Born in Henan, Brother Zhao followed his mother to church since he was a child, during which he accepted the Christian faith. In 2015, Zhao decided to serve God. A year later, he enrolled in theology to equip himself. After graduation in 2019, he began to work as a pastor in his hometown church. He has now been serving the church for nearly two years.
Looking back on the road of service during the past few years, he finds it challenging but also touching. Practical challenges are always there, such as how to truly shepherd believers in service, how the church attracts young people, and how to keep believers from following secular values. Amid countless challenges and pressures, the believers’ simple love for God (and the preacher) is like a beam of light that warms and strengthens his road of service.
Embarking on the road of ministry in confusion
Brother Zhao went to both school and work. At the time, he did not intend to serve full-time in the church. Like most people, he led a routine life. However, when at work, he would always think about the meaning of life, and the world of faith that his mother had told him about. He began to think about the nature of life.
“I am a person who is easily influenced by my environment, but when I am still by myself, something inside me tells me that this is not the life I want,” he said.
As he finished his first job and was about to look for another, Zhao heard many voices inside him saying, “Do you really want to go to work despite not caring about money? Is this how you wish to live the rest of your life?”
He had been in the habit of praying since he was a child. One day there was no activity in the churches in their county, so he ran to pray alone. Finally, he said to God, “If you choose me and let me go on the road of serving you, it will not matter whether I am rich or poor.”
A challenging road of service
When he made up his mind to serve, he began to do some basic service in the church while preparing for Henan Theological Seminary. He passed the exams in 2016 and graduated from the seminary in 2019. During this time, he returned to preach once a month.
After graduating from the theological seminary, Brother Zhao began to participate in practical pastoral work. He gradually realized that in an era of knowledge, knowing how to catch believers’ attention and how to bring real comfort and help to them in preaching is a huge challenge for preachers.
Zhao learned much during his three years at the seminary, but when he went to minister to believers, he found out that what he had to convey was not only knowledge, but also to speak the truth in line with their real needs.
For him, the time spent serving and being with believers at the grassroots level was a constant source of challenge for preachers. For example, the aging of grassroots churches makes it difficult to carry out a lot of work. Many believers are also controlled by money and have no time to go to church. It is also difficult for young people to accept the Gospel if they have no faith in their own family.
“For a normal person who has no disease and has not been influenced by Christian culture, why does he or she need to be a believer at a young age? They need to be given a reason why they should believe,” he added.
Zhao said he would share with young people that faith is about life, but they would think that if they could not see any of it with their eyes, then there was no need to spend energy pursuing it.
“But if you earn money and build a house in your family, everyone can see it”, he said. To better attract young people, Zhao’s church is also considering building a basketball court in the church yard.
The love of believers inspires him to go on
Although Brother Zhao faced many difficulties and challenges in his service, he shared that being moved has been the dominant feeling. The stories of ordinary believers showed him their love for the preacher and for God, and this was the motivation for him to continue his service.
“There was an aunt who had a temple near her house, and none of her family members were believers, so her faith was very difficult regardless of the external environment or family atmosphere. However, she could go beyond these to look up to God and take care of the needs of preachers.”
Zhao continued, “This sister saw me working very hard in the rural church and thought I needed an electric car. So one day she prayed to God that she would run into me some day, and just on that day I was serving by her house. She invited me in and dug out a bottle of money from the vegetable field. She said she would give it to me to buy an electric car. At that moment I was overwhelmed and felt the love of a believer for the preacher.”
He claimed. "There was also another aunt, who brought her younger son to church to be baptized when I first knew her. I learned about her family’s situation that her eldest son and husband died of the same disease. Her younger son was normal in his 20s, tall and handsome, but he became abnormal in his 30s and later died.”
Before that, Zhao often went to this aunt’s place to preach, and the aunt would give him something when she knew he was coming.
“I thought it was hard for her to even get a dollar, but she still had the heart to give.” Her relatives died one after another, especially the two sons, which is cruel for a mother; in such a situation, many people may lose faith and become desperate. But she had no complain against God. In fact, she hardly complained in general.”
Brother Zhao said that through the life experience of one believer after another, his road of service has been strengthened.
“How can I, as a pastor, give up when they all have such great love as laymen?”
