"Do the pastors of other churches ever think about the problems of a lack of young believers?"
"No."
Upon hearing my response, Pastor Chen Hongyuan (pseudonym) was profoundly astonished and found it incredulous that only a few church pastors genuinely prioritize the spiritual commitment of young individuals.
Pastor Chen serves in an urban church popular in the southern region of China and has been dedicated to his ministry for over three decades, starting in his twenties. In recent years, he has directed his focus towards the faith of the current generation of young people, recognizing it as the most formidable crisis confronting the Chinese church today.
While numerous pastors concentrate on the growth of church membership, the expansion of congregation size, group pastoral care, and the establishment and enhancement of church systems, they often disregard the matter of staff succession, namely, the nurturing of young believers.
Having visited various locations, I discovered that pastors born in the 1980s demonstrate concern for the pastoral care of young individuals. There are pastors who have married and are grappling with the challenge of instilling faith in their own young family members. For the church, the strategic issue lies in how to attract a greater number of young people to embrace the Lord and provide them with proper guidance.
Pastor Chen affirms that, in recent years, the religious landscape for young people in China has appeared discouraging. The crisis of faith that was previously observed among young individuals in Europe, the United States, South Korea, Singapore, and other countries has now manifested within the Chinese church as well. Without implementing changes, the Chinese church will face a predicament where competent believers are scarce and even faith in the Lord dwindles.
However, an even more disconcerting aspect of this crisis is the unawareness of many pastors regarding its severity. "Perhaps they perceive the dearth of young individuals in the church as normal, believing that the church should primarily consist of middle-aged and elderly members. Yet, if this trend persists, we will witness the gradual decline of the church within another decade or two," added Pastor Chen.
"We have made efforts over the years to organize happiness groups and inspirational courses, discovering their effectiveness, particularly among the middle-aged and elderly population. Regrettably, there is no effective approach to attract young people to the church." He admitted that getting young individuals to embrace faith is a challenge he has been struggling with.
"No matter what the church endeavors to do in order to foster faith among young people, the majority of them remain unresponsive. We feel helpless when confronted with vacant expressions and indifferent gazes while we're spreading the gospel."
Pastor Chen has made attempts to discover effective methods of attracting young people to the church but has achieved limited success thus far.
"Whenever other churches invite me to share my faith, I will undoubtedly address this issue (faith among young people). It is, without a doubt, the most pressing crisis confronting the church today."
Pastor Chen believes that pastors should not only concentrate on the immediate needs of the church but also consider its state ten or twenty years from now. Otherwise, even if the church prospers presently, there will be no one to carry it forward in the future. After a decade or two, everything that once belonged will fade away, akin to a fleeting flower or a reflection in the mirror.
Pastor Chen believes that pastors should not only focus on the current needs of the church but also consider the situation of the church ten or twenty years from now. Otherwise, even if the church is doing well now, no one can inherit it in the future. After ten or twenty years, you will find that there is nothing left. Because there would be no people in the church, and everything that was once owned would become a flower in the water and a moon in the mirror.
We must accord sufficient attention to the crisis of inadequate young believers and implore God to reveal a path for the future of the Chinese church. Should the church continue to falter in resolving the crisis of faith among young people, it will have no prospect for the future.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
“其他地方的教会牧者们，他们没有思考年轻人的问题吗？”
——“没有。”
听到笔者这样的回答，陈鸿远牧师（化名）非常惊讶，觉得不可思议，确实并没有多少教会牧者对年轻人的信仰引起重视。
陈牧师在南方一所城市新兴教会服事，从20多岁到现在已经服侍有30多年了。近几年来，他关注现今年轻人的信仰问题，认为这是现今中国教会的最大危机。
许多牧者更加看重教会信徒人数的增长、教会规模的扩大、小组牧养、教会制度的建立健全方面，但是许多牧者却忽略了教会的传承——年轻人的培养的问题。
笔者在各地走访，发现80后的牧者会考虑到年轻人的牧养问题；还有已经建立家庭，有了孩子的牧者，在苦恼怎样让年轻的家人信主。而对于教会，怎么吸引更多的年轻人来信仰并且培养他们，这个是有战略意义的问题。
陈牧师表示，他认为这几年以来，中国年轻人的信仰状况不容乐观。曾经发生在欧洲、美国、韩国、新加坡等等国家的年轻人的信仰危机，如今也发生在中国教会里；而如果我们再不改变的话，中国教会将是无人可用、无人信仰的状况。
可是比起这个危机，更加让人担忧的是很多牧者没有意识到这个危机。“可能他们觉得教会缺乏年轻人很正常，教会就应该以中老年人为主。可是这样的状况一直持续下去的话，再过十年、二十年，就会发现教会慢慢地就没有人了。”陈牧师继续说到。
