"We hope that the pastoral care can last for a long time, and the service can also last for a long time," said a pastor when reviewing his pastoral ministry.
This statement was made by Pastor Y, who has been serving in a church in Eastern China for many years, as he reflected on his pastoral experience. Pastor Y has been exploring church transformation for more than ten years and has found that pastoral care is the most important element of the church's work.
At one time, the church Pastor Y served was the same as other traditional churches with the pastor preaching from the altar and the believers listening. But there was a huge gap between the pastor and the believers and there was often a discrepancy between what the pastor was really saying and what the believers were understanding.
After identifying the problem, Pastor Y realized that the church was in need of transformation. So in 2012, long before the pandemic began, Pastor Y was convinced that the church needed to do small groups. Later on, he realized that it was not enough for the church to have small groups but also good small-group leaders.
The transformation of Pastor Y's church began in 2015 and after two years of exploration, it finally started to get on track in 2017. The pastoral care of believers is now carried out mostly by small groups. Small group leaders pastor others while getting pastoral care for themselves at the same time.
Pastoral care is central
Pastor Y stated that in the actual pastoral care process they had found too many hurt people still in need of healing. If a person's spirit has not healed, he/she will still be filled with bitterness and hatred and not be able to comprehend even the most basic of truths. Pastor Y's church has done a lot of spiritual healing. Through spiritual healing, many people have been removed from harm while finding joy and freedom.
However, healing is only one of many ministries – it is not the core. In their church, the most crucial thing is still pastoral care. Their church is pastoral care-oriented while the remaining activities and ministries, such as healing and couples' camps, are paired with pastoral care.
Pastor Y said that before the transformation journey, they did a lot of ministries, including prayer ministry, worship group ministry, and Christmas ministry, relying on them to promote the development of the church. But such a church model had serious problems, as it was also unhealthy and powerless. Each staff member did their own thing, lacking unity. But now, after more than ten years of transformation, Pastor Y says that the current church has "grown out of pastoral care and the church is now more like a tree of life”.
Focus on relationships
One of the distinctive characteristics of Pastor Y's church is that it places great emphasis on relationships, putting relationships before ministry and making relationships a prerequisite for all other ministries and activities.
Pastor Y says the impact of the outbreak during the last few years has prompted them to accelerate their transition toward small groups while doing an "interior renovation" of the church. “In the past, our churches looked bright and shiny on the outside; we did a lot of activities which looked vibrant. Yet the inside of the church was still a rough room, very shabby and simple."
Under such circumstances, they decided to care for church members more, focusing on relationships and pastoral care.
Emphasis on the family
Before the pandemic, they often carried out couple’s retreats for three or four days, building better marital and parent-child relationships.
The church also holds parental meetings on how to respect a child's individuality and raise them according to their personality type. For example, children who have a talent for art should be raised according to their inclinations, but a child was expected to study accounting because the parents were in business. Pastor Y and other church staff advised the parents to adjust the direction of their child's training.
Pastor Y added that comparing a child’s weaknesses with the strengths of others only leads to lower self-esteem.
Perhaps due to traditional cultural reasons, men seldom speak at home, are bored all day, and fail to express their feelings to their wives and children. Women, on the other hand, talk a lot. Therefore, the church encourages men to express their love to their wives and children and urges wives to listen more to the hearts of their husbands and children.
Focus on health
"We want pastoral care and ministry to last a long time, so good health is indeed very important." Pastor Y added that their church places great importance on the physical and spiritual health of their members.
Pastor Y arranged for a group of believers to go to a large hospital a few dozen kilometers away for a medical checkup. One of the church’s believers knew the owner of a medical checkup agency and could get a discount. Pastor Y then led the group in purchasing an affordable medical check-up package. The pastor said that nowadays people are often too busy to worry about their own health. Yet we are entrusted as God’s stewards to take care of our own bodies.
