Pastor L graduated from a Protestant seminary in Central China and there was a Catholic church next to the seminary. Therefore, during his three years of studies at the seminary, he sometimes met Catholic priests and nuns and talked with them. After Pastor L left the seminary, he went to plant churches. Having pastored church for thirty years, heL has increasingly noticed a strange phenomenon in the Christian pastoral community. This strange phenomenon can also be called "occupational disease."
Pastor L said with strong emotion, "Over the years, I have increasingly discovered three strange phenomena in the Christian pastoral community."
He cited, “The first is that pastors are becoming bureaucratic. The second is that pastors have become used to teaching people lessons. The third is that they give people around them great pressure, hiding their innermost thoughts deeply.”
"But when I was staying with a Catholic priest, the priest would not give me lessons easily or make me feel burdensome and he just talked with me quietly. He would not take every opportunity to give you a sermon as a Protestant pastor would. The priest was used to witnessing to the faith to people around them with their life affected by faith. These were some of my experiences I had before I became a pastor,” the pastor recalled.
Pastor L feels that Catholic priests are a little more easygoing and sincere than Protestant pastors who give people the impression that they are eloquent with words and desire to teach people at all times.
Pastor L claimed, "Pastors of the Christian faith should care for the common people and aim to give them spiritual food; pastors should not focus their attention on introducing people into a system as soon as they come to church. Eventually, their family relationship and marriages are hurt by the church and when they cannot bear the church any more, they would leave the church which hurts them deeply and try to find another one. Once they receive special attention from a pastor and experience pains afterward in the pastor’s church, they may keep changing churches, entering into a vicious circle of changing family churches into public churches. Though pastors appear to be spreading the gospel in the church, they sometimes are driving people out of the church. If believers see a power struggle in the church, they may feel more disappointed with the church.”
He gave another example about a brother. Though he had no faith, he married a pastor's daughter. His father-in-law never taught him the gospel directly; all his father-in-law did was to go fishing with him but this brother felt that the pastor’s faith was real and he wanted to believe in Jesus. The brother used to have the impression that Christian pastors were too shrewd and eloquent, while Catholic priests would treat people kindly.
"Christianity should change and reflect on their actions. I feel that some church’s pastors are very cold to believers probably because they are too busy," he urged.
"I once brought my church members to visit a large church in another city, and when I formally greeted the pastor of the church, he was still talking to others while shaking my hand. Through this unhappy experience, I have learned a lesson that I should not become such a pastor in the future," he added.
Pastor L believes that pastors will go through many trials and tribulations in order to grow mature, and in this process of growth, they will see their weaknesses and inadequacies. Each experience is intended for pastors to reflect on their faith. When pastors slowly get used to robbing God's glory, this is the danger of the church, and the true pastor has to throw away such desire completely.
- Translated by Alvin Zhou
L牧者曾经毕业于华中区的一所新教的神学院，这个神学院的邻居是一所天主教会。因此，在他三年的神学院教学的过程中，他也会有机会与旁边的神父和修女见面与交流。随后，L牧者离开神学院，去建立教会，牧养教会，30年过去后，他越来越发现基督教的牧者群体出现一个怪现象。也可以把这个怪现象称为“职业病。”
L牧者他感慨地说到：“这些年，我越来越发现在基督教牧师群体上出现的三点怪现象。”
他列举说：
第一个是，牧师开始变得官僚化，
第二是牧师变得特别会教训人， (=当summary）
第三个是给人很强的压迫感，城府很深。
“但是，当我跟天主教的神父在一起，神父不会随便教训人，他没有给人一种压迫感，就是安静地跟你聊天。他也不会像新教的牧师抓住一切机会，要给你讲一篇道。神父是习惯以一种生活化的方式跟你聊天来见证信仰。这是我没有做牧师的时候的一些经历。 ”
L牧者自己的感觉是感到天主教的神父要比新教的牧师更加随和真诚一些，新教的牧师让人感觉到他们能说会道，跟人说话也是随时有要教导你的欲望。
L牧师体察到：“基督信仰应该是走向平民的心，让信徒得到属灵的喂养，而不是一来教会，就让他进入一个套路。最后家庭，夫妻关系受到负面的影响，时间长了，信徒受不了了，他就不断地换教会，这里太痛苦了，又换一个。从三自到家庭，家庭到三自，然后一旦受牧师器重，进入疲惫和换教会的循环。最后把人都赶跑了。表面上我们在传福音，实际上，我们把人向外赶跑了，如果他再看到教会里争权夺利的地方。更加让人失望了。”
