During the joyous celebration of the Chinese New Year and the return to their hometowns, the editors of an online Christian newspaper, the Gospel Times, had the opportunity to connect with grassroots churches. Then, they discussed the changes observed in hometown churches during the Spring Festival. All their names below are anonyms and the locations of the churches hereafter mentioned are ambigous for security reasons.
Hardware upgrades in churches
The first noticeable change was the improvement in hardware in their hometown churches, especially in rural areas where the meeting environment has improved.
In a rural church in Datong, Shanxi, new air conditioning units were installed, and a batch of pews were replaced. Another village church in Dalian, Liaoning, now has two standing air conditioners and a piano valued at around ten thousand yuan. It's worth mentioning that the hardware upgrades in these churches were partly due to the assistance from their brother churches. A nearby village church gave away the newly replaced chairs in the former church, and an urban church donated the air conditioners in the latter.
Another editor was also amazed at the development of the local church. The hardware facilities of a church in his hometown are no less impressive than those in the new first-tier city where he lives. It is equipped with a large screen, central air conditioning, hot water in the washbasins, and white jade railings.
Impact of social development on the number of believers
Several editors mentioned a decrease in the number of believers in rural churches. Apart from some elderly believers passing away, some elderly ones face mobility issues, and others move to cities to live with their children. Additionally, young people moved to cities due to new rural and community planning and construction, resulting in a decrease in the number of attendees. However, there are also new middle-aged Christian ladies entering and contributing to the development of churches in new villages.
Collaboration with urban churches to get help
Many rural churches face challenges such as an aging congregation and weak pastoral care. Collaboration with urban churches has provided a solution for some of these challenges. Following is what the editors share.
Xiao Fu: Our rural church, which lacks young believers and invites pastors to take turns delivering sermons, has difficulty countering the intrusion of heretical teachings. Currently, some local Christians gather privately, regularly studying content related to the Book of Revelation. Many gatherings in the vicinity follow Charismatic practices such as speaking in tongues, crying, falling, vomiting, and rolling. Faced with these situations, the church's pastors feel uneasy but struggle to accurately discern the issues.
Xiao Yin: It may be a way forward for rural churches to join forces with larger churches. Our church is connected to a county church, with pastoral care becoming more systematic and professional. The county church gives us many resources, and at the same time, staff members from the rural church take part in training sessions offered by the larger church. Gatherings mainly focus on Bible study, worship, and prayer, with materials provided by the county church. On Sundays, speakers who can't preach well directly read the materials. We sang hymns mostly related to the New Year theme in praise and prayer meetings during the Spring Festival. We also read three creeds, something rare in larger churches, and even Christian women taught how to sing hymns. The church also has books like the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
Xiao Yue: Indeed, our local urban church has a significant impact on the pastoral care of rural churches around the city. The pastoral care of grassroots rural churches generally does not lack in quantity or quality of workers; they meet adequate standards. With a good spiritual state, believers, the majority of whom are middle-aged and elderly, are fervent for God.
However, this pastoral care system has encountered some problems. Some grassroots pastors express that the management of pastoral areas is rigid, and local churches have low autonomy. Currently, the issue with local churches is not weak pastoral care but weak evangelism.
Pastors' proactive learning
The editors found that, despite challenges in their learning journey, some pastors have developed a proactive attitude towards learning, which greatly benefits church pastoral care.
Xiao Shi: In my hometown church, several senior sisters in Christ are responsible for preaching. With a spiritual journey spanning more than a decade, they have been preaching for over ten years. I feel that their preaching has become more profound and that they explain the deep truths of the Bible combined with daily life. I believe they improve their preaching ability through faith practices and continuous study of the Bible. They read commentaries and listen to sermons by renowned pastors with participation in diverse studies, resulting in the improvement of preaching skills.
Xiao Dai: In my hometown church, a young woman volunteer without a certificate in pastoral care felt inadequate in serving believers, especially those who are educated. She is now attending an online training course three days a week. She is concerned about potential heresy and prays before each session, discerning the content and continuing to learn after finding peace of mind. A woman who got married and served in another city also mentioned that there are no opportunities for further studies for church workers. People entering the ministry are not skilled enough and need to learn. However, church leaders believe that their current level of service is enough.
Tensions between culture and faith, and conflicts of belief and unbelief
Two editors mentioned that the attendance was low at Sunday services in hometown churches on February 11, with reasons generally similar. One reason was that believers visited relatives during the packed festival and the other was that non-believing family members returned with rejection of the faith and made believers hesitant to attend gatherings. Additionally, during the Spring Festival, the flourishing folk beliefs intensified conflicts between Christians and non-believing family members.