“我们这几年做幸福小组和启发课程，发现这些对于中老年人，尤其是老年人效果是好的。对于年轻人，没有什么好办法吸引他们。”他也坦言，怎么让年轻人信仰是他一直苦苦思索的问题。
“无论教会想要用怎样的方式来挑旺他们的信仰、激励他们，大多数人都是没有什么回应。面对我们的激励目无表情、眼光呆滞，我们是束手无策是。”
陈牧师他们试图找到更加适合年轻人的方式方法，但是迄今为止成效不大。
“现在其他教会邀请我去分享信息的话，我一定会讲这个问题（年轻人信仰）。为什么？因为这是教会现在最大的危机啊”
陈牧师认为牧者不仅要关注教会当下的需要，更要看到十年、二十年以后的教会的光景。不然即使现在教会做得再好，但是没有人能够继承的话，等到十年、二十年以后，就发现什么都没有了。因为没有了人，之前曾经所拥有的所有一切都成了水中花、镜中月。
我们必须要对年轻人危机引起足够的重视，求上帝亲自给中国教会开一条出路。如果一直不能够解决年轻人信仰危机的话，那中国教会是没有未来的。
牧者：很难吸引年轻人是中国教会的最大危机
"Do the pastors of other churches ever think about the problems of a lack of young believers?"
"No."
Upon hearing my response, Pastor Chen Hongyuan (pseudonym) was profoundly astonished and found it incredulous that only a few church pastors genuinely prioritize the spiritual commitment of young individuals.
Pastor Chen serves in an urban church popular in the southern region of China and has been dedicated to his ministry for over three decades, starting in his twenties. In recent years, he has directed his focus towards the faith of the current generation of young people, recognizing it as the most formidable crisis confronting the Chinese church today.
While numerous pastors concentrate on the growth of church membership, the expansion of congregation size, group pastoral care, and the establishment and enhancement of church systems, they often disregard the matter of staff succession, namely, the nurturing of young believers.
Having visited various locations, I discovered that pastors born in the 1980s demonstrate concern for the pastoral care of young individuals. There are pastors who have married and are grappling with the challenge of instilling faith in their own young family members. For the church, the strategic issue lies in how to attract a greater number of young people to embrace the Lord and provide them with proper guidance.
Pastor Chen affirms that, in recent years, the religious landscape for young people in China has appeared discouraging. The crisis of faith that was previously observed among young individuals in Europe, the United States, South Korea, Singapore, and other countries has now manifested within the Chinese church as well. Without implementing changes, the Chinese church will face a predicament where competent believers are scarce and even faith in the Lord dwindles.
However, an even more disconcerting aspect of this crisis is the unawareness of many pastors regarding its severity. "Perhaps they perceive the dearth of young individuals in the church as normal, believing that the church should primarily consist of middle-aged and elderly members. Yet, if this trend persists, we will witness the gradual decline of the church within another decade or two," added Pastor Chen.
"We have made efforts over the years to organize happiness groups and inspirational courses, discovering their effectiveness, particularly among the middle-aged and elderly population. Regrettably, there is no effective approach to attract young people to the church." He admitted that getting young individuals to embrace faith is a challenge he has been struggling with.
"No matter what the church endeavors to do in order to foster faith among young people, the majority of them remain unresponsive. We feel helpless when confronted with vacant expressions and indifferent gazes while we're spreading the gospel."
Pastor Chen has made attempts to discover effective methods of attracting young people to the church but has achieved limited success thus far.
"Whenever other churches invite me to share my faith, I will undoubtedly address this issue (faith among young people). It is, without a doubt, the most pressing crisis confronting the church today."
Pastor Chen believes that pastors should not only concentrate on the immediate needs of the church but also consider its state ten or twenty years from now. Otherwise, even if the church prospers presently, there will be no one to carry it forward in the future. After a decade or two, everything that once belonged will fade away, akin to a fleeting flower or a reflection in the mirror.
Pastor Chen believes that pastors should not only focus on the current needs of the church but also consider the situation of the church ten or twenty years from now. Otherwise, even if the church is doing well now, no one can inherit it in the future. After ten or twenty years, you will find that there is nothing left. Because there would be no people in the church, and everything that was once owned would become a flower in the water and a moon in the mirror.
We must accord sufficient attention to the crisis of inadequate young believers and implore God to reveal a path for the future of the Chinese church. Should the church continue to falter in resolving the crisis of faith among young people, it will have no prospect for the future.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
Predicament of Attracting Young People to the Church is the Biggest Crisis, Pastor Says
