During our recent visits to 20 local churches, we were full of feelings. Special concerns go to the heads of rural churches.
First, some church leaders are deeply negative.
Among the 20 churches, two of them are located in the middle of nowhere. They are 15 minutes by car from each other, which impressed me deeply. The number of believers in both churches is less than 100 with 70 or 80 in Church A and 50 or 60 in Church B. Church leaders are sisters in their fifties. However, the two churches are completely different in terms of environmental sanitation, decoration, and management. When we asked if church A had any work done, the person in charge answered that no one was working on its upkeep. She even said airily that if it failed, the church would be closed down!
Church B was not as big as Church A, but it was obviously much neater, and much work was arranged methodically. The special difference is that the state of the two church leaders is completely different. The leader from Church B is pursuing a spiritual life more actively.
Comparatively speaking, the spiritual situation of church leaders is good, and a more positive attitude can drive the church forward with difficulty, but in the long run, this will pose a great challenge to church leaders. Church leaders in rural areas seem to have the ability to move the whole body. If there is no positive church leader in a church with aging believers, the church will only be demoralized.
Second, there are church leaders who do long-distance administration.
Due to the aging of the church, some young staff can be elected to serve when the church changes. However, with the improvement of the church leaders’ own economic conditions, or the children’s need to study in the city, their families moved to the city, which caused them to have no time to go to church except to go back to their hometown on Sundays. Although they will entrust clients to handle visits and church affairs, the relationship between church leaders and believers will become estranged over time, and church affairs will be untimely. These church leaders themselves will have the idea of not wanting to be leaders as time goes by and the emergence of many family problems and church problems. This matter will become increasingly serious. Some churches suffer from the lack of successors, so they can only coordinate them to keep running between the two places. Usually, these churches can only maintain normal operation, and development is out of the question.
Third, some church leaders refuse to act.
Some churches are in very good numbers, ages, and financial conditions, but there is no development, and the whole church is in low spirits. The main reason is that the church leaders refuse to do anything. They like to be leaders, but they have no thoughts, no sense of crisis, and no idea of development. Even if a few believers in the church encounter problems, have visions to give them opinions and suggestions, or even devote themselves to the pioneering work, they can find many reasons why conditions are not allowed to stop them. They are full of difficulties, but they have never thought of a solution to them.
Fourth, there are church leaders who bring a new look.
I have visited 20 churches, and some of them are eye-catching. One of the church leaders is a theological student in his early thirties, and he became the church leader in the second year after graduation. Up to now, it has been two or three years during which the church has made great progress and changes in software facilities and hardware facilities, and believers’ spirituality and knowledge. The fellow pastors said that this church used to be good, but now it's better than before, and it's quite different.
The person in charge of the church said that when she was carrying out ministries, she also had obstacles, especially in spending money. But they had their own positions, and they would try their best to do ideological work on the right things. If they couldn’t do it well, they would do it bravely. When things are done well and believers see changes, those who opposed them would naturally change their ideas and behaviors. However, there are very few churches that make people shine.
It is an indisputable fact that the number of churches in rural areas is shrinking because rural churches can’t avoid the influence of various social problems such as the aging population, urbanization, economic development, scientific and technological progress, and an increased turnover of people. Perhaps more problems will be exposed in the future. Therefore, it is particularly important for rural churches to have a church leader who understands the truth with firm faith, is progressive in thought, noble in character, and responsible and effective.
(This article is written by a freelance writer. The author is a pastor in Jiangsu.)
- Translated by Charlie Li
最近，我和牧长去了本地20个教堂，一路走来，感触颇多，尤其是农村教会负责人的情况也是一言难尽。
一、有教会负责人深陷消极
在20个教会中，其中两个地处偏僻，相隔15分钟车程的教堂让我印象深刻。两个教会信徒人数都不足百人，其中A教堂有七八十人，B教堂有五六十人；教堂负责人都是五十多岁的姊妹；不过这两个教堂从环境卫生、装饰布置、管理等方面都完全不同。当我们问到A教堂一些工作有没有做的时候，A教堂负责人的回答都是没有，没有人做。她甚至轻描淡写地说如果不合格，直接把教堂关闭吧！
当我们来到B教会的时候，B教会的堂没有A教会大，但是整洁度明显好过A教堂，并且很多工作都安排得有条不紊。特别大的不同是两个教会负责人的状态完全不一样，B教会负责人和在属灵生命上更追求，并且更加积极。
相比而言，教会负责人的灵性光景好，心态更积极能够带动教会艰难前进，不过长期来看，这对教会负责人的挑战非常大。农村教会负责人似乎有牵一发能动全身的能力。信徒老龄化严重的教会，如果没有积极向上的教会负责人，教会只会暮气沉沉。
二、有教会负责人远程遥控
由于教会老龄化，在教会换届的时候，也能选举一些年轻同工起来服侍。不过随着教会负责人自身经济条件的改善，或者孩子进城读书的需要，举家搬到城里，造成他们除了在礼拜天回老家，上教堂之外，平时都没有时间到教会。尽管他们会委托人处理探访和教会事务，不过时间久了，教会负责人和信徒之间的关系还是会变得疏远，教会事务还会有不及时的时候。这些教会负责人自己也会随着时间的推移，诸多家庭问题，教会问题的出现产生不想做负责人的想法，而且这种想法会越发强烈。一些教会苦于没有接班人，只能协调他们继续两地跑。这些教会通常只能维护正常运营，发展是谈不上的。
三、有教会负责人不肯作为