Xiao Fu: In the rural areas of my hometown, almost every household worships the "Kitchen God" and the "God of Wealth," with many families also worshiping ancestors and burning incense at mountain temples. A sister in Christ had significant conflicts with her family on this issue. Upon accepting faith, she removed the ancestral worship items her non-Christian husband dedicated to gods. As a result, he severely beat her, and their relationship deteriorated. It took a considerable amount of time for their relationship to improve gradually.
Xiao Yin: Some believers have family members who burn incense to worship idols at home, and it's challenging for believers to intervene. The son of an elder in the church married a non-believer, living in another city. The wife doesn't allow him to attend gatherings. Luckily, living close to the church, the husband secretly attends gatherings while exercising outdoors.
Xiao Shi: Both my maternal and in-law families are believers, but my maternal family's faith is more conservative. This year was the first time I celebrated the New Year with my in-laws, and traditional folk beliefs were more prominent there. We had to bow to elderly relatives and neighbors on the first day of the lunar new year, which was a custom that even the local Christians accepted. However, my mother insisted that I must not bow at my mother-in-law's home, and they understood. I went with them to pay respects but did not bow.
Family-centered faith
During family gatherings on festive occasions, interacting with non-believing family members becomes a common challenge for believers.
Xiao Shi: I met familiar believers at my hometown church, where members gather regularly. However, in recent years, there have been new faces and more Christian families, with many young ones joining the choir.
Xiao Yue: In our city church, there is a praise meeting on the first day of the lunar new year, with a lively atmosphere. Believers from surrounding rural areas come to participate, and the attendance is numerous. Most attendees come as whole families, and individuals are relatively few. Women and men are equally involved in gatherings, with a balanced age structure.
Nurturing the youth's spirituality
During the Spring Festival, a large number of young people who are studying or working outside return to their hometowns, attending religious activities and strengthening their connections with others.
Xiao Shi: In my mother-in-law's church, they held a three-day thanksgiving gathering before the Chinese New Year, which is a local tradition. As the Spring Festival approached, believers who were inspired could also organize religious activities. My parents-in-law organized a three-day gathering to express gratitude for God's blessings over the past year. After we returned, my husband shared his testimony at the church. When we went to my maternal family's home, the church staff also asked us to share the gospel with the young people. We felt that the church at home wanted to provide more spiritual support to young people who are away for most of the year.
Xiao Dai: It is a tradition in our family church to have a praise meeting on the first day of the lunar new year, with the youth fellowship being the main force. With more than 100 members, the youth fellowship was divided into several small groups after the recent Spring Festival rehearsal. Each group has two church workers in charge who are responsible for caring for scattered young people. There is also a possibility of further online learning.