- Translated by Stephen Huang
赵弟兄，生于河南，从小跟着母亲去教会，耳濡目染中接受信仰，15年决心服侍，16年就读神学装备自己，19年毕业后在家乡教会开始从事牧养工作，目前已经从事教会服侍近两年。
回想这几年的服侍之路，有挑战也有感动。如何在服侍中真正牧养好信徒？教会如何吸引年轻人？如何在保守信徒不跟着世俗的价值观走？这些都是实际服侍中很现实的挑战。数不尽的挑战和压力中，信徒向着神和传道人单纯的爱，却又像一束束光，温暖坚固着他的服侍之路。
一、迷茫中走上服侍之路
上学读书，参加工作，彼时的赵弟兄并未想过要在教会全职服侍，像大多数人一样过着按部就班的生活。但是，在工作中他总是会思考人生的意义到底是什么，也会去想妈妈同他讲过的信仰的世界，开始思考生命的本质。
“我是一个很容易受环境影响的人，但一个人静下来的时候，内心有声音告诉自己这不是我想要的生活。”
当他结束第一份工作，准备再找工作时， 内心出现很多声音，“真的要去工作吗？可是你并不看重金钱呀”“人生就这样过一辈子吗”……
他从小就有祷告的习惯，刚好这天他们县里的教会没有活动，他就一个人跑去祷告，最后，他跟神说：“如果你拣选我，走上服侍你的道路，以后无论是富足还是贫穷都无所谓了。”
二、充满挑战的服侍之路
当他下定决心选择服侍后，就开始在教会参与些基本的服侍，一边服侍一边备考河南神学院。16年考试顺利通过，19年从神学院毕业。在此期间他每个月回来讲一次道。
赵弟兄神学院毕业后，开始参与到实际的牧养工作中，他逐渐认识到，处在一个知识大爆炸时代，讲道如何抓人，如何能带给信徒真实的安慰和帮助，对于传道人来说是巨大的挑战。
赵弟兄在神学院三年学到很多知识，但去牧养信徒时，他发现他要传达的不能只是知识，“要看到信徒的所需，结合他们的需求来传讲真理。”对他来说，在基层服侍和信徒在一起的日子，才是一个传道人源源不断的来源。
赵弟兄分享，在基层服侍也会面临很多的挑战：比如基层教会老龄化严重，很多工作很难开展；很多信徒又被金钱辖制，没有时间去教会；年轻人如果家里没有信仰，也很难接受福音。
“一个正常的人，没有疾病，没有受过基督教文化影响，年纪轻轻为什么要信仰，需要给他们一个理由。”赵弟兄说，他会跟年轻人分享信仰是关乎生命的，但他们会觉得这些虚无看不见，没有必要花费精力去追求，“但如果挣钱在家里面盖了房子，这是大家可以看到的。”为了更好的吸引年轻人，赵弟兄所在的教会也在考虑要在教会院子里建个篮球场。
三、信徒的爱激励他继续前行
虽然服侍中赵弟兄面临很多的艰难和挑战，但他分享收获更多的是感动。那些普通信徒的故事，让他看到他们向着传道人和神的爱，这也是支撑他继续服侍的动力。
“有一位阿姨，她家附近有座庙，家人除她以外都没有信主，因此无论是从外在环境还是家庭氛围，她的信仰都很艰难，但她却能超越这些去仰望神，并且还去顾念传道人的需求。”
赵弟兄继续分享道，“这位姊妹看到我去农村教会服侍，很辛苦，觉得我需要一辆电动车。因此她某一天就祷告神希望今天可以碰见我，而刚好那天我服侍路过她家。她邀请我进去，接着从菜地里挖出一个瓶子，里面是钱，她说要奉献给我去买电动车。那一刻我被震撼到了，感受到一份来自信徒对传道人的爱。”
“还有一位阿姨，认识她的时候是她带着她的小儿子来教会受洗。了解她家情况才知道，她的大儿子和丈夫因为同一种病去世了。她的小儿子在20多岁时还是很正常的，长得很高也很帅气，但到30多岁时脑子就不正常了，后面也去世了。”在此之前赵弟兄经常去阿姨那个地方讲道，而阿姨知道他要来就会给他奉献。
“我觉得当时对她来说一块钱都很艰难，但她却还有心去奉献。亲人相继离世，尤其两个儿子，对于一个母亲来说是很残忍的事，可能很多人因为这个就不信主了，绝望了。但她并没有对神产生埋怨，也没有抱怨。”
赵弟兄说，通过这一个个信徒活生生的经历，更加坚固了他服侍的道路。“她们作为一个平信徒都有这么大的爱心，而我作为一个讲道人怎能放弃呢？”
一位弟兄的侍奉之路：信徒的爱心激励他继续前行
Born in Henan, Brother Zhao followed his mother to church since he was a child, during which he accepted the Christian faith. In 2015, Zhao decided to serve God. A year later, he enrolled in theology to equip himself. After graduation in 2019, he began to work as a pastor in his hometown church. He has now been serving the church for nearly two years.
