then, I will preach according to their situation. When there are some obstacles or conflicts, I will take them to pray together. Some get answers through the words of the Bible. Some form a relationship with the leader by sharing their true experiences so that I can interpret their experiences with the Bible. I think it is very important to guide them to share actively when leading the Bible study, as I will know them better, and then can guide them well and explain things in life according to the Bible teaching.
Sister Jiang: We will form a Sunday group. They can actively discuss, combine truth with life, and share their values. It will also have a subtle effect when leading them to pray.
Sister Lin: I usually invite them to online Bible study a few times and then invite them to fellowship when appropriate. This way, they more easily open their hearts and prepare their minds. In the morning, we will regularly set up Bible reading classes, lead them to read Bible together, and help them develop a habit of getting near to God.
Brother Huang: We use OIA (Observe, Interpret, Apply) method in Bible study. We would observe the Bible contents from each word and sentence, places, time and people, and their relationships. We would then interpret the reasons, and ask questions to decompose the sentences. Finally, we would apply it to real life from the above discussion, find out the reminders and lessons, and compare the Bible with our real life. If time permits, we would observe the application scenarios, interpret and apply them again, which becomes a circular guided questioning, discussion, and sharing. At the moment, we invest time and effort in building relationships. Later, it will be different. As they have different learning and understanding abilities, those who already have Bible knowledge would find it easy, while others would find it appropriate.
Christian Times: In what ways do you build their sense of commitment and mission to the church?
Keywords: Bible study, prayer, trust, the invitation to ministry, challenge, the pastor
Sister Shen: The first step is to build their trust in God through His words, and then the church silently prays for these souls, so that they can experience the real work of God in their lives. Let the souls know that they are loved through visible and invisible ministrations and love for the souls. In this way, the souls will gradually trust the pastor and the church. When the trust in the church is built, the church should constantly invite them to participate in ministry, even if it is small, such as leading Bible reading and praise, so that they can feel that they are needed. By serving bit by bit, they will feel their own preciousness. Give them more confidence and courage, and gradually give them more challenges, then they will find the true value and meaning of their lives.
Sister Jiang: I will sort out their life with faith during my care for them. First of all, I would share with them a combination of my ministry path, my testimony of life growth, and my service to the church. Then, I would listen to their sharing and explain their experience with Bible words and principles to slowly build a sense of mission.
Sister Lin: First, the pastor’s life itself has to be a witness. When I have a good relationship with God, they are curious and attracted. Then I would pray for the Holy Spirit to work. Several times, the Holy Spirit worked immediately, and many young people followed me and were naturally attracted to the life of the church. By comparison, they can feel that people need to have a mission, and their own lives keep being renewed and changed.
Brother Huang: I would invite them to observe others’ services to the church, and participate in the ministry (cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, leading poetry and worship, etc.). The commitment to God is imperceptible. In the application part of the Bible study, their thoughts and reminders are like planting a seed to serve God.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
Pastors' Roundtable: How to Face Pastoral Challenge to Young People?
