Every pastor or fellow worker in a church has uniquely various reasons for embarking on the path of ministry. Among the testimonies of their ministry services, we often hear that some individuals enroll to study theology without much knowing why, and they drop out and remain unsure of their next steps; others choose to study theology because of their mothers’ faithfulness, and they see the good changes in their mothers, feeling a need to delve deeper into it. However, as it is regulated in their churches that only pastors can be recommended as seminary candidates, some of them choose to work in the church first before pursuing their theological studies. Yet, there are those who are forced into studying theology.
Recently, I had the privilege of hearing from a pastor sharing his story on how he started his journey of preparing for seminary and engaging in ministry, which deeply moved me.
Pastor Cai graduated from a theological seminary in 2022 and serves at a church in Shenzhen. He studied physical education in college and worked as a fitness coach after graduation. During that time, he had a girlfriend for seven years, but due to disapproval from both families, they eventually parted ways. This caused Pastor Cai to experience a prolonged period of sorrow, and that prompted him to reflect on the meaning of life. The plain daily routines made it seem as if his life was transparent, causing a sense of hopelessness in life. “Why am I living here?” he pondered, unsure where to find the answer.
One day, a Christian client spoke to him about God’s creation and the origin of man. This piqued Pastor Cai’s interest, and he actively sought out a church. That marked the beginning of his fervent search. “On every Sunday, I attended three worship services. For the same sermon each time I heard it, I received different insights,” Pastor Cai recalled of his early days of faith.
Weekly church gatherings were no longer sufficient to satisfy his deeper quest for understanding. He began planning to apply for theology studies. His family had no faith and did not support his decision. So, he had a plan in which he worked hard for some time to save enough for tuition, rent, and living expenses. Then he focused on the preparations for theology studies. “God blessed me during that time and provided me with many more clients,” he said. In 2016, he quit his job, rented a room, and spent the next year preparing for the exam while serving in a church. In that year, he read 200 books.
However, a family emergency occurred during this period, depleting all his savings, including the money he had saved for his studies. “During the toughest time, I ate only one meal a day for a month,” he said. Despite this, he had already received his offer letter, and he believed that since God had allowed him to pass the exam, He would also provide for his tuition.
Pastor Cai put this matter in prayer and searched for God’s will in his work. After several unsuccessful attempts, the pastor of his church approached him and offered to pay for his tuition on the condition that he would return to serve in the church after graduation. At that time, Pastor Cai did not feel called to continue serving in that particular church, so he declined the pastor’s offer. He said he would continue to wait for God’s guidance.
One day, the president of Guangdong Union Theological Seminary visited their church to preach a sermon. After the sermon, the pastor called Pastor Cai over. The president told him that his tuition for four years had already been paid in full, and he could start studying as soon as the semester began. God had used another brother to solve Pastor Cai’s tuition problem, helping him successfully graduate from his four-year program.
After graduation, Pastor Cai, like all other students, faced the question of which church to serve. He often prayed about this. Soon, he arrived at a church in Shenzhen to serve, which was undergoing some turmoil at the time. Despite this, he felt called to stay.
Initially, he went without a salary for five consecutive months, and his family began to advise him to consider serving in a different place. He was tempted to leave, but thinking about God’s guidance, he decided to persevere. Finally, after enduring the toughest times, he received his salary for the five months in a lump sum, and the church’s situation gradually improved and stabilized.
After graduating, Cai has served in the church for over a year, always maintaining a learner’s attitude and devoting daily time to spiritual cultivation. Although there were difficult times in his ministry, he shared how he took over a group from a fellow worker, which caused dissatisfaction, and how he proposed new ideas in meetings that drew criticism. However, he continually reminds himself to practice self-denial in his ministry, which is a senior believer’s advice that has deeply influenced him.
- Translated by Charlie Li
每位在教会中侍奉的牧者同工，都有各自走上服侍道路的理由。在一些传道人讲述的蒙恩服侍的故事中，有在什么都不懂时就去读了神学，辍学早，出去也不知道干嘛；有是因为妈妈信仰，看到其改变，想要深入了解，觉得有必要读个神学，但教会有规定，只有传道人才可以推荐读神学，最后选择参与教会服侍然后去读了神学；也有被迫去读神学……
近日，有幸听一位传道讲述了他从蒙恩到预备读神学以及参与服侍的经历，颇受触动。
蔡传道是2022年神学毕业，在深圳一教会服侍。他大学读的是体育学院，毕业后做健身教练，彼时也有一位谈了7年的女朋友，但因为两方家长都不同意他们在一起，最后不欢而散了。这让那时的蔡弟兄陷入到较长一段时间的痛苦中，也促使他思考人生的价值。每天稳定的工作生活，一眼望到头的人生，让他对生活失去了盼望，“活着有什么意义”？蔡弟兄内心生出不解，也不知去哪里寻找答案。
一天，他的一位基督徒顾客对他讲述神的创造、人的由来，于是，蔡弟兄被内容吸引，主动去寻找了教会。进入教会便开启了火热寻求与服侍。“每周主日参加三场礼拜，同样一篇道，每听一次都有不同的领受，”蔡传道回顾刚信仰时参加聚会的经历。
每周参加教堂聚会学习，已经不能满足蔡对话语更深的寻求了。他开始计划报考神学。家人没有信仰，也不支持他读神学，他就计划自己努力工作一段时间，攒够读书钱和一年的房租与生活费，然后专心读书为去读神学做预备。“神真的恩待我，那段期间给我预备了很多客户，”很快蔡弟兄攒下了一笔小钱。2016年的时候，他辞去了工作，租了一间房子，一年的时间除了参与教会服侍，预备考试，剩下时间就是看书，那一年他看了200本书。