Looking back on the road of service during the past few years, he finds it challenging but also touching. Practical challenges are always there, such as how to truly shepherd believers in service, how the church attracts young people, and how to keep believers from following secular values. Amid countless challenges and pressures, the believers’ simple love for God (and the preacher) is like a beam of light that warms and strengthens his road of service.
Embarking on the road of ministry in confusion
Brother Zhao went to both school and work. At the time, he did not intend to serve full-time in the church. Like most people, he led a routine life. However, when at work, he would always think about the meaning of life, and the world of faith that his mother had told him about. He began to think about the nature of life.
“I am a person who is easily influenced by my environment, but when I am still by myself, something inside me tells me that this is not the life I want,” he said.
As he finished his first job and was about to look for another, Zhao heard many voices inside him saying, “Do you really want to go to work despite not caring about money? Is this how you wish to live the rest of your life?”
He had been in the habit of praying since he was a child. One day there was no activity in the churches in their county, so he ran to pray alone. Finally, he said to God, “If you choose me and let me go on the road of serving you, it will not matter whether I am rich or poor.”
A challenging road of service
When he made up his mind to serve, he began to do some basic service in the church while preparing for Henan Theological Seminary. He passed the exams in 2016 and graduated from the seminary in 2019. During this time, he returned to preach once a month.
After graduating from the theological seminary, Brother Zhao began to participate in practical pastoral work. He gradually realized that in an era of knowledge, knowing how to catch believers’ attention and how to bring real comfort and help to them in preaching is a huge challenge for preachers.
Zhao learned much during his three years at the seminary, but when he went to minister to believers, he found out that what he had to convey was not only knowledge, but also to speak the truth in line with their real needs.
For him, the time spent serving and being with believers at the grassroots level was a constant source of challenge for preachers. For example, the aging of grassroots churches makes it difficult to carry out a lot of work. Many believers are also controlled by money and have no time to go to church. It is also difficult for young people to accept the Gospel if they have no faith in their own family.
“For a normal person who has no disease and has not been influenced by Christian culture, why does he or she need to be a believer at a young age? They need to be given a reason why they should believe,” he added.
Zhao said he would share with young people that faith is about life, but they would think that if they could not see any of it with their eyes, then there was no need to spend energy pursuing it.
“But if you earn money and build a house in your family, everyone can see it”, he said. To better attract young people, Zhao’s church is also considering building a basketball court in the church yard.
The love of believers inspires him to go on
Although Brother Zhao faced many difficulties and challenges in his service, he shared that being moved has been the dominant feeling. The stories of ordinary believers showed him their love for the preacher and for God, and this was the motivation for him to continue his service.
“There was an aunt who had a temple near her house, and none of her family members were believers, so her faith was very difficult regardless of the external environment or family atmosphere. However, she could go beyond these to look up to God and take care of the needs of preachers.”
Zhao continued, “This sister saw me working very hard in the rural church and thought I needed an electric car. So one day she prayed to God that she would run into me some day, and just on that day I was serving by her house. She invited me in and dug out a bottle of money from the vegetable field. She said she would give it to me to buy an electric car. At that moment I was overwhelmed and felt the love of a believer for the preacher.”
He claimed. "There was also another aunt, who brought her younger son to church to be baptized when I first knew her. I learned about her family’s situation that her eldest son and husband died of the same disease. Her younger son was normal in his 20s, tall and handsome, but he became abnormal in his 30s and later died.”
Before that, Zhao often went to this aunt’s place to preach, and the aunt would give him something when she knew he was coming.
“I thought it was hard for her to even get a dollar, but she still had the heart to give.” Her relatives died one after another, especially the two sons, which is cruel for a mother; in such a situation, many people may lose faith and become desperate. But she had no complain against God. In fact, she hardly complained in general.”
Brother Zhao said that through the life experience of one believer after another, his road of service has been strengthened.
“How can I, as a pastor, give up when they all have such great love as laymen?”
- Translated by Stephen Huang
Young Pastor: "The Love of Believers Inspires Me to Go on"