In addition, the church in her hometown impressed a Yunnan editor. Although Christianity is a minority faith in the local area, the church is centrally located in the town and is quite active. During Christmas, they play drums and trumpets. The surrounding residents are aware of the church, which is full of love. During the New Year's event on the first day, the pastor conducted a Bible contest, and elderly believers were able to answer. The pastor's sermon was profound, and the believers, who have been Christians for over twenty years, have a deep understanding of biblical knowledge and truths.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
在返乡欢度春节之际，福音时报的编辑部同工有机会接触到基层教会，他们聊了聊春节期间看到的家乡教会。考虑到安全因素，编辑们均为化名，以下提及的教会地点也做了模糊化处理。
教会硬件更新
家乡教会硬件方面的提升是编辑们首先注意到的一个变化，尤其是在农村教会，其聚会环境有了很大提升。
山西大同一间农村教会新安装了空调，换了一批椅子。辽宁大连一间农村教会有两个立式空调，还增添了一个万元左右的钢琴。值得一提的是，这两间教会的硬件升级，部分都源自兄弟教会的帮助。前者新换的椅子是旁边村子教会淘汰的，后者的空调是城区教会奉献的。
还有一位同工吃惊于家乡教会的发展，那个城区的一间教堂硬件设施不输他所在的新一线城市的教堂，备有大屏幕、中央空调、洗手池热水、白玉栏杆。
信徒人数受社会发展影响
几位编辑都提到了农村教会信徒人数减少。除了一些老年信徒归天家，有的老年信徒行动不便，有的进城与子女同住。还有受新农村、社区规划建设的影响，年轻人搬入城市，导致聚会人数减少。但是，也有新的中年女信徒进来建设新农村的教会。
与城市教会联合或为农村教会出路
农村教会大多面临信徒老龄化严重、讲台供应缺乏的问题。一些农村教会与城市教会的联合，有了发展。
小福：我家的农村教会缺年轻人，只是靠着请传道人来轮流讲道，无法应对异端邪教的侵扰。目前，当地也有一些基督徒私下聚会，经常学习启示录相关内容；周边还有不少崇尚灵恩的聚会，比如，说方言，聚会时大哭、扑倒、呕吐、打滚等。面对这些情况，教会的牧者感觉不对劲，却也无法准确地辨析。
小音：和大教会联合可能是农村教会的一条出路。我家的教会与县城教会连接，感觉到牧养变得更系统专业了。县城教会给了他们很多资料，与此同时，农村教会的侍奉同工也会参加大教会的培训。教会聚会主要是查经、赞美、祷告，查经用县城发的材料，主日不会讲道的也是直接读材料。回去参加的赞美祷告会，唱的赞美诗大部分是新年主题的。礼拜读三个信经，大教会也很少有三个信经都读的，也有姐妹教唱谱。教会里还有《威斯敏特小教理问答》这样的书。
小悦：确实，我们当地市区教会对于城市周边农村牧区的牧养的辐射带动作用非常明显。基层农村教会的牧养普遍不存在特别大的缺乏，不论是工人的数量还是质量，都能达到一个不缺不滥的水平；信徒整体的灵命状态也很不错，虽然还是中老年人居多，但信仰很火热。
不过，这种牧区牧养体系也出现了一些问题。有基层牧者反映，牧区管理僵化，基层教会主动权低。现在，当地基层教会的问题不是牧养弱，而是福传弱。
传道人主动学习
编辑们发现，有些传道人有了主动学习的意识和行动，这对教会牧养有很大帮助。但是，传道人在学习上也面临着挑战。
小石：家乡教会负责讲道的是几个阿姨，信仰了十多年，也讲了十多年的道。感受到她们的讲道越来越深入，在一贯接地气、联系生活的同时，把圣经很深的真理讲解了出来。我觉得她们讲道能力的提高，一方面在于实践信仰，另一方面在于不间断地学习圣经。通过阅读释经书、参加各类学习、听名牧的讲道等方式，她们一直在精进自己的讲道能力。
小戴：我的家乡教会一个年轻的义工姐妹说，她没有传道人证，没有培训交流的机会，在服侍信徒上感到吃力，特别是服侍受过教育回来聚会的人。她现在参加一个线上培训课程，每周三天。她担心是否是异端，每次都是祷告之后，听课辨别，心里得到平安，继续学习。一位嫁到外地，在丈夫家那边教会服侍的姐妹也提到，所在教会，同工没有学习的机会。进入服事的人都是半成品，自身需要边服事边学习，但教会负责人认为，用现在的水平服事就行。
传统习俗和信仰的张力、信与不信的冲突
有两位编辑提到，家乡教会正月初二的主日礼拜聚会人数稀少，原因也大体相似。其一是信徒要走亲戚，脱不开身；其二是不信主的家人回来，排斥信仰，信徒不敢出来聚会。此外，在春节期间尤其兴盛的民间信仰往往会加剧基督徒跟不信主的家人的冲突。
小福：老家农村那片几乎家家户户都请“灶神”“财神”，也有许多家供祖先，以及到山神庙烧香烧纸跪拜。一位姊妹在这个问题上跟家人发生了很大的矛盾，她信主后，认为不信主的丈夫供祖先是拜偶像，就把那些都给撤掉了。结果，丈夫把她狠狠打了一顿，二人关系也大不如以前，经过挺长一段时间，关系才逐渐缓和。
小音：一些信徒家里不信的家人烧旺火，信徒也不好阻止。家里教会长老的儿子娶了不信主的妻子，小两口在外地生活，妻子不让丈夫去聚会。他们住的地方离教会近，丈夫瞒着妻子，趁着早晚出去锻炼的时候去聚会。
小石：我娘家和婆家都有信仰，但娘家的信仰更为保守。今年第一年在婆家过春节，当时民间传统信仰更兴盛。大年初一早上要给年长的亲戚、邻居磕头拜年，当地的基督徒也接受这一习俗。但我妈很坚决地嘱咐我一定不能在婆家磕头，婆家也理解。当天我跟着一起去拜年，但没有磕头。
家庭化信仰
在家人团员的节日，和不信仰的家人相处成为信徒共同面对的问题。
小石：我从小聚会的教会，最大的特点是稳定，信徒还是那批熟悉的人。不过近几年，总有新人进来，家庭化信仰较多，诗班多了很多年轻的面孔。
小悦：家里的城市教会正月初一下午有新春赞美会，气氛热烈，周边农村的信徒都来参加，人数众多，大部分是全家一起来，一个人来的比较少。参加的人，性别、年龄比例均衡，男女老幼都有。
青年人信仰关怀
春节期间，大量在外上学、工作的青年人返乡。年轻人回到家乡，教会也随之举办相应聚会，加强与在他们之间的连接。
小石：我婆家的教会，年前办了三天的感恩聚会，这是当地一个传统。到了临近过年，信徒当中有感动的都可以办感恩聚会。公婆因为过去一年神对全家的祝福，办了三天的聚会。我们回去之后，丈夫在教会做了他的信仰见证。回到我娘家，教会的阿姨也请我们给青年人分享。感受到家里的教会很想在这个时间给常年在外的年轻人更多属灵的供应。
小戴：大年初一办赞美会是家里教会的传统，青年团契是主力。青年团契群有100多人，经过这次春节排练，青年团契分成了几个小组，每个小组有两位教会同工负责人，跟进这些分散各处的年轻人，有可能再进行线上学习。
此外，家在云南的编辑对家里镇上的教会印象深刻。虽然基督教在当地是小众信仰，但教会在镇的中心位置，且较为活跃。圣诞节敲锣打鼓，环境相对自由，周围的居民也知道这间教堂，包容度较高。在初一的新年活动上，牧者出的圣经测试，老年信徒都能答出来。牧者讲道深刻，信徒都是信仰了二十多年的老人，对圣经知识、真理的装备很深。
编辑圆桌谈：从春节走访的多所家乡教会管窥农村教会现况
During the joyous celebration of the Chinese New Year and the return to their hometowns, the editors of an online Christian newspaper, the Gospel Times, had the opportunity to connect with grassroots churches. Then, they discussed the changes observed in hometown churches during the Spring Festival. All their names below are anonyms and the locations of the churches hereafter mentioned are ambigous for security reasons.
Hardware upgrades in churches
The first noticeable change was the improvement in hardware in their hometown churches, especially in rural areas where the meeting environment has improved.
