Many Christians hope for spiritual revival, but they believe it initially demands prayer, repentance, and holy living. But in any case, revival needs crowds.
In history, the revival of Christianity in China has everything to do with the movement of the masses. In the 1980s and 1990s, the revival was apparent in rural churches, where the largest crowds were also to be found. Through the process of urbanization after 2000, the crowd began to move to the city, which was accompanied by the emergence and revival of new urban churches.
Today, urbanization has further deepened and strengthened the construction of new communities. The crowds flocking into cities gradually gathered in new "urban villages". Be they large or small, these are now usually called “communities”.
With that comes the question that community, as a new way of gathering people, may be the mission field for our next step of ministry.
The concept and features of "community"
“Community” is a new buzzword these days, as humans have always been gregarious.
The sociological study of "community" began with the sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies. He believes that community is both the simplest and most natural form of society. Sociologists define community in more than 140 ways. Despite different perspectives, the community represents a group of people with interactive relationships. These people may be connected by living in a joint place such as a quarter or street, or by being of similar age, culture or similar in values, such as the Jewish people, the Chinese around the world, or the youth community. Such groups may form a community.
No matter how times change, it is difficult for people to leave two groups: both the family and the community.
With the development of sociology, studies began to discover the value of community. For us ordinary people, the urbanization process in the past 20 years has made the value of community increasingly obvious in our way of life.
Therefore, community-building is increasingly seen as a necessary trend.
Experiences from the pioneers
In this context, Christians increasingly understand that community may be the trend for our next means of ministry, so they have begun to experiment and explore.
Church positioning
Pastor S from a church in a third-tier southern city compared the modes of church renewal in Europe, America and South Korea. He discovered that it was different from what he had understood before. The church he remembered before was a tall Gothic building with a chapel and many heavy benches that were difficult to move. However, the church in most developed countries today is bungalow-style, which is like a community with all kinds of offerings. There are churches with places for people to stay, read, drink coffee and pray. The chairs are flexible and can be moved at any time.
What impressed him most in these churches was that they took root in their own communities and serve their communities. For example, some communities may be characterized by dual-income parents. These would set up free childcare services. The church’s service is formed in response to the needs of the community.
With the development of society, churches in many developed countries now position themselves as more of a "community church".
Different crowds
In addition, the concept of the community also means a group of people with similar characteristics, but in different locations. Brother G, who is engaged in social charity service consulting, suggested that his church should serve such people around it. If there are a large number of elderly people in his church, it makes sense to help them steer clear of chances for financial fraud.
Pastor T, who is a pastor of an emerging church in a second-tier city in East China, observed that many churches have difficulty attracting young people, such as those born after 1995. This group is of particular value and the church should expand itself so that it can attract the young and lead them in positive ways.
In addition, crowds can also be grouped according to their interests or hobbies. For example, many young people like ACGN (Animation, Comic, Game, Novel), games, skateboarding and music: others have the same occupation and experiences. These diverse communities are an open field for many churches and Christians.
Social services
Brother Y in B City in Central China mentioned that he has gradually become more involved in community service and has encouraged followers around him to do the same. His change was inspired by a development he had heard of several years ago: There was a rural church revival followed by an urban church revival. Should we, therefore, prepare for and participate in community revival? The current situation is that most front-line pastors and coworkers have little knowledge about the concept of community management.
He mentioned that the 1976 Lausanne Congress had put forward the concept of holistic care and stressed that evangelical work should not only rely on oral communication but also assume social responsibilities. Only when the two are present, can wide-ranging evangelical results be achieved. However, Chinese churches are currently more focused on internal pasturing than on outside service - not to mention the social and cultural realms.
"We are at a time when the community is taking on a more important role," he said. "Churches and Christians need to be more aware of this trend and find out how we can better serve, such as serving the elderly without families or resolving family and marriage problems within the community.”