但这期间他的家里突发变故。攒的钱都花费掉了，原本读书的费用也都没有了。“最难的时候一天一餐，持续了一个月。”他说，那时他的录取通知书已经下来了，他相信既然神让他通过了考试，也一定会为他预备读书的费用。
蔡把这件事放在了祷告中，同时也寻找神工作的通道。几次的尝试都无果。这时他所在教会的牧师找到了他，说教会可以支付他的学费，前提是毕业后他能继续回到教会服侍。当时蔡传道没有感动继续在这个教会服侍，就拒绝了牧者的帮助。他说要继续等候神的工作。
一天，广东协和神学院的院长到他们教会讲道。结束后，蔡弟兄被牧师叫了过去，院长和他说，他四年的学费已经一次性都打过来了，开学直接过来就可以了。神藉着一位弟兄解决了蔡弟兄的学费问题，帮助他四年学业顺利毕业。
毕业后，蔡弟兄和所有学生一样都面临着选择去哪所教会服侍的问题，为此他也常常放在祷告中。很快，他来到了深圳一教会服侍，当时正是这间教会的动荡时期，但他有感动要留下来。
起初，一连五个月他都没有薪水，家人开始劝说他要不要考虑换个地方服侍。他也有动摇过，但想到神一步步的带领，他还是想坚持一下。终于熬过了寒冬，五个月的工资一次性都发给了他，而教会也变得越来越好，逐渐步入正轨。
毕业后，他在教会服侍了一年多的时间，一直让自己保持学习者的姿态，且每天有自己的灵修时间。虽然服侍中也会有艰难的时候，他讲述自己从同工那里接手一个小组时，招来那个同工的不满；会议中提出新的建议，也是引起人的谴责。但他始终默想“舍己”的功课。“没有自己，就没有困难。”一位前辈的分享深深烙印在他的心里，他也以此时刻提醒自己在服侍中放下自己。
一位传道人讲述预备读神学的难忘经历
Every pastor or fellow worker in a church has uniquely various reasons for embarking on the path of ministry. Among the testimonies of their ministry services, we often hear that some individuals enroll to study theology without much knowing why, and they drop out and remain unsure of their next steps; others choose to study theology because of their mothers’ faithfulness, and they see the good changes in their mothers, feeling a need to delve deeper into it. However, as it is regulated in their churches that only pastors can be recommended as seminary candidates, some of them choose to work in the church first before pursuing their theological studies. Yet, there are those who are forced into studying theology.
Recently, I had the privilege of hearing from a pastor sharing his story on how he started his journey of preparing for seminary and engaging in ministry, which deeply moved me.
Pastor Cai graduated from a theological seminary in 2022 and serves at a church in Shenzhen. He studied physical education in college and worked as a fitness coach after graduation. During that time, he had a girlfriend for seven years, but due to disapproval from both families, they eventually parted ways. This caused Pastor Cai to experience a prolonged period of sorrow, and that prompted him to reflect on the meaning of life. The plain daily routines made it seem as if his life was transparent, causing a sense of hopelessness in life. “Why am I living here?” he pondered, unsure where to find the answer.
One day, a Christian client spoke to him about God’s creation and the origin of man. This piqued Pastor Cai’s interest, and he actively sought out a church. That marked the beginning of his fervent search. “On every Sunday, I attended three worship services. For the same sermon each time I heard it, I received different insights,” Pastor Cai recalled of his early days of faith.
Weekly church gatherings were no longer sufficient to satisfy his deeper quest for understanding. He began planning to apply for theology studies. His family had no faith and did not support his decision. So, he had a plan in which he worked hard for some time to save enough for tuition, rent, and living expenses. Then he focused on the preparations for theology studies. “God blessed me during that time and provided me with many more clients,” he said. In 2016, he quit his job, rented a room, and spent the next year preparing for the exam while serving in a church. In that year, he read 200 books.
However, a family emergency occurred during this period, depleting all his savings, including the money he had saved for his studies. “During the toughest time, I ate only one meal a day for a month,” he said. Despite this, he had already received his offer letter, and he believed that since God had allowed him to pass the exam, He would also provide for his tuition.
Pastor Cai put this matter in prayer and searched for God’s will in his work. After several unsuccessful attempts, the pastor of his church approached him and offered to pay for his tuition on the condition that he would return to serve in the church after graduation. At that time, Pastor Cai did not feel called to continue serving in that particular church, so he declined the pastor’s offer. He said he would continue to wait for God’s guidance.
One day, the president of Guangdong Union Theological Seminary visited their church to preach a sermon. After the sermon, the pastor called Pastor Cai over. The president told him that his tuition for four years had already been paid in full, and he could start studying as soon as the semester began. God had used another brother to solve Pastor Cai’s tuition problem, helping him successfully graduate from his four-year program.
After graduation, Pastor Cai, like all other students, faced the question of which church to serve. He often prayed about this. Soon, he arrived at a church in Shenzhen to serve, which was undergoing some turmoil at the time. Despite this, he felt called to stay.
Initially, he went without a salary for five consecutive months, and his family began to advise him to consider serving in a different place. He was tempted to leave, but thinking about God’s guidance, he decided to persevere. Finally, after enduring the toughest times, he received his salary for the five months in a lump sum, and the church’s situation gradually improved and stabilized.
After graduating, Cai has served in the church for over a year, always maintaining a learner’s attitude and devoting daily time to spiritual cultivation. Although there were difficult times in his ministry, he shared how he took over a group from a fellow worker, which caused dissatisfaction, and how he proposed new ideas in meetings that drew criticism. However, he continually reminds himself to practice self-denial in his ministry, which is a senior believer’s advice that has deeply influenced him.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Pastor Shares Unforgettable Journey to Studying Theology
