In 2013, Pastor Y from Cangzhou in Hebei traveled from Q County in Handan, about 200 kilometers away, to X County to establish a church. The church's first gathering place was in a two-story building in Beiguan Village of X County. The first floor was almost taken up by the stairs leading to the second floor, which had a bedroom of less than 10 square meters and a living room of about 15 square meters. In that living room, the church held morning prayers and Sunday services. It also served as Pastor Y's prayer room, his family’s dining room, and the guest bedroom.
While studying at Handan Bible School, Pastor Y was inspired by missionary stories, with a heart of evangelism cultivated. Christian faith is flourishing in Handan, with abundant churches and staff workers. He desired to plant churches in Hengshui, known as “hardened soil for the gospel,” was his intended destination. Later, he learned that there was already a small gathering of five or six believers in X County, close to Hengshui, in need of a pastor. This is what brought him to X County to lead the church.
X County has a strong Catholic presence, and in the early days, many Catholics joined the church, leading to frequent conflicts during services due to differing beliefs. Another major challenge was that seven or eight believers were involved in a multi-level marketing scheme. Through biblical teachings and prayers, Pastor Y was able to bring them back.
While fighting for the church, Pastor Y also faced personal hardships. The rented gathering place had no air conditioning in the summer and no heating in the winter. The cooking area was small, and the smoke was overwhelming. Pastor Y shared a detail: during the summer, it was so hot that he couldn’t sleep, so he smeared toothpaste on his body and managed to sleep for an hour or two with the cooling sensation from the evaporating paste.
Today, this church is the only registered gathering place in X County, with about 50 registered members and over 20 regular attendees. The current church location is a two-story residential house with a yard. The first floor has a central living room, with a bedroom on each side for hosting guests. The second floor mirrors the layout of the first floor, with the central space used as a chapel, while the side rooms serve diverse functions such as storage, meetings, or hosting. There is also a row of rooms by the courtyard entrance, which are used as bathrooms and a kitchen. Pastor Y’s family now rents a separate house. Since his two children are away for school or work, and his wife is studying at the seminary, Pastor Y lives alone in the church most of the time.
Financial struggles have been a constant challenge for Pastor Y over the past ten years, though he has also experienced God’s abundant grace. In 2014, when they had to endure the harsh conditions of the previous meeting place, the church could not afford even the annual rent of less than 3,000 yuan, and Pastor Y had to find other ways to cover the cost. Today, the church is able to fully support its current, comfortable, and fully functional meeting place. Pastor Y’s salary has grown from being supported externally to being paid by the church itself, rising from 500 yuan to 3,000 yuan. Though still modest, it is sufficient.
When he stepped out in faith, God’s provision had always followed. From having nothing to being self-sustaining, the church has even had another gathering place during these ten years. In 2015, due to both church needs and the desire to improve living conditions, Pastor Y considered moving to a new location, eyeing a commercial space with an annual rent of 25,000 yuan. However, there were mixed opinions among the believers, and Pastor Y himself lacked confidence due to financial pressures. He sought confirmation from God in prayer. Within three days, a female church member donated 10,000 yuan, which solidified Pastor Y's decision to move. After that, God provided the necessary funds in varied ways. The total cost for rent, renovation, and church supplies, amounting to about 40,000 to 50,000 yuan, was all met without issue.
Since then, God’s provision has never ceased, whether for the church or Pastor Y’s family. Through a friend’s help, a church in Shenzhen became aware of the situation in X County. From the second half of 2015 until 2022, they provided consistent support for the church's rent, as well as helping Pastor Y’s family multiple times.
In the early days of pioneering the church, Pastor Y was often consumed with financial worries and fears. At that time, his wife and children had not yet joined him, and he was alone, constantly thinking, “What will the future hold?” “What about my children?” “What about my parents?” Besides his anxiety, he was scammed out of money. Today, financial needs still exist: the church is still rented, and they wonder when they will have their own building. His daughter is pursuing further studies, and he can’t afford the dowry or a house for his son to get married. However, after more than ten years, Pastor Y feels much more secure, saying, “Move forward with faith; you can’t take steps forward if you’re bogged down with worries and fears.”
