Introduction: For rural churches, the busy farming season is all too familiar, but the launch of church ministries after the autumn harvest has always been a concern for almost every rural minister. With this article, I aim to talk about the situation of rural churches after the autumn harvest.
1. Returning to ministry after a busy farming season
Rural churches have a period of rest during the busy farming. Having their own land, believers and ministers use this time to grow crops. Some of them grow corn, soybeans, or vegetables, while some others plant medicinal herbs. In order to do this, rural churches suspend major church ministries to make time for the autumn harvest.
In recent days, the autumn harvest in parts of the Eastern Henan Plain has come to an end, and now cultivation of fields and sowing have just begun. Meanwhile, some churches have begun to resume their ministries.
Ministers of rural churches accept the fact that Christians need to work in the fields to make a living. If the ministers or believers in the countryside do not work hard as non-believers do, it will reflect badly on them and they will be seen as lazy in the eyes of the world. Therefore, ministers in the countryside not only have to carry out the work of the church but also manage the fields well during appropriate seasons.
Although the autumn harvest is drawing to an end, believers and ministers need to quickly adjust their lives so they can resume the ministries, looking after families with hardships, caring for those who are hospitalized, calling upon the elderly and infirm, as well as organizing systematic Bible studies.
2. Coping with physical exhaustion
It is true that farming is quite physically demanding. Lots of manual work is needed and only a few things can be done by machines. Harvest particularly calls for physical exertion as all the crops need to be brought in from the fields.
Many rural believers get up early in the morning and after a long and busy day of hard work in the fields, they may easily doze off during worship and sermon time. Ministers need to help believers to find ways to make sure they can fully engage themselves when they worship and listen to sermons.
3. Reflecting on the Lord’s grace for a good harvest
One of the things for which rural Christians are most grateful is God's blessings to their land and crops.
Although a good harvest will not happen without hard work, God's blessing for the land is imperative for a hundredfold yield.
Christians will come to understand God's grace from the harvest. God provides appropriate weather for crops to grow in their time with regular rain and wind.
In the Bible there is a metaphor of a farmer waiting for the harvest for Christians to learn how to wait on God with patience. The verse goes: " Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains." (*NIV, Zondervan)
4. Understanding the growth of the gospel from seeding the fields
The end of the autumn harvest also represents the beginning of a new season. The corn crop in eastern Henan has been stored in warehouses, and preparations are underway for the next season of wheat sowing.
Wheat planting has four general steps. The first step is to cultivate the land (including fertilization), the second step is to turn the soil, the third step is to mechanically sow wheat seeds, and the fourth step is to water the fields (or wait for rain). These four steps seem easy, but each step determines the harvest of the coming year.
Although planting wheat is simple and straightforward, the whole process is a test of our patience. Not only must we be able to observe changes in the soil, but also be able to choose high-quality wheat seeds. As a matter of fact, the metaphor of the land is the easiest for the ministers in the countryside to preach about, as it is the one which the rural believers can understand best and is closest to their life.
Using the metaphor of planting seeds to illustrate the detailed steps of evangelism will be easier for believers in rural areas to understand and to comply with. Similar to the four steps of sowing wheat, the four steps to spread the gospel are also summarized. The first is to open up the topic, the second is to share personal testimonies, the third is to introduce the gospel, and the fourth is to wait for God to work in the minds of the listeners.
- Translated by Jacqueline Y
序言： 对于农村教会而言，农忙是在熟悉不过的，而秋收后的教会事工开展，一直是每个农村传道人所关心的问题。以此，分为几个方面，来谈一谈秋收后农村教会的光景。
1.从忙碌后回归事工
农村教会在农忙之际都会有修整的阶段，因为一些信徒和传道人都有自己的土地和庄稼，所以会抓住收获的时机去到田地里忙碌。有的家里种植的是玉米、大豆，或是一些蔬菜，还有的一些种植的药材，所以说农村教会在秋收的时刻，教会事工的时间都会做出调整和安排。
近几日，豫东平原部分地区的秋收已经接近尾声，土地也都进入了耕耘和播种的阶段。与此同时教会的工作也逐渐展开了。
对于农村的传道人而言，基督徒也需要生活，需要进入田地，也需要劳作。如果说农村的传道人或者信徒不去劳作、不去忙碌，这在世人的眼中也是不被理解的，甚至会留下坏的影响，以及懒惰的名声。所以农村传道人不但要做好教会的工作，而且还要管理好田地，在合适的季节做合宜的工作。
虽然秋收接近尾声，但信徒和传道人必须快速调整自己，再踏入侍奉岗位。有家庭困难的信徒需要看顾，有住院的信徒需要关怀，年老体弱的群体也需要走动探访，查经工作也开始循序渐进。
2.从肉体疲惫中走出来
其实农忙的时机也是比较消耗体力的，既要担担抬抬，又要靠着双手去劳作，因为有些机械化可以收割，但有些土地就要亲手劳作了。农忙之际干农活比较消耗体力，而且也消耗一定的精力，既要把田地收拾的整整齐齐，又要操心田地的收割有没有遗漏。
对于农村教会而言，很多农村的信徒从田地中劳作，晚上聚会敬拜听道时都有打瞌睡的现象，因为一天的忙碌后身体疲乏，又加上早上起得早，所以在这一方面需要努力调整作息时间，以及听道聚会的精力。