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
谈及属灵复兴，许多人对它有期待，但同时认为达成复兴需要具备这样或那样的条件，比如祷告、比如悔改、比如圣洁生活等等。但不管怎样的角度，复兴它离不开人群。
历史上，中国基督教的复兴也是有这样一个脉络。它和人群的走向息息相关。曾经，1980-90年代是农村教会的复兴，因为当时最多的人群在乡村；2000年后随着城市化的进程，人群开始从农村移动到城市，随之伴有的是城市新兴教会的出现和复兴。
而如今，伴随着城市化进程的进一步深化，加强社区建设是如今已经开始的新趋势。涌入到城市中的人群逐渐散落居住在大大小小的如同新的“城中村”一样的地方——社区。
而伴随着的一个问题就是：社区，作为当下这个时代人群聚集的新方式，可能是下一步服事的禾场所在。
社区的概念和特点
社区community在当下成为一个新的热词。就人类的特点而言，人类总是合群而居的。
社会学者对于社区的研究发端于滕尼斯。他认为社区既是社会的最简单形式，又是一种自然状态。社会学家给社区下出的定义有140多种。虽然角度不一样，但是至少共同的是社区代表的是一群有互动关系的人。这群人的关系可能是因为居住在一个地方带来的，比如我们所熟悉的小区、街道等等；也可能是比如有相近的年龄、或者文化、价值观等带来的，比如犹太民族、全球华人、青年群落等等。他们可能因为地域、文化、特点等的共性形成了一个社会生活的共同体，就是一个社区的基本内涵了。
可以说，不管农村、城市等时代变迁如何，最终人很难离开的是2个群体生活，一个是家庭，一个则是社区。
伴随着社会学的发展，人类的研究开始发现了社区的现象和价值；而对我们普通人而言，伴随着过去近20年的城市化的进程，社区的现象和价值逐渐在我们的生活方式中愈来愈明显。
因此，当下社会各界愈来愈看到社区建设是未来的一种趋势。
一些先行者的服事经验
在这样的大背景下，也有愈来愈多的教会人士和基督徒看到：社区或许是我们下一步服事的趋势所在，因此也开始尝试做出一些更新和探索。
——教会定位
南方一个三线城市某教堂的S牧师对比了当下欧美和韩国等教会更新的模式，发现和他以前所理解的早已经不同，以前他记忆的教堂是高高的哥特式建筑，里面的主体是是礼拜堂和很多很难移动的笨重的长椅；而今天大部分发达国家的教会建设教堂是平房式，进去好像一个麻雀虽小五脏俱全的社区一样，有礼拜堂也有各种人群呆的地方也有读书、喝咖啡、祷告的地方，礼拜堂的椅子则是灵活的可以随时搬动的椅子。
他还对比到了他看到这些教会在服事的时候，给他印象最深刻的转变就是他们扎根于自己所在的社区，并且服务到社区，比如，有牧者举例说，有的教会所在的社区面临的特点可能是双职工父母很多，那么能否开设一些帮助他们看顾课后孩子的免费服务等等，就是教会的服事跟着社区的需要而设立。
可以说，很多发达国家的教会在伴随着社会的发展后，当下的定位更多是一种“社区教会”的概念。
——不同人群
除此之外，社区的概念还有超越地理位置、拥有类似特点的人群的意思。所以，一位从事社会慈善服务咨询的G弟兄建议他所在的教会可以去服事身边和他们有类似特点的人群，比如自己所在的教会如果老年人居多，帮助他们不要落入到很多金融诈骗里面也是一种很切实的服事。
一位华东二线城市的新兴教会的牧者T牧师则看到目前很多教会很难吸引年轻人，比如95后，那么这些人群是否就是一个值得拓展的社区，用他们所喜欢的方式吸引和带领他们吸引的成长，也是值得探索的领域。
另外，人群还可以按照兴趣或者爱好划分，比如当下不少年轻人喜欢二次元，还有的喜欢游戏、滑板、音乐等等，还有可以按照职业、经历等划分，如何走进这些形形色色的人群社区中，对不少教会和基督徒而言也是一个蓝海。
——社会服务
位于中原地带B市的Y弟兄提到，自己近年来逐渐开始更多参与到社区服务中来，并鼓励身边很多信徒也参与其中，他的这种改变是深受前几年听到的一种观点的激励：曾经是农村教会的复兴，后来是城市教会的复兴，如今，我们是否要预备和参与到社区的复兴之中？但是现状是国内一线大部分的牧者同工，对于社区管理的概念很薄弱。
他提到，1976年的洛桑大会早就提出全人关怀的理念，强调福音事工不应该只靠口传，还要承担社会责任，唯有两者并驾齐驱才能带来整体的福音果效，但当下中国教会的意识上更多是内牧较多，外展很薄弱，社会和文化的参与就更很少。
他提到，当下我们所处在的是社区越来越承担起更重要的角色，而教会和基督徒也需要更多意识到这种趋势，去发现我们可以服事的那些需要，比如服侍孤寡老人，解决小区的家庭矛盾和婚姻问题。
角声| 下一站禾场：社区，你看到了吗？
Many Christians hope for spiritual revival, but they believe it initially demands prayer, repentance, and holy living. But in any case, revival needs crowds.