Beyond financial pressure, another major challenge has been the loneliness in ministry. For a long time, Pastor Y’s wife worked in a factory to support his ministry, and he had to figure out church matters on his own. The biggest struggle during this time was combating the tendency to grow cold-hearted. As time went on, he witnessed many miracles, and God’s grace became something familiar, to the point of becoming numb to it. "Faith expresses itself through love. When a couple is in love or newly married, their love tightly binds them together, and no one can come between them. The same is true of our relationship with God. But over time, the love for God seems to be absent. That’s why we must constantly draw near to God, experience His love, and rely on His love to continue on the path of ministry.”
Finding strength in God’s love, Pastor Y has persisted in reading excellent spiritual books and studying pastoral knowledge, such as doctrine, for over a decade. During his time at Handan Bible School, one of his teachers emphasized that studying the Bible was the most important, while doctrine was not as essential, so it wasn’t taught. Pastor Y also cherishes the opportunities to study and exchange ideas with other pastors. As his family’s financial situation improved, he encouraged his wife to study theology. This summer, she completed her seminary courses and began an internship at the church.
Today, the church has Pastor Y as a full-time worker, his wife as an intern worker, and three female volunteers. They conducted gatherings, such as Sunday services, Wednesday prayer meetings, and Friday Bible studies. The Wednesday prayer meetings revisit the sermon topics from Sunday, while the Friday Bible studies, currently led by Pastor Y, focus on doctrinal teachings. These studies have proven effective in resisting heresies.
How do God and people view Pastor Y and his family’s more than ten years of ministry? We often hear stories of churches growing from a handful of people to hundreds or even thousands over several years. Some may think that the church in X County is unimpressive, or wonder whether it is worthwhile that a pastor’s family spent over a decade here. Yet, there are also those who see the church as precious, believing that the presence or absence of the church can have far-reaching effects on X County.
The Lausanne Movement recently released the Status of the Great Commission Report with contributions from over 150 missionary-sending nations. In the first section, under the topic “Disciple-Making Movements,” the report provided specific data on disciple-making and church-planting movements. Researchers estimate that more than 100 million people have become disciples through disciple-making movements. Additionally, over nine million churches have been established through church-planting movements, with an average of 14 disciples per church. During Pastor Y’s moments of exhaustion and weakness, this data might bring him hope that his work would be a harvest worth celebrating.
