In recent years, rapid environmental changes pose no small test to the in-person meeting and stability of Chinese house churches, and to pastoral ministries of nurturing vast believers. The present hotly-debated issues are as follows: whether the gathering forms should be large-venue based or community-based in scattering cell groups; or whether it is better to gather physically or online. Christian Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, recently interviewed Pastor W from East China, who has more than 20 years of pastoral experience. He shared his reflections and opinions on the development of the church and pastoral work.
The following is the pastor’s sharing in the first person:
First, be a down-to-earth pastoral worker.
My parents were both Christians and my father came to Christ after the Cultural Revolution. In his ministry for more than 40 years, my father was a Christian who had many experiences and suffered a great deal. When I started my ministry I worked in the countryside. Later, when the missionary work turned to the urban area, we moved to office buildings in the city and rented venues for gatherings. Then, due to vanity, many ministers started to compete in securing large gathering venues and gaining more believers. Among such ministers were the people whom I used to nurture. They eventually chose to get loans and spent tens of millions to build church venues in urban locations with a high market value.
I once had the idea of having a big church and living under the aura of a great pastor. In my church, I also experienced the trial of being over-respected: God is first, and I am second to Him. Thankfully, God led me to repent. I was determined not to envy pastors who are used to the comforts of life and people’s respect but to be a practical pastoral worker of Christ. We ought to return to the mode of leading group gatherings like it was in the early church and cultivating the disciples of the Lord in a down-to-earth manner. Now, although the environment is difficult, I can see that God continues to bless my pastoral work, and it is very important to return to my original calling as a pastor.
Second, restore the original awareness and enthusiasm of doing the mission.
The church needs to be a church where disciples can be assigned for missionaries. Now there are different missionary courses to study. All of which have excellent aspects. No matter what kind of teaching materials the church approves, the most important thing is to enable the church pastors to restore the original awareness and enthusiasm of the Apostles in the beginning as the Bible recorded. The church needs to see more deeply that the significance of missionary work is that Christians can participate in the mission of ambassadors entrusted by the Lord, and we can see the significance of spreading the gospel to all nations. This is a great blessing to Chinese churches and believers. Faith should not stop at the individual level but should make the church and Christians more aware of the relationship between God’s kingdom and the individual. It is a blessing for the church to become a church with the ability to send out missionaries.
Third, the church should inherit the mentality of suffering for the Lord.
An elderly sister and her husband were imprisoned for more than 20 years when they were young. After being released from prison, the couple were alone and they went to a place to do a ministry for the elderly. Later, the elderly sister was paralyzed in bed. Yet, to her visitors, she often said three things: "What do you do? Do you have a calling from God? Being a pastor is a blessed path. You should have a good walk in it."
In order to be loyal to the Lord Christ, this sister gave up her great future when she was young and spent her beautiful youth in prison. When she got old, she was paralyzed in bed and had to be taken care of by others. In such an encounter, she could say in peace that being a pastor was a blessed walk and walked in it well. The visitors were encouraged and some of them burst into tears. Her words and deeds and her charisma in Christ influenced many young church leaders in my time. Now the church needs to rediscover this tradition of being determined to suffer for the Lord. This is the root of the church and it is the key for the church to be blessed and preserved by God.
- Translated by Charlie Li
近些年来，随着环境的变化，对于中国家庭教会的聚会形式与稳定性，以及对信徒的牧养层面来说都是不小的考验。教会聚会形式究竟是以具有规模的建筑物为样板发展好，还是以散落在各个社区的小组为样板好；是实地聚会好，还是线上聚会好？都是近期一直争论的问题。近日，笔者采访到了一位华东的W牧者,W牧者拥有超过20多年的牧会经历，他有着对教会的发展和牧会方面反思与看见。
以下是这位牧者的分享：
一，做一个踏实牧会工人
我的父母都是基督徒，我的父亲是在文革后信仰的，牧会长达40多年。他是受过历练和考验的基督徒，吃了很多苦。从我开始牧会的时候，那时候是在农村，等到传道工作发展到市区的时候，我们开始走进城市的写字楼，租场地聚会。后来，由于虚荣的缘故，很多牧者在比拼谁的教会更大，谁的教会人数更多。其中包括我牧养过的人也选择贷款，最终花了几千万在市值很贵的地理位置，建立了教会。
我曾经也有过做大教会堂点的想法，也曾活在大牧者的光环下。在我的教会 ，也经历过的被人过度尊敬的试炼：上帝第一，我第二的境遇。感谢的是，神带领我悔改，我立志不再羡慕那些习惯于享受和被尊重的牧者，而是决心做一个踏实牧会的基督的工人。回归教会初期代领小组聚会的模式，扎实的培养主的门徒。现在，环境虽然艰难，但是我看到了神继续在祝福我的牧会工作，回到牧会的初心很重要。
二，恢复宣教的意识和热情