他再举个例子说：有一个没有信仰的弟兄，他娶了牧师的女儿，他没有信仰，他岳父从来不给他传福音，他岳父做的就是带他钓鱼，这个弟兄觉得这个牧师很真实，想信耶稣。他曾经对牧师的印象是基督教的牧师太精明了，太能说了，而天主教的牧者只是对你好。
“基督教应该要改变和反省。我的感受是这样，有的教会的牧师可能因为太忙了，对信徒非常冷淡。”
“我曾经带领自己教会的人去另外一个城市的大教会做访问，当我正式跟这个牧师问好的时候，那个牧师握着我手的同时，脸却是看着别人在说话。通过这个经历，其实也让我成长，让我想到的是：我以后不能够成为这样的牧师。” 他补充说。
L牧师认为，作为牧者是要经历很多的磨炼，在这个磨炼的过程中，会看到自己的弱点和不足的地方。每一次的经历都是对他的一次省察。当牧者慢慢习惯于抢神的荣耀，这是教会的危险，真正的牧师要在这个方面死掉。
访谈｜一牧者谈看到的基督新教牧师的三种“职业病” 值得省察
Pastor L graduated from a Protestant seminary in Central China and there was a Catholic church next to the seminary. Therefore, during his three years of studies at the seminary, he sometimes met Catholic priests and nuns and talked with them. After Pastor L left the seminary, he went to plant churches. Having pastored church for thirty years, heL has increasingly noticed a strange phenomenon in the Christian pastoral community. This strange phenomenon can also be called "occupational disease."
Pastor L said with strong emotion, "Over the years, I have increasingly discovered three strange phenomena in the Christian pastoral community."
He cited, “The first is that pastors are becoming bureaucratic. The second is that pastors have become used to teaching people lessons. The third is that they give people around them great pressure, hiding their innermost thoughts deeply.”
"But when I was staying with a Catholic priest, the priest would not give me lessons easily or make me feel burdensome and he just talked with me quietly. He would not take every opportunity to give you a sermon as a Protestant pastor would. The priest was used to witnessing to the faith to people around them with their life affected by faith. These were some of my experiences I had before I became a pastor,” the pastor recalled.
Pastor L feels that Catholic priests are a little more easygoing and sincere than Protestant pastors who give people the impression that they are eloquent with words and desire to teach people at all times.
Pastor L claimed, "Pastors of the Christian faith should care for the common people and aim to give them spiritual food; pastors should not focus their attention on introducing people into a system as soon as they come to church. Eventually, their family relationship and marriages are hurt by the church and when they cannot bear the church any more, they would leave the church which hurts them deeply and try to find another one. Once they receive special attention from a pastor and experience pains afterward in the pastor’s church, they may keep changing churches, entering into a vicious circle of changing family churches into public churches. Though pastors appear to be spreading the gospel in the church, they sometimes are driving people out of the church. If believers see a power struggle in the church, they may feel more disappointed with the church.”
He gave another example about a brother. Though he had no faith, he married a pastor's daughter. His father-in-law never taught him the gospel directly; all his father-in-law did was to go fishing with him but this brother felt that the pastor’s faith was real and he wanted to believe in Jesus. The brother used to have the impression that Christian pastors were too shrewd and eloquent, while Catholic priests would treat people kindly.
"Christianity should change and reflect on their actions. I feel that some church’s pastors are very cold to believers probably because they are too busy," he urged.
"I once brought my church members to visit a large church in another city, and when I formally greeted the pastor of the church, he was still talking to others while shaking my hand. Through this unhappy experience, I have learned a lesson that I should not become such a pastor in the future," he added.
Pastor L believes that pastors will go through many trials and tribulations in order to grow mature, and in this process of growth, they will see their weaknesses and inadequacies. Each experience is intended for pastors to reflect on their faith. When pastors slowly get used to robbing God's glory, this is the danger of the church, and the true pastor has to throw away such desire completely.
- Translated by Alvin Zhou
Interview: Pastor Talks About Three 'Occupational Disease' of Protestant Pastors