Like Pastor Y, many grassroots pastors quietly persevere because of their love for the Lord. Their work is not in vain. In the Lord, every act of service is remembered. When the six stone jars are filled with water, when seeds are awakened by the right conditions of temperature, moisture, and light, God’s mighty power will come upon us in an awe-inspiring way.
- Edited & translated by Abigail Wu
2013年，沧州的Y传道从约二百公里外的邯郸Q县来到Ｘ县开拓教会。教会的第一个聚会场所是X县北关的一幢二层小楼。它的第一层几乎完全被前往二楼的楼梯占满，二楼有一间不足10平的卧室和大约15平的客厅。在这间客厅，教会做晨祷、主日礼拜，也是Y传道的祷告室、一家人的餐厅以及客人的卧室。
邯郸圣经学校学习时，Y传道喜欢读传教士的故事，宣教的种子种在了他心里。邯郸福音兴旺，教堂、工人数量充足。他希望出去开拓，被称为“福音硬土”的衡水是他计划中的目的地。后来得知X县一个聚会点已经有五六个信徒，需要牧者，且距离衡水很近。所以Y传道来到X县带领教会。
X县是天主教大县，初期不少天主教徒加入教会，但因观念冲突起了纷争。另一大挑战是七八个信徒卷入直销，借着真理和爱心，Y传道挽回了他们。
在为教会争战的同时，Y传道面临着生活的艰难。租住的聚会点夏天没有空调，冬天没有暖气。做饭的地方空间狭小，烟还很大。Y传道分享了一个细节，夏天实在闷热的睡不着，就把牙膏涂身上，靠着膏体蒸发的凉感勉强睡一两个小时。
如今，这间教堂是X县登记的唯一一间聚会点，登记的信徒有五十名左右。日常稳定参加聚会的信徒有二十多人。
现在教会的所在地是一处位于带院子的两层民居。一楼中间为客厅，左右两边各一间卧室；客厅会客，卧室做接待使用。二楼和一楼格局相同，中间为礼拜堂，左右两边的房间灵活使用；可储物、商谈、活动，也可用做接待。院门一侧也有一排房子，共两间，是卫生间和厨房。Y传道一家有单独租住的房子；由于两个孩子出门上学、工作，师母在神学院学习，Y传道一个人平时住在教会。
经济上的艰难是Y传道十年来持续面临的挑战，期间经历了神丰富的恩典。2014年那处不得不在酷热和严寒中忍耐的聚会场所。虽然年租金不足三千，教会也没有能力支付，Y传道需要另想办法解决。如今这处条件舒适、功能齐全的聚会场所，教会完全可以承担费用。Y传道的工资，从依靠别处支援到教会发放，从五百到如今的三千，虽然始终不宽裕，却也没有缺乏。
带着信心踏出去，神的供应随之而来。从一穷二白到实现自养，十年之间教会还有过另外一处聚会场所。因着教会需要和改善生活环境的需求，2015年，Y传道想更换场地，看中一间年租金两万五的门市房。信徒意见不一，他面对资金压力也没有太大信心，在祷告中向神寻求印证。三天之内，教会收到一位姊妹一万元的奉献，坚定了Y传道搬家的决心。之后，神通过不同方式将需要的钱加添过来。连租房带装修、置办教会用品一应四五万的需要都顺利解决。
其后，神的供应一直没有断绝，不论是对教会还是Y传道家庭。通过朋友帮忙，深圳一间教会知道了X县教会的情况；从2015年下半年开始一直到2022年，稳定支持教会的房租，期间也多次支持Y传道家庭的需要。
开拓初期，Y传道曾一度陷入经济的担忧和惧怕当中。当时师母和孩子还没过来，他独自一人，满脑子所想的都是：“未来怎么办？”“孩子怎么办？”“父母怎么办？”因着这些担忧还经历了钱财被骗。如今依然有经济上的需要：教会还在租房，什么时候能有属于教会的地方？女儿深造，儿子结婚的彩礼、房子也没有着落。但十多年走来，Y传道心里踏实了很多，“靠着信心往前走，忧虑担心没办法迈开脚步”。
经济压力之外的另一大难题是牧会中的孤独。很长时间里，师母在厂里打工支持Y传道的服侍，在牧会上他只能自己摸索着往前走。过程中最需要对抗的是人容易冷淡的心。侍奉路上走着走着，神迹见多了也习惯了，恩典经历多了也麻木了。“信心体现出来是爱。夫妻谈恋爱、刚结婚的时候，爱让他们紧密地连接在一起，别人插不进来。信仰里和神的关系也是一样，时间长了，对神的爱感觉似有若无。所以要常常亲近神，体会神的爱，靠着神的爱将服侍的道路走下去。”
靠着神爱的力量，Y传道在十多年中坚持阅读优秀的属灵书籍，学习牧会相关知识，比如教义。在邯郸圣经学校学习时，当时有老师认为学习圣经最重要，教义不重要，并未教授教义。他也十分珍惜和其他牧师一起学习、交流的机会。到家庭条件宽松一些，Y传道鼓励师母去读神学。今年夏天，师母已经完成神学院课程，暑期开始在教会实习。
如今，教会有Y传道一名专职同工，师母一名实习同工，另有三个姐妹义工。聚会包括主日礼拜，周三祷告会，周五查经。周三的祷告会继续分享主日讲台的话语。周五查经目前由Y传道讲解教义，教义学习在抵制异端方面起到了明显效果。
在神和人眼中，如何看待Y传道及其家庭十多年的服侍？听多了一间教会在十几年中从几个人发展到几百甚至几千人的成功故事；或许有人觉得X县的教会很不起眼，思忖传道人家庭十多年光阴投掷在这里是否值得？但也有人看教会为宝贵，有或者没有这间教会对X县至关重要。
洛桑大会今年发布了《大使命现状报告》，文件分享了来自全球150多个宣教输出国的洞见。在报告的第一部分“大使命现状”下的“门徒训练运动”板块，给出了门徒训练运动和教会植堂运动的的具体数据。研究人员估计，由于门徒训练运动，1亿多人成为门徒。同时，有900多万间教会是从教会植堂运动中产生，即平均每间教会有14名门徒。在Y传道疲惫软弱的时候，这个数据或许会给他带来盼望，他的工作是值得庆祝的丰收。
像Y传道一样，因着主的爱默默坚守的基层牧者们，他们的工作没有失败。在主里面，一切的服侍都值得纪念。当六口缸装满了水，当种子因为温度、湿度或光照条件被唤醒，神的能力将大而可畏的临到我们中间。
一个基层教会牧者的十年：困境中坚守 忍耐着结实
In 2013, Pastor Y from Cangzhou in Hebei traveled from Q County in Handan, about 200 kilometers away, to X County to establish a church. The church's first gathering place was in a two-story building in Beiguan Village of X County. The first floor was almost taken up by the stairs leading to the second floor, which had a bedroom of less than 10 square meters and a living room of about 15 square meters. In that living room, the church held morning prayers and Sunday services. It also served as Pastor Y's prayer room, his family’s dining room, and the guest bedroom.