Future Outlook
When it comes to the future, Pastor Y hopes that family can be the basic unit of their church. Each family should be full of life and a glorious testimony to all featuring close-and-healthy relationships between husband and wife, parent and child, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Families with problems, such as children with psychological issues or depression, are naturally drawn to a church consisting of healthy families.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
“我们希望牧养能够长长久久，服事能够长长久久。”(==当summary）
这句话是在华东某地一所教会服事多年的Y牧师在回顾自己的牧养经验时说的。Y牧师对教会转型的探索已经持续了十多年的时间。他发现，在教会所有一切工作当中，牧养是最重要的。
持续十多年的教会转型之路
曾经，Y牧师服事的教会也和其他的传统教会一样，牧者在台上讲道，信徒在台下听道。但常常会出现牧者真正所讲的和信徒真正所听到的两者并不一致的状况，牧者与信徒之间有着巨大的鸿沟。
深刻地发现问题以后，Y牧师开始意识到：教会必须要转型。
因此，远在疫情开始之前的2012年的时候，Y牧师就想着教会需要做小组。后来逐渐发现教会只是有小组这样的形式是远远不够的，还需要有优秀的小组长，小组长的作用非常重要。
过了几年，2015年Y牧师教会的转型之路才正式开始，经过两年时间的摸索，到了2017年终于开始步入正轨，有一些起色了，信徒的牧养大都通过小组进行。小组长一边去牧养别人，一边自己也得到牧养。
牧养是核心
Y牧师说，在实际的牧养过程中，他们发现有很多的人需要得到医治，受到伤害的人太多了。一个人的灵如果没有得到医治的话，那么他的里面就会充满着许多的苦毒、仇恨，这样的话，即便再多再好的道理、真理，他也是听不进去的。因此，让一个人通过信仰得到医治非常重要。Y牧师的教会做了许多心灵医治的工作，通过心灵医治让很多的人从伤害中走出来，得到了喜乐和自由。
但是，医治在他们教会并不是最核心的，医治只是他们所做的众多事工之一。在他们教会，最关键的仍然是牧养，他们教会是以牧养为核心的，其余的比如医治、夫妻营等等的活动和事工都是和牧养配搭的。
Y牧师说在教会走转型之路之前，他们在教会里面做了很多的事工，包括祷告事工、敬拜团事工、圣诞节事工等等众多的事工，完全是一种通过事工来推动教会发展的模式，许多个事工合起来就凑成了一个教会。但是这样的教会模式是存在着严重的问题的，不健康，也没有力量，大家各做各的，基本上是一盘散沙的状况。可是在转型之路走了十多年以后的现在，Y牧师说他们现在的教会“是从牧养里面生长出来的，教会就像一棵生命树一样，教会就这样慢慢的长出来。”
重视关系
Y牧师他们教会非常鲜明的一个特点就是非常重视关系，先关系后事工，把关系作为一切事工和活动的前提。
Y牧师说，前几年疫情爆发所带来的影响促使他们加速往小组化方向转型，做教会的“内装修”。”最近几年我们一直在做的事情就是内部装修。以前的时候，从外面看我们的教会是精装房，看起来非常光鲜亮丽，经常做很多的活动啊什么的，看起来很热闹，但是教会的里面一直是毛坯房，非常的寒酸、简陋。这个里面指的就是教会信徒的关系和生命。“
在这样的情况下，教会决定大力加强对人的关怀，注重关系和牧养。
重视家庭
前些年没有疫情的时候，他们做了很多的夫妻营，每次三天或者四天的时间。这样的家庭关系建造的活动他们做了很多，包括夫妻关系的建造、亲子关系的建造等等。
教会也会给父母们开家长会，让他们尊重孩子的个性，按照孩子的个性来养育孩子。比如明明有的孩子他是有艺术方面的天分的，按说应该根据孩子的特点来培养孩子。但是因为孩子的父母是经商的，孩子就说，我爸爸妈妈让我将来学习会计。然后Y牧师和其他教会同工就跟孩子的父母做工作，让他们调整对孩子的培养方向。
Y牧师说，拿着孩子们最弱项的地方跟别人的强项来竞争，读三年、读五年的话，孩子不自卑才怪呢！
在家庭关系当中，或许是因为传统文化的原因，很多弟兄在家里是很少说话的，沉默寡言，整天闷在那里，不怎么向妻子和孩子表达感情，而姊妹则常常说很多。我们就鼓励弟兄们要学会表达，让妻子和孩子知道丈夫和父亲是爱他们的；也给妻子们说，让妻子们要更多的学会聆听，听丈夫和孩子们的心声。
重视健康
“我们希望牧养能够长长久久，服事能够长长久久，所以身体健康确实非常重要。”
Y牧师说他们教会非常重视信徒的健康状况，无论是肉体的还是属灵的。
笔者和Y牧师见面的时候正好是他安排教会的同工们和信徒组团到旁边几十公里外的大医院做完体检后。YY有教会的一个姊妹跟一家体检机构老板认识，通过她介绍过来的人可以享受折扣，因此，Y牧师就带领信徒团购了体检套餐，这样体检比较实惠。Y牧师说他们基本上每年都会做一次体检，上一次体检是去年做的。
Y牧师说现在大家都很非常忙碌，可是很多时候正是因为忙碌，忽略了自身的健康。我们是上帝托付的管家，有义务保养顾惜好自己的身体。
未来展望
提及未来，Y牧师希望他们的教会能够以家庭为基本单位，每一个家庭都能够充满生命力，一个家庭站出来就是一个荣耀的见证，在夫妻关系、亲子关系、婆媳关系等都非常亲密且健康的教会。很多有问题的家庭，比如孩子读书出现心理问题的、有人有抑郁症的等等，看到我们教会的家庭非常健康，他们自然就会被吸引过来。
专访|一华东牧师10多年对教会转型实践探索的总结：牧养是核心 重视关系、家庭和健康
"We hope that the pastoral care can last for a long time, and the service can also last for a long time," said a pastor when reviewing his pastoral ministry.