In a rural church in Datong, Shanxi, new air conditioning units were installed, and a batch of pews were replaced. Another village church in Dalian, Liaoning, now has two standing air conditioners and a piano valued at around ten thousand yuan. It's worth mentioning that the hardware upgrades in these churches were partly due to the assistance from their brother churches. A nearby village church gave away the newly replaced chairs in the former church, and an urban church donated the air conditioners in the latter.
Another editor was also amazed at the development of the local church. The hardware facilities of a church in his hometown are no less impressive than those in the new first-tier city where he lives. It is equipped with a large screen, central air conditioning, hot water in the washbasins, and white jade railings.
Impact of social development on the number of believers
Several editors mentioned a decrease in the number of believers in rural churches. Apart from some elderly believers passing away, some elderly ones face mobility issues, and others move to cities to live with their children. Additionally, young people moved to cities due to new rural and community planning and construction, resulting in a decrease in the number of attendees. However, there are also new middle-aged Christian ladies entering and contributing to the development of churches in new villages.
Collaboration with urban churches to get help
Many rural churches face challenges such as an aging congregation and weak pastoral care. Collaboration with urban churches has provided a solution for some of these challenges. Following is what the editors share.
Xiao Fu: Our rural church, which lacks young believers and invites pastors to take turns delivering sermons, has difficulty countering the intrusion of heretical teachings. Currently, some local Christians gather privately, regularly studying content related to the Book of Revelation. Many gatherings in the vicinity follow Charismatic practices such as speaking in tongues, crying, falling, vomiting, and rolling. Faced with these situations, the church's pastors feel uneasy but struggle to accurately discern the issues.
Xiao Yin: It may be a way forward for rural churches to join forces with larger churches. Our church is connected to a county church, with pastoral care becoming more systematic and professional. The county church gives us many resources, and at the same time, staff members from the rural church take part in training sessions offered by the larger church. Gatherings mainly focus on Bible study, worship, and prayer, with materials provided by the county church. On Sundays, speakers who can't preach well directly read the materials. We sang hymns mostly related to the New Year theme in praise and prayer meetings during the Spring Festival. We also read three creeds, something rare in larger churches, and even Christian women taught how to sing hymns. The church also has books like the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
Xiao Yue: Indeed, our local urban church has a significant impact on the pastoral care of rural churches around the city. The pastoral care of grassroots rural churches generally does not lack in quantity or quality of workers; they meet adequate standards. With a good spiritual state, believers, the majority of whom are middle-aged and elderly, are fervent for God.
However, this pastoral care system has encountered some problems. Some grassroots pastors express that the management of pastoral areas is rigid, and local churches have low autonomy. Currently, the issue with local churches is not weak pastoral care but weak evangelism.