有些教会人数、年龄、经济等状况都非常好，不过也没有什么发展，整个教会也是暮气沉沉。主要原因是教会负责人不肯作为，他们喜欢做负责人，不过他们没有思想，没有危机意识，没有发展的理念。哪怕教会有少数弟兄姊妹发现教会问题，或者有异象向他们提出意见和建议，甚至躬身入局去做开拓的事工，他们也能够找出诸多条件不允许的理由来拦阻。他们满眼的困难，却从没有想过解决困难的方法。
四、有教会负责人带来新气象
跑了20家教堂，也有一些教会让人眼前一亮。其中有一所教会负责人是三十出头的神学生，毕业第二年就做了教会负责人。到现在有两三年的时间，在这两三年时间里，教会从软件设施、硬件设施，信徒从灵性到观念都有了很大的进步和改变。同行的牧长说，这个教会以前就不错，不过现在比以前更好，而且大不同。
教会负责人说，她在开展一些事工的时候，尤其在花钱的事上也有拦阻，但他们有了自己的立场，对于正确的事就会努力做好思想工作，如果做不好，硬着头皮也会做。当事情做好，信徒看到改变的时候，原本反对的人自然也就改变观念和行为了。不过，这样让人眼前一亮的教堂非常少。
农村教会人数萎缩是不争的事实，因为农村教会也实在逃不过人口老龄化、城镇化建设、经济发展、科技进步、人员流动加大等各种社会问题的影响，也许未来还会暴露更多的问题，因此，农村教会能有一位明白真理、信仰坚定、思想进步、品格高尚、有担当和作为的教会负责人会显得尤其重要。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系江苏一名牧师。
访20个基层教会，一窥农村教会负责人现状
During our recent visits to 20 local churches, we were full of feelings. Special concerns go to the heads of rural churches.
First, some church leaders are deeply negative.
Among the 20 churches, two of them are located in the middle of nowhere. They are 15 minutes by car from each other, which impressed me deeply. The number of believers in both churches is less than 100 with 70 or 80 in Church A and 50 or 60 in Church B. Church leaders are sisters in their fifties. However, the two churches are completely different in terms of environmental sanitation, decoration, and management. When we asked if church A had any work done, the person in charge answered that no one was working on its upkeep. She even said airily that if it failed, the church would be closed down!
Church B was not as big as Church A, but it was obviously much neater, and much work was arranged methodically. The special difference is that the state of the two church leaders is completely different. The leader from Church B is pursuing a spiritual life more actively.
Comparatively speaking, the spiritual situation of church leaders is good, and a more positive attitude can drive the church forward with difficulty, but in the long run, this will pose a great challenge to church leaders. Church leaders in rural areas seem to have the ability to move the whole body. If there is no positive church leader in a church with aging believers, the church will only be demoralized.
Second, there are church leaders who do long-distance administration.
Due to the aging of the church, some young staff can be elected to serve when the church changes. However, with the improvement of the church leaders’ own economic conditions, or the children’s need to study in the city, their families moved to the city, which caused them to have no time to go to church except to go back to their hometown on Sundays. Although they will entrust clients to handle visits and church affairs, the relationship between church leaders and believers will become estranged over time, and church affairs will be untimely. These church leaders themselves will have the idea of not wanting to be leaders as time goes by and the emergence of many family problems and church problems. This matter will become increasingly serious. Some churches suffer from the lack of successors, so they can only coordinate them to keep running between the two places. Usually, these churches can only maintain normal operation, and development is out of the question.
Third, some church leaders refuse to act.
Some churches are in very good numbers, ages, and financial conditions, but there is no development, and the whole church is in low spirits. The main reason is that the church leaders refuse to do anything. They like to be leaders, but they have no thoughts, no sense of crisis, and no idea of development. Even if a few believers in the church encounter problems, have visions to give them opinions and suggestions, or even devote themselves to the pioneering work, they can find many reasons why conditions are not allowed to stop them. They are full of difficulties, but they have never thought of a solution to them.
Fourth, there are church leaders who bring a new look.
I have visited 20 churches, and some of them are eye-catching. One of the church leaders is a theological student in his early thirties, and he became the church leader in the second year after graduation. Up to now, it has been two or three years during which the church has made great progress and changes in software facilities and hardware facilities, and believers’ spirituality and knowledge. The fellow pastors said that this church used to be good, but now it's better than before, and it's quite different.
The person in charge of the church said that when she was carrying out ministries, she also had obstacles, especially in spending money. But they had their own positions, and they would try their best to do ideological work on the right things. If they couldn’t do it well, they would do it bravely. When things are done well and believers see changes, those who opposed them would naturally change their ideas and behaviors. However, there are very few churches that make people shine.
It is an indisputable fact that the number of churches in rural areas is shrinking because rural churches can’t avoid the influence of various social problems such as the aging population, urbanization, economic development, scientific and technological progress, and an increased turnover of people. Perhaps more problems will be exposed in the future. Therefore, it is particularly important for rural churches to have a church leader who understands the truth with firm faith, is progressive in thought, noble in character, and responsible and effective.
(This article is written by a freelance writer. The author is a pastor in Jiangsu.)
- Translated by Charlie Li
Field Research on 20 Grass-roots Churches: a Glimpse of Current Situation of Rural Church Leaders