In history, the revival of Christianity in China has everything to do with the movement of the masses. In the 1980s and 1990s, the revival was apparent in rural churches, where the largest crowds were also to be found. Through the process of urbanization after 2000, the crowd began to move to the city, which was accompanied by the emergence and revival of new urban churches.
Today, urbanization has further deepened and strengthened the construction of new communities. The crowds flocking into cities gradually gathered in new "urban villages". Be they large or small, these are now usually called “communities”.
With that comes the question that community, as a new way of gathering people, may be the mission field for our next step of ministry.
The concept and features of "community"
“Community” is a new buzzword these days, as humans have always been gregarious.
The sociological study of "community" began with the sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies. He believes that community is both the simplest and most natural form of society. Sociologists define community in more than 140 ways. Despite different perspectives, the community represents a group of people with interactive relationships. These people may be connected by living in a joint place such as a quarter or street, or by being of similar age, culture or similar in values, such as the Jewish people, the Chinese around the world, or the youth community. Such groups may form a community.
No matter how times change, it is difficult for people to leave two groups: both the family and the community.
With the development of sociology, studies began to discover the value of community. For us ordinary people, the urbanization process in the past 20 years has made the value of community increasingly obvious in our way of life.
Therefore, community-building is increasingly seen as a necessary trend.
Experiences from the pioneers
In this context, Christians increasingly understand that community may be the trend for our next means of ministry, so they have begun to experiment and explore.
Church positioning
Pastor S from a church in a third-tier southern city compared the modes of church renewal in Europe, America and South Korea. He discovered that it was different from what he had understood before. The church he remembered before was a tall Gothic building with a chapel and many heavy benches that were difficult to move. However, the church in most developed countries today is bungalow-style, which is like a community with all kinds of offerings. There are churches with places for people to stay, read, drink coffee and pray. The chairs are flexible and can be moved at any time.
What impressed him most in these churches was that they took root in their own communities and serve their communities. For example, some communities may be characterized by dual-income parents. These would set up free childcare services. The church’s service is formed in response to the needs of the community.
With the development of society, churches in many developed countries now position themselves as more of a "community church".
Different crowds
In addition, the concept of the community also means a group of people with similar characteristics, but in different locations. Brother G, who is engaged in social charity service consulting, suggested that his church should serve such people around it. If there are a large number of elderly people in his church, it makes sense to help them steer clear of chances for financial fraud.
Pastor T, who is a pastor of an emerging church in a second-tier city in East China, observed that many churches have difficulty attracting young people, such as those born after 1995. This group is of particular value and the church should expand itself so that it can attract the young and lead them in positive ways.
In addition, crowds can also be grouped according to their interests or hobbies. For example, many young people like ACGN (Animation, Comic, Game, Novel), games, skateboarding and music: others have the same occupation and experiences. These diverse communities are an open field for many churches and Christians.
Social services
Brother Y in B City in Central China mentioned that he has gradually become more involved in community service and has encouraged followers around him to do the same. His change was inspired by a development he had heard of several years ago: There was a rural church revival followed by an urban church revival. Should we, therefore, prepare for and participate in community revival? The current situation is that most front-line pastors and coworkers have little knowledge about the concept of community management.
He mentioned that the 1976 Lausanne Congress had put forward the concept of holistic care and stressed that evangelical work should not only rely on oral communication but also assume social responsibilities. Only when the two are present, can wide-ranging evangelical results be achieved. However, Chinese churches are currently more focused on internal pasturing than on outside service - not to mention the social and cultural realms.
"We are at a time when the community is taking on a more important role," he said. "Churches and Christians need to be more aware of this trend and find out how we can better serve, such as serving the elderly without families or resolving family and marriage problems within the community.”
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
Voice: A New Mission Field in China is Community