Pastors' proactive learning
The editors found that, despite challenges in their learning journey, some pastors have developed a proactive attitude towards learning, which greatly benefits church pastoral care.
Xiao Shi: In my hometown church, several senior sisters in Christ are responsible for preaching. With a spiritual journey spanning more than a decade, they have been preaching for over ten years. I feel that their preaching has become more profound and that they explain the deep truths of the Bible combined with daily life. I believe they improve their preaching ability through faith practices and continuous study of the Bible. They read commentaries and listen to sermons by renowned pastors with participation in diverse studies, resulting in the improvement of preaching skills.
Xiao Dai: In my hometown church, a young woman volunteer without a certificate in pastoral care felt inadequate in serving believers, especially those who are educated. She is now attending an online training course three days a week. She is concerned about potential heresy and prays before each session, discerning the content and continuing to learn after finding peace of mind. A woman who got married and served in another city also mentioned that there are no opportunities for further studies for church workers. People entering the ministry are not skilled enough and need to learn. However, church leaders believe that their current level of service is enough.
Tensions between culture and faith, and conflicts of belief and unbelief
Two editors mentioned that the attendance was low at Sunday services in hometown churches on February 11, with reasons generally similar. One reason was that believers visited relatives during the packed festival and the other was that non-believing family members returned with rejection of the faith and made believers hesitant to attend gatherings. Additionally, during the Spring Festival, the flourishing folk beliefs intensified conflicts between Christians and non-believing family members.
Xiao Fu: In the rural areas of my hometown, almost every household worships the "Kitchen God" and the "God of Wealth," with many families also worshiping ancestors and burning incense at mountain temples. A sister in Christ had significant conflicts with her family on this issue. Upon accepting faith, she removed the ancestral worship items her non-Christian husband dedicated to gods. As a result, he severely beat her, and their relationship deteriorated. It took a considerable amount of time for their relationship to improve gradually.
Xiao Yin: Some believers have family members who burn incense to worship idols at home, and it's challenging for believers to intervene. The son of an elder in the church married a non-believer, living in another city. The wife doesn't allow him to attend gatherings. Luckily, living close to the church, the husband secretly attends gatherings while exercising outdoors.
Xiao Shi: Both my maternal and in-law families are believers, but my maternal family's faith is more conservative. This year was the first time I celebrated the New Year with my in-laws, and traditional folk beliefs were more prominent there. We had to bow to elderly relatives and neighbors on the first day of the lunar new year, which was a custom that even the local Christians accepted. However, my mother insisted that I must not bow at my mother-in-law's home, and they understood. I went with them to pay respects but did not bow.
Family-centered faith
During family gatherings on festive occasions, interacting with non-believing family members becomes a common challenge for believers.
Xiao Shi: I met familiar believers at my hometown church, where members gather regularly. However, in recent years, there have been new faces and more Christian families, with many young ones joining the choir.
Xiao Yue: In our city church, there is a praise meeting on the first day of the lunar new year, with a lively atmosphere. Believers from surrounding rural areas come to participate, and the attendance is numerous. Most attendees come as whole families, and individuals are relatively few. Women and men are equally involved in gatherings, with a balanced age structure.
Nurturing the youth's spirituality
During the Spring Festival, a large number of young people who are studying or working outside return to their hometowns, attending religious activities and strengthening their connections with others.
Xiao Shi: In my mother-in-law's church, they held a three-day thanksgiving gathering before the Chinese New Year, which is a local tradition. As the Spring Festival approached, believers who were inspired could also organize religious activities. My parents-in-law organized a three-day gathering to express gratitude for God's blessings over the past year. After we returned, my husband shared his testimony at the church. When we went to my maternal family's home, the church staff also asked us to share the gospel with the young people. We felt that the church at home wanted to provide more spiritual support to young people who are away for most of the year.
Xiao Dai: It is a tradition in our family church to have a praise meeting on the first day of the lunar new year, with the youth fellowship being the main force. With more than 100 members, the youth fellowship was divided into several small groups after the recent Spring Festival rehearsal. Each group has two church workers in charge who are responsible for caring for scattered young people. There is also a possibility of further online learning.
In addition, the church in her hometown impressed a Yunnan editor. Although Christianity is a minority faith in the local area, the church is centrally located in the town and is quite active. During Christmas, they play drums and trumpets. The surrounding residents are aware of the church, which is full of love. During the New Year's event on the first day, the pastor conducted a Bible contest, and elderly believers were able to answer. The pastor's sermon was profound, and the believers, who have been Christians for over twenty years, have a deep understanding of biblical knowledge and truths.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Roundtable: Changes in Rural Hometown Churches