教会需要成为可以派遣门徒的教会。现在有不同的宣教课程可以选择，都有非常优秀的一面。不管教会推崇哪一种教材，最重要的是让教会牧者们能够恢复圣经中起初使徒们宣教的意识与热情。教会需要更深的看到，宣教的意义是在于基督徒能够参与到主所托付的大使命中来，可以看到福音被广传于万邦的意义。这是对中国教会和信徒很大的祝福。信仰不应该只是停留在个人得救这里，而是应让教会和基督徒更加明白神的国度与个人的关系，教会成为能够有差派能力的教会是蒙福的。
三，教会应该继承为主受苦的心志
有一个老姊妹和丈夫在年轻的时候坐牢20多年。出狱后，夫妻两个人孤苦伶仃，到一个地方做老年群体的牧养。老姊妹后来瘫痪在床，常常对访客说三句话：你是做什么的？你有上帝的呼召吗？做传道人这是一条蒙福的道路，你要好好走。
这个老姊妹为了忠贞于主基督，年轻的时候放弃了大好的前程，把美好的青春年华摆在了监狱里，年老了瘫痪在床，别人来照顾她。在这样的遭遇里，她却可以平安的说道，做传道人是一条蒙福的路，好好走。让访客们备受鼓舞，有的神至潸然泪下。她的言传身教，她在基督里面的感召力，影响了我那个时代很多年轻的教会领袖。现在的教会就需要重新找回这个立志为主受苦的传统，这是教会的根，这是可以让教会得到神的祝福和保守的关键。
专访丨华东牧者谈：面对特殊处境的历练，教会领袖需重拾为主受苦的心志
In recent years, rapid environmental changes pose no small test to the in-person meeting and stability of Chinese house churches, and to pastoral ministries of nurturing vast believers. The present hotly-debated issues are as follows: whether the gathering forms should be large-venue based or community-based in scattering cell groups; or whether it is better to gather physically or online. Christian Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, recently interviewed Pastor W from East China, who has more than 20 years of pastoral experience. He shared his reflections and opinions on the development of the church and pastoral work.
The following is the pastor’s sharing in the first person:
First, be a down-to-earth pastoral worker.
My parents were both Christians and my father came to Christ after the Cultural Revolution. In his ministry for more than 40 years, my father was a Christian who had many experiences and suffered a great deal. When I started my ministry I worked in the countryside. Later, when the missionary work turned to the urban area, we moved to office buildings in the city and rented venues for gatherings. Then, due to vanity, many ministers started to compete in securing large gathering venues and gaining more believers. Among such ministers were the people whom I used to nurture. They eventually chose to get loans and spent tens of millions to build church venues in urban locations with a high market value.
I once had the idea of having a big church and living under the aura of a great pastor. In my church, I also experienced the trial of being over-respected: God is first, and I am second to Him. Thankfully, God led me to repent. I was determined not to envy pastors who are used to the comforts of life and people’s respect but to be a practical pastoral worker of Christ. We ought to return to the mode of leading group gatherings like it was in the early church and cultivating the disciples of the Lord in a down-to-earth manner. Now, although the environment is difficult, I can see that God continues to bless my pastoral work, and it is very important to return to my original calling as a pastor.
Second, restore the original awareness and enthusiasm of doing the mission.
The church needs to be a church where disciples can be assigned for missionaries. Now there are different missionary courses to study. All of which have excellent aspects. No matter what kind of teaching materials the church approves, the most important thing is to enable the church pastors to restore the original awareness and enthusiasm of the Apostles in the beginning as the Bible recorded. The church needs to see more deeply that the significance of missionary work is that Christians can participate in the mission of ambassadors entrusted by the Lord, and we can see the significance of spreading the gospel to all nations. This is a great blessing to Chinese churches and believers. Faith should not stop at the individual level but should make the church and Christians more aware of the relationship between God’s kingdom and the individual. It is a blessing for the church to become a church with the ability to send out missionaries.
Third, the church should inherit the mentality of suffering for the Lord.
An elderly sister and her husband were imprisoned for more than 20 years when they were young. After being released from prison, the couple were alone and they went to a place to do a ministry for the elderly. Later, the elderly sister was paralyzed in bed. Yet, to her visitors, she often said three things: "What do you do? Do you have a calling from God? Being a pastor is a blessed path. You should have a good walk in it."
In order to be loyal to the Lord Christ, this sister gave up her great future when she was young and spent her beautiful youth in prison. When she got old, she was paralyzed in bed and had to be taken care of by others. In such an encounter, she could say in peace that being a pastor was a blessed walk and walked in it well. The visitors were encouraged and some of them burst into tears. Her words and deeds and her charisma in Christ influenced many young church leaders in my time. Now the church needs to rediscover this tradition of being determined to suffer for the Lord. This is the root of the church and it is the key for the church to be blessed and preserved by God.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Voice: Chinese Pastor Says Facing Special Situations, Church Leaders to Have Mentality of Suffering for the Lord