This statement was made by Pastor Y, who has been serving in a church in Eastern China for many years, as he reflected on his pastoral experience. Pastor Y has been exploring church transformation for more than ten years and has found that pastoral care is the most important element of the church's work.
At one time, the church Pastor Y served was the same as other traditional churches with the pastor preaching from the altar and the believers listening. But there was a huge gap between the pastor and the believers and there was often a discrepancy between what the pastor was really saying and what the believers were understanding.
After identifying the problem, Pastor Y realized that the church was in need of transformation. So in 2012, long before the pandemic began, Pastor Y was convinced that the church needed to do small groups. Later on, he realized that it was not enough for the church to have small groups but also good small-group leaders.
The transformation of Pastor Y's church began in 2015 and after two years of exploration, it finally started to get on track in 2017. The pastoral care of believers is now carried out mostly by small groups. Small group leaders pastor others while getting pastoral care for themselves at the same time.
Pastoral care is central
Pastor Y stated that in the actual pastoral care process they had found too many hurt people still in need of healing. If a person's spirit has not healed, he/she will still be filled with bitterness and hatred and not be able to comprehend even the most basic of truths. Pastor Y's church has done a lot of spiritual healing. Through spiritual healing, many people have been removed from harm while finding joy and freedom.
However, healing is only one of many ministries – it is not the core. In their church, the most crucial thing is still pastoral care. Their church is pastoral care-oriented while the remaining activities and ministries, such as healing and couples' camps, are paired with pastoral care.
Pastor Y said that before the transformation journey, they did a lot of ministries, including prayer ministry, worship group ministry, and Christmas ministry, relying on them to promote the development of the church. But such a church model had serious problems, as it was also unhealthy and powerless. Each staff member did their own thing, lacking unity. But now, after more than ten years of transformation, Pastor Y says that the current church has "grown out of pastoral care and the church is now more like a tree of life”.
Focus on relationships
One of the distinctive characteristics of Pastor Y's church is that it places great emphasis on relationships, putting relationships before ministry and making relationships a prerequisite for all other ministries and activities.
Pastor Y says the impact of the outbreak during the last few years has prompted them to accelerate their transition toward small groups while doing an "interior renovation" of the church. “In the past, our churches looked bright and shiny on the outside; we did a lot of activities which looked vibrant. Yet the inside of the church was still a rough room, very shabby and simple."
Under such circumstances, they decided to care for church members more, focusing on relationships and pastoral care.
Emphasis on the family
Before the pandemic, they often carried out couple’s retreats for three or four days, building better marital and parent-child relationships.
The church also holds parental meetings on how to respect a child's individuality and raise them according to their personality type. For example, children who have a talent for art should be raised according to their inclinations, but a child was expected to study accounting because the parents were in business. Pastor Y and other church staff advised the parents to adjust the direction of their child's training.
Pastor Y added that comparing a child’s weaknesses with the strengths of others only leads to lower self-esteem.
Perhaps due to traditional cultural reasons, men seldom speak at home, are bored all day, and fail to express their feelings to their wives and children. Women, on the other hand, talk a lot. Therefore, the church encourages men to express their love to their wives and children and urges wives to listen more to the hearts of their husbands and children.
Focus on health
"We want pastoral care and ministry to last a long time, so good health is indeed very important." Pastor Y added that their church places great importance on the physical and spiritual health of their members.
Pastor Y arranged for a group of believers to go to a large hospital a few dozen kilometers away for a medical checkup. One of the church’s believers knew the owner of a medical checkup agency and could get a discount. Pastor Y then led the group in purchasing an affordable medical check-up package. The pastor said that nowadays people are often too busy to worry about their own health. Yet we are entrusted as God’s stewards to take care of our own bodies.
Future Outlook
When it comes to the future, Pastor Y hopes that family can be the basic unit of their church. Each family should be full of life and a glorious testimony to all featuring close-and-healthy relationships between husband and wife, parent and child, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Families with problems, such as children with psychological issues or depression, are naturally drawn to a church consisting of healthy families.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
'We Want Both Pastoral Care and Ministry to Be Long-Lasting', Says Pastor
