One common definition of the church's mission is to worship God with all our hearts, to build a wonderful life and practice the truth of loving one another, to bear witness to the works of God, and to preach God's gospel.
A pastor from southern China named Yang Xinsheng (pseudonym) shared, "The covenant between God and Abraham consists of two parts. The first part is a blessing for Abraham himself, and the second is a blessing for all nations and states through him and his descendants. The mission is not confined to one local church but spreads the gospel to the whole world. The Great Commission that Jesus spoke of is also for all people, nations, and states. For Christians, being a part of the Great Commission means living a healthy life and keeping the Great Commandment. The growth of the individual Christian life is dependent on the feeding and support of the church."
Pastor Yang said, "The church mode we are familiar with is the development model centered on the church, which is to strengthen the church and to develop in the comfort zone. The mission mode is to develop the church based on the Great Commission of Jesus, which is to cultivate the elite soldiers of Christ and to take root in different regions of the world. They are dispersed so that the Gospel of Christ might come to all peoples, nations, and states. The model of Chinese churches is generally church mode, while the mission mode is easily ignored or discarded. It means that the pastors are centered on the development and needs of the church they're in, and almost all of their efforts and gains are directed toward building larger churches that can accommodate more people."
Three years after the pandemic, pastors began to realize the deficiencies of the past development model. They gradually realized the importance of decentralized development and the flexibility of the group model.
The church is centered around the temple for God's people to worship, praise, and hear the Word of the Lord. But the church is not just for saved Christians. It's also for those who have not heard the gospel. Therefore, the church needs to practice the mission mode at the same time and needs to send God's people to nations where the gospel is not preached. In fact, there are many wonderful guides from God in the Bible. For example, it was the slave girl who brought Naaman to God. The betrayed Joseph, the exiled Daniel and Esther, and the prophet Jonah all lived out the great mission of spreading God's name to the gentiles.
Jesus' life is a perfect example of spreading the gospel, living out the Great Commandments and the Great Commission. He healed the sick, exorcized demons, and fed the poor; he taught God's Word and called believers to be his disciples; and he even raised the dead. He also preached to Samaritan women, the people who had not heard the gospel, and promised them eternal living water.
Pastor Yang concluded, "The healthy development of the church in China requires us to follow the model of Jesus' ministry, which is to perfectly integrate the church mode and the mission mode. We should develop them in parallel. It's like having two legs at the same time. You can't have one without the other."
-Translated by Nicolas Cao
一种普遍的对教会使命的定义为：对上，全心敬拜上帝；对内，生命建造，实践彼此相爱的真理；对外，见证神的作为，传扬神的福音。
一位来自华南的阳新生牧师（化名）分享到：“亚伯拉罕得到的上帝的立约，其主题是包含两个部分，一个是对于亚伯拉罕自身得到祝福，一个是透过他和他的后裔就万族、万邦得到祝福。这个使命的格局，不是局限在一个地方教会那里，它是对福音传到全世界而言的。耶稣口中的大使命也是对与万民、万族和万邦而言的。对于基督徒群体而言，参与大使命的前提是拥有健康的生命，就是要活出大诫命。而基督徒个人生命的成长和建造就离不开教会的喂养和扶持。”
阳牧师认为：“我们熟知的会堂模式，就是以自身教会为中心的发展模式，其目的是为了坚固教会，拓展教会在本国本族舒适区域的发展。而使命模式是教会以耶稣大使命为发展的总纲领，其目的是为了教会培养出基督的精兵，向全世界不同地区拓展与扎根 。分散出去是为了让基督的福音临到万民、万国和万邦。中国教会的发展模式，一般是以会堂模式为主，而使命模式很容易被轻忽或者丢弃。就是指牧者以本教会的发展和需要为中心，几乎绝大部份的付出和收获都是为了打造更多可以容纳更多人的会堂。”
疫情三年让牧者们开始从过去的发展模式中醒过来，他们逐渐认识到了分散式发展的重要性，小组模式的灵活性等特点。
会堂模式是以圣殿为中心，让神百姓敬拜赞美听主话语。但教会不单单是为了已经得救的基督徒而建立的，她的存在的原因还是在那群未听闻福音的群体人身上。因此，教会需要同时践行使命模式，需要差派神的百姓去已经得到福音之地以外的各国。其实圣经中，有许多上帝的奇妙的带领，例如，让乃缦将军来到神面前的是一个奴隶小女子，被卖的约瑟，被掳的但以理和以斯帖和先知约拿，他们都在用生命践行了把上帝的名传到外邦人那里的大使命。
耶稣的一生为福音的拓展事工做了整全的示范，他融合了大诫命和大使命。他一面医病、赶鬼、喂饱穷苦人；他又教导神的话语，呼召慕道者做他的门徒。他也叫死人复活，他也向一个没有听过福音的族群——撒马利亚妇人传道，并应许他们可以得到永远的活水。
阳牧师最后提到：“中国教会的良性发展需要效法耶稣的福音事工的模式，就是把会堂和使命模式完美的结合起来，并行的发展。就好像两条腿一样，缺一不可。”
一华南牧者：会堂模式和使命模式缺一不可
One common definition of the church's mission is to worship God with all our hearts, to build a wonderful life and practice the truth of loving one another, to bear witness to the works of God, and to preach God's gospel.
A pastor from southern China named Yang Xinsheng (pseudonym) shared, "The covenant between God and Abraham consists of two parts. The first part is a blessing for Abraham himself, and the second is a blessing for all nations and states through him and his descendants. The mission is not confined to one local church but spreads the gospel to the whole world. The Great Commission that Jesus spoke of is also for all people, nations, and states. For Christians, being a part of the Great Commission means living a healthy life and keeping the Great Commandment. The growth of the individual Christian life is dependent on the feeding and support of the church."
Pastor Yang said, "The church mode we are familiar with is the development model centered on the church, which is to strengthen the church and to develop in the comfort zone. The mission mode is to develop the church based on the Great Commission of Jesus, which is to cultivate the elite soldiers of Christ and to take root in different regions of the world. They are dispersed so that the Gospel of Christ might come to all peoples, nations, and states. The model of Chinese churches is generally church mode, while the mission mode is easily ignored or discarded. It means that the pastors are centered on the development and needs of the church they're in, and almost all of their efforts and gains are directed toward building larger churches that can accommodate more people."
Three years after the pandemic, pastors began to realize the deficiencies of the past development model. They gradually realized the importance of decentralized development and the flexibility of the group model.
The church is centered around the temple for God's people to worship, praise, and hear the Word of the Lord. But the church is not just for saved Christians. It's also for those who have not heard the gospel. Therefore, the church needs to practice the mission mode at the same time and needs to send God's people to nations where the gospel is not preached. In fact, there are many wonderful guides from God in the Bible. For example, it was the slave girl who brought Naaman to God. The betrayed Joseph, the exiled Daniel and Esther, and the prophet Jonah all lived out the great mission of spreading God's name to the gentiles.
Jesus' life is a perfect example of spreading the gospel, living out the Great Commandments and the Great Commission. He healed the sick, exorcized demons, and fed the poor; he taught God's Word and called believers to be his disciples; and he even raised the dead. He also preached to Samaritan women, the people who had not heard the gospel, and promised them eternal living water.
Pastor Yang concluded, "The healthy development of the church in China requires us to follow the model of Jesus' ministry, which is to perfectly integrate the church mode and the mission mode. We should develop them in parallel. It's like having two legs at the same time. You can't have one without the other."
-Translated by Nicolas Cao
Southern Pastor: Church Mode and Mission Mode Are Indispensable for Church Development