While studying at Handan Bible School, Pastor Y was inspired by missionary stories, with a heart of evangelism cultivated. Christian faith is flourishing in Handan, with abundant churches and staff workers. He desired to plant churches in Hengshui, known as “hardened soil for the gospel,” was his intended destination. Later, he learned that there was already a small gathering of five or six believers in X County, close to Hengshui, in need of a pastor. This is what brought him to X County to lead the church.
X County has a strong Catholic presence, and in the early days, many Catholics joined the church, leading to frequent conflicts during services due to differing beliefs. Another major challenge was that seven or eight believers were involved in a multi-level marketing scheme. Through biblical teachings and prayers, Pastor Y was able to bring them back.
While fighting for the church, Pastor Y also faced personal hardships. The rented gathering place had no air conditioning in the summer and no heating in the winter. The cooking area was small, and the smoke was overwhelming. Pastor Y shared a detail: during the summer, it was so hot that he couldn’t sleep, so he smeared toothpaste on his body and managed to sleep for an hour or two with the cooling sensation from the evaporating paste.
Today, this church is the only registered gathering place in X County, with about 50 registered members and over 20 regular attendees. The current church location is a two-story residential house with a yard. The first floor has a central living room, with a bedroom on each side for hosting guests. The second floor mirrors the layout of the first floor, with the central space used as a chapel, while the side rooms serve diverse functions such as storage, meetings, or hosting. There is also a row of rooms by the courtyard entrance, which are used as bathrooms and a kitchen. Pastor Y’s family now rents a separate house. Since his two children are away for school or work, and his wife is studying at the seminary, Pastor Y lives alone in the church most of the time.
Financial struggles have been a constant challenge for Pastor Y over the past ten years, though he has also experienced God’s abundant grace. In 2014, when they had to endure the harsh conditions of the previous meeting place, the church could not afford even the annual rent of less than 3,000 yuan, and Pastor Y had to find other ways to cover the cost. Today, the church is able to fully support its current, comfortable, and fully functional meeting place. Pastor Y’s salary has grown from being supported externally to being paid by the church itself, rising from 500 yuan to 3,000 yuan. Though still modest, it is sufficient.