3.从丰盛收获步步深思主恩
农村基督徒最大的感恩之一就是神对土地的祝福，对自己家里庄稼的祝福。
虽然说土地的收获，有人劳作的功劳，但有神祝福的土地才是美好的土地，有神祝福的土地才会有百倍的收成。
基督徒逐渐从收获中明白神的恩典，神按时降雨在地上，神按时刮风在地上，神按时预备好的天气等。
圣经中也曾以农夫等待收割来比喻基督徒当学习忍耐等候的心，经文谈到：“弟兄们哪，你们要忍耐，直到主来。看哪，农夫忍耐等候地里宝贵的出产，直到得了秋雨春雨。”
4.从田地播种明白福音的成长
秋收的尾声，也代表着新的播种期开始，豫东地区的玉米已经入仓入库，为着下一季小麦的播种开始做起了准备。
小麦播种一般分为四步，第一步耕耘土地（包括施肥），第二步翻土，第三步是机械化小麦播种，第四步是浇灌（或等候降雨）。这四步看似很容易，但每一步的好与坏都决定这来年的收成。
小麦的种植虽然简单，但整个过程却考验着人的耐心。不仅仅要会观察土壤的变化，还要能够选择优质的麦种。其实对于农村的传道人来讲，他们最容易讲道的比喻就是土地的比喻，农村的信徒最能听得懂的比喻，且接近生活的比喻就是播种的比喻了。
以播种的比喻来讲说传福音细节步骤，这样更容易让农村的信徒接受，并且努力行道。小麦播种四个步骤，传福音也被归纳了四个步骤，第一就是打开话题，第二就是分享见证，第三就是福音带入，第四就是等候神动
浅谈：秋收后的农村教会光景
Introduction: For rural churches, the busy farming season is all too familiar, but the launch of church ministries after the autumn harvest has always been a concern for almost every rural minister. With this article, I aim to talk about the situation of rural churches after the autumn harvest.
1. Returning to ministry after a busy farming season
Rural churches have a period of rest during the busy farming. Having their own land, believers and ministers use this time to grow crops. Some of them grow corn, soybeans, or vegetables, while some others plant medicinal herbs. In order to do this, rural churches suspend major church ministries to make time for the autumn harvest.
In recent days, the autumn harvest in parts of the Eastern Henan Plain has come to an end, and now cultivation of fields and sowing have just begun. Meanwhile, some churches have begun to resume their ministries.
Ministers of rural churches accept the fact that Christians need to work in the fields to make a living. If the ministers or believers in the countryside do not work hard as non-believers do, it will reflect badly on them and they will be seen as lazy in the eyes of the world. Therefore, ministers in the countryside not only have to carry out the work of the church but also manage the fields well during appropriate seasons.
Although the autumn harvest is drawing to an end, believers and ministers need to quickly adjust their lives so they can resume the ministries, looking after families with hardships, caring for those who are hospitalized, calling upon the elderly and infirm, as well as organizing systematic Bible studies.
2. Coping with physical exhaustion
It is true that farming is quite physically demanding. Lots of manual work is needed and only a few things can be done by machines. Harvest particularly calls for physical exertion as all the crops need to be brought in from the fields.
Many rural believers get up early in the morning and after a long and busy day of hard work in the fields, they may easily doze off during worship and sermon time. Ministers need to help believers to find ways to make sure they can fully engage themselves when they worship and listen to sermons.
3. Reflecting on the Lord’s grace for a good harvest
One of the things for which rural Christians are most grateful is God's blessings to their land and crops.
Although a good harvest will not happen without hard work, God's blessing for the land is imperative for a hundredfold yield.
Christians will come to understand God's grace from the harvest. God provides appropriate weather for crops to grow in their time with regular rain and wind.
In the Bible there is a metaphor of a farmer waiting for the harvest for Christians to learn how to wait on God with patience. The verse goes: " Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains." (*NIV, Zondervan)
4. Understanding the growth of the gospel from seeding the fields
The end of the autumn harvest also represents the beginning of a new season. The corn crop in eastern Henan has been stored in warehouses, and preparations are underway for the next season of wheat sowing.
Wheat planting has four general steps. The first step is to cultivate the land (including fertilization), the second step is to turn the soil, the third step is to mechanically sow wheat seeds, and the fourth step is to water the fields (or wait for rain). These four steps seem easy, but each step determines the harvest of the coming year.
Although planting wheat is simple and straightforward, the whole process is a test of our patience. Not only must we be able to observe changes in the soil, but also be able to choose high-quality wheat seeds. As a matter of fact, the metaphor of the land is the easiest for the ministers in the countryside to preach about, as it is the one which the rural believers can understand best and is closest to their life.
Using the metaphor of planting seeds to illustrate the detailed steps of evangelism will be easier for believers in rural areas to understand and to comply with. Similar to the four steps of sowing wheat, the four steps to spread the gospel are also summarized. The first is to open up the topic, the second is to share personal testimonies, the third is to introduce the gospel, and the fourth is to wait for God to work in the minds of the listeners.
- Translated by Jacqueline Y
A Brief Talk on Situation of Rural Churches after Autumn Harvest
