Born in the 1960s, an enthusiastic believer in Northeast China is worried about the rural fields of spiritual harvest.
Retiring from ministries of service in the choir and as a group leader, a female believer surnamed Lin, living in a small fifth-tier city, often goes to the surrounding countryside with her husband or female Christians to evangelize the unreached. She also is frequently homesick for her relatives in the countryside where she was born.
Recently, Lin told the Christian Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, about her worries about how to shepherd these new believers in the countryside. She finds new seekers whenever she visits villages.
Lin said: "I feel a great burden for the countryside, for I see God's heart for the unreached from past experiences. Most of the time when I go out, I find people who are willing to accept the Gospel. But we cannot accompany and shepherd them for a long time, so some become weak in their faith.”
A very important practical problem is that rural churches lack pastors. Lin shared that she often went out to search for lost sheep with female church members and saw God working then. They always came back happily after reaping a spiritual harvest, having led the new followers in praise, prayer and prayers of confession. After a period of time, they would go visit them again in order to strengthen their faith. After accepting the Gospel, some people would set up a place in their homes to attract villagers to come to listen to the Word and to testimonies. However, they noticed that a family’s faith would often slacken as a site rarely flourished without pastoral care.
Lin also tried methods such as sending audio recordings, which some senior rural people might not be able to understand. She said: “My elder sister’s home is a meeting point, where only three or five people gather to sing hymns and pray without anyone teaching the Bible. In such challenging environments, some remain spiritually weak without the truth being proclaimed. When her faith was weak, my elder sister refrained from worshiping God and instead played mahjong with the people in the village. It’s best if I go there to encourage her, but I can’t stay there all the time. I have to wait until my husband is not working or go there with another staff member."
“There are various obstacles, as some need to do chores, take care of grandchildren, or need to work otherwise. When I have time, sometimes I can’t find staff workers who are free when I am. Without receiving theological education, I can only share what I know and experience,” she added.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
林姊妹是东北地区一位60后热心信徒，生活在一个五线小城市中。林姊妹曾经在教会中参与过诗班和小组长的服事，但是近些年，她从教会的服事中撤下了来。因为农村出身的她总是惦记着农村的亲人们，所以常常会跟丈夫或教会其他热心的姊妹搭配着到周边农村走动。 每当出去的时候，就有福音的种子撒下。但是为难的是该如何牧养农村的这些刚信主的家人？
近日，林姊妹与一中国网络基督教报纸基督时报谈到她的困惑。
林姊妹表示，“我对农村很有负担，如果家里能脱开身，我愿意往外走。从过去的经历中，我也看到，上帝的心意在那些没有得救的人身上。基本上，我们走出去，就有人愿意接受福音。但是我们不能长期陪伴和牧养他们，所以有些人信着信着就软弱了。”
一个很重要的现实问题是，农村教会缺少传道人，甚至是干脆没有传道人。林姊妹分享自己之前经常和教会姊妹一起出去做工。确实看到上帝工作，姊妹们搭配着，有唱诗 ，有分享，有祷告，有带领人做决志祷告的环节。一般的时候，大家都能高高兴兴地回来。隔一段时间再去探访、问候，坚固一下。有的人信了，就在家里成立一个聚会点，吸引同村的村民一起来听分享。但是后来发现，因为没有接受牧养，成立聚会点的家庭很难扶持起来，慢慢也就冷淡了。
林姊妹也曾试过给他们发录音道之类的方法，但是有的年龄大一点的农村人不一定能听懂。林姊妹举例说，“我大姐家就是一个聚会点，但是只有三五个人聚会，聚会只是唱唱诗歌，祷告一下就结束了，没有人能分享圣经。遇到环境，没有真理的指引，人很容易软弱。我大姐软弱的时候就不聚会了，也会跟着村子里的人一起打麻将，我去一次会好一点。但是我也不能一直留在那，出去也要等丈夫不工作的时候，我找一个同工这样两个人一起出去。”
而且现实中还是有各种阻力，有的需要照顾家庭，帮儿女带孩子，有的还需要工作。自己有时间的时候，不一定能找到同样有时间的愿意搭配的同工……而且自己也没有受过神学装备，只能是将自己知道的，经历的分享出去。
https://www.christiantimes.cn/news/38317/%E5%AF%B9%E8%AF%9D%7C%20%E4%B8%9C%E5%8C%97%E5%9C%B0%E5%8C%BA%E4%B8%80%E4%BD%8D60%E5%90%8E%E7%83%AD%E5%BF%83%E4%BF%A1%E5%BE%92%E5%AF%B9%E5%86%9C%E6%9D%91%E7%A6%BE%E5%9C%BA%E7%9A%84%E6%8B%85%E5%BF%A7
对话| 东北地区一位60后热心信徒对农村禾场的担忧
Born in the 1960s, an enthusiastic believer in Northeast China is worried about the rural fields of spiritual harvest.
Retiring from ministries of service in the choir and as a group leader, a female believer surnamed Lin, living in a small fifth-tier city, often goes to the surrounding countryside with her husband or female Christians to evangelize the unreached. She also is frequently homesick for her relatives in the countryside where she was born.
Recently, Lin told the Christian Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, about her worries about how to shepherd these new believers in the countryside. She finds new seekers whenever she visits villages.
Lin said: "I feel a great burden for the countryside, for I see God's heart for the unreached from past experiences. Most of the time when I go out, I find people who are willing to accept the Gospel. But we cannot accompany and shepherd them for a long time, so some become weak in their faith.”
A very important practical problem is that rural churches lack pastors. Lin shared that she often went out to search for lost sheep with female church members and saw God working then. They always came back happily after reaping a spiritual harvest, having led the new followers in praise, prayer and prayers of confession. After a period of time, they would go visit them again in order to strengthen their faith. After accepting the Gospel, some people would set up a place in their homes to attract villagers to come to listen to the Word and to testimonies. However, they noticed that a family’s faith would often slacken as a site rarely flourished without pastoral care.
Lin also tried methods such as sending audio recordings, which some senior rural people might not be able to understand. She said: “My elder sister’s home is a meeting point, where only three or five people gather to sing hymns and pray without anyone teaching the Bible. In such challenging environments, some remain spiritually weak without the truth being proclaimed. When her faith was weak, my elder sister refrained from worshiping God and instead played mahjong with the people in the village. It’s best if I go there to encourage her, but I can’t stay there all the time. I have to wait until my husband is not working or go there with another staff member."
“There are various obstacles, as some need to do chores, take care of grandchildren, or need to work otherwise. When I have time, sometimes I can’t find staff workers who are free when I am. Without receiving theological education, I can only share what I know and experience,” she added.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Pressing Problems of Rural Communities Lacking Pastors