When he stepped out in faith, God’s provision had always followed. From having nothing to being self-sustaining, the church has even had another gathering place during these ten years. In 2015, due to both church needs and the desire to improve living conditions, Pastor Y considered moving to a new location, eyeing a commercial space with an annual rent of 25,000 yuan. However, there were mixed opinions among the believers, and Pastor Y himself lacked confidence due to financial pressures. He sought confirmation from God in prayer. Within three days, a female church member donated 10,000 yuan, which solidified Pastor Y's decision to move. After that, God provided the necessary funds in varied ways. The total cost for rent, renovation, and church supplies, amounting to about 40,000 to 50,000 yuan, was all met without issue.
Since then, God’s provision has never ceased, whether for the church or Pastor Y’s family. Through a friend’s help, a church in Shenzhen became aware of the situation in X County. From the second half of 2015 until 2022, they provided consistent support for the church's rent, as well as helping Pastor Y’s family multiple times.
In the early days of pioneering the church, Pastor Y was often consumed with financial worries and fears. At that time, his wife and children had not yet joined him, and he was alone, constantly thinking, “What will the future hold?” “What about my children?” “What about my parents?” Besides his anxiety, he was scammed out of money. Today, financial needs still exist: the church is still rented, and they wonder when they will have their own building. His daughter is pursuing further studies, and he can’t afford the dowry or a house for his son to get married. However, after more than ten years, Pastor Y feels much more secure, saying, “Move forward with faith; you can’t take steps forward if you’re bogged down with worries and fears.”
Beyond financial pressure, another major challenge has been the loneliness in ministry. For a long time, Pastor Y’s wife worked in a factory to support his ministry, and he had to figure out church matters on his own. The biggest struggle during this time was combating the tendency to grow cold-hearted. As time went on, he witnessed many miracles, and God’s grace became something familiar, to the point of becoming numb to it. "Faith expresses itself through love. When a couple is in love or newly married, their love tightly binds them together, and no one can come between them. The same is true of our relationship with God. But over time, the love for God seems to be absent. That’s why we must constantly draw near to God, experience His love, and rely on His love to continue on the path of ministry.”
Finding strength in God’s love, Pastor Y has persisted in reading excellent spiritual books and studying pastoral knowledge, such as doctrine, for over a decade. During his time at Handan Bible School, one of his teachers emphasized that studying the Bible was the most important, while doctrine was not as essential, so it wasn’t taught. Pastor Y also cherishes the opportunities to study and exchange ideas with other pastors. As his family’s financial situation improved, he encouraged his wife to study theology. This summer, she completed her seminary courses and began an internship at the church.
Today, the church has Pastor Y as a full-time worker, his wife as an intern worker, and three female volunteers. They conducted gatherings, such as Sunday services, Wednesday prayer meetings, and Friday Bible studies. The Wednesday prayer meetings revisit the sermon topics from Sunday, while the Friday Bible studies, currently led by Pastor Y, focus on doctrinal teachings. These studies have proven effective in resisting heresies.
How do God and people view Pastor Y and his family’s more than ten years of ministry? We often hear stories of churches growing from a handful of people to hundreds or even thousands over several years. Some may think that the church in X County is unimpressive, or wonder whether it is worthwhile that a pastor’s family spent over a decade here. Yet, there are also those who see the church as precious, believing that the presence or absence of the church can have far-reaching effects on X County.
The Lausanne Movement recently released the Status of the Great Commission Report with contributions from over 150 missionary-sending nations. In the first section, under the topic “Disciple-Making Movements,” the report provided specific data on disciple-making and church-planting movements. Researchers estimate that more than 100 million people have become disciples through disciple-making movements. Additionally, over nine million churches have been established through church-planting movements, with an average of 14 disciples per church. During Pastor Y’s moments of exhaustion and weakness, this data might bring him hope that his work would be a harvest worth celebrating.
Like Pastor Y, many grassroots pastors quietly persevere because of their love for the Lord. Their work is not in vain. In the Lord, every act of service is remembered. When the six stone jars are filled with water, when seeds are awakened by the right conditions of temperature, moisture, and light, God’s mighty power will come upon us in an awe-inspiring way.
- Edited & translated by Abigail Wu
Story of Pastor Bearing Fruit Through Endurance in a Decade
