Editor's note: In the present day, the churches in China maintain their belief in the singular savior, Jesus Christ, and uphold the Bible as their shared foundation of truth. Beyond this, they engage in diverse forms of congregation: the customary in-person services held within large churches, the intimate house church meetings, and the practice of online worship.
Recently, Brother Shang Boen (pseudonym) shared his perspectives on traditional church gatherings and familial gatherings with the Christian Times, an online Christian newspaper in China.
Brother Shang is a returnee student from City A in the Southwest. He studied for an undergraduate degree in the United States, where he also accepted the Christian faith. After he returned to China, he experienced different kinds of church gatherings. In the interview, he talked about his observational reflection on the church's experiences back in China.
Christian Times: How did you come to embrace Christianity? What was your conversion experience?
Shang Boen: I embraced the Christian faith during my freshman year in Ohio, USA. At that time, a friend of mine, who was a doctoral student and a teaching assistant, invited me to attend an evangelical camp. I was deeply moved and offered the sinner's prayer. Subsequently, I began attending the weekly services without interruption. Later on, I participated in a baptismal course and was baptized in 2017.
Christian Times: How did your life transform before and after your faith?
Shang Boen: Prior to my belief in the Lord, I was genuinely perplexed. Engaging in diverse subjects such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry compelled me to contemplate differently. I recognized the necessity of a fundamental truth serving as the bedrock for all forms of knowledge and comprehension. I pondered upon my identity and the purpose of my existence. Upon embracing the faith, I obtained answers and placed my reliance on God.
Christian Times: What distinguishes the attendance of church activities during your time studying abroad from attending church meetings in China?
Shang Boen: I truly appreciated the atmosphere of attending church in the United States and the myriad of activities during ordinary times. Upon my graduation, I returned to China. Initially, I attended a traditional church, followed by a church that deviated from tradition—an intimate house church. In the past, conventional large-scale gatherings were characterized by their sheer magnitude, a vast number of attendees, and a pronounced sense of ceremony. However, I found that the sermons predominantly emphasized doctrine, making it arduous for me to retain the information that could be integrated into my daily life after the sermons.
Conversely, the current gathering style in the house church I belong to is marked by scaled-down assemblies that place a premium on fostering familial bonds. Commencing with each Christian household, the church nurtures the inner lives of its members, enabling them to share the word of God. Throughout this process, individuals incorporate what they have heard into their own life circumstances. The objective of such gatherings is to emulate the apostolic era. Distinct from smaller fellowship groups, this approach upholds the worship ceremony and the holy communion.
Apart from Sundays, the leaders of each group assume a parental role, maintaining contact with different team members. Midweek, we convene to study the word of God. On Sundays, we forgo division into groups and gather in a single individual's home. Every week, different family members attend church and partake in service. We come together to share God's word, offer praise, engage in worship and prayer, and subsequently enjoy communal meals and shared experiences of life.
Christian Times: What do you believe are the characteristics and requirements of today's youth? How can the church facilitate their engagement and understanding of their beliefs?
Shang Boen: I was born in 1994. Many young individuals I have encountered are becoming increasingly rational and inclined towards individualism, placing significant importance on personal identity. They may be exposed to a wide array of cultural diversity, yet they tend to shy away from social responsibilities, often avoiding them in interpersonal relationships. While they exhibit a strong tolerance for various aspects of society, they need to learn to critically evaluate acceptance and tolerance. Simultaneously, they must learn to embrace responsibility while possessing the ability to foster brotherhood. Therefore, if the church can serve as a companion, it has the potential to greatly assist contemporary young people.
In my view, the church needs to adapt and reform in terms of conveying the truth, pastoral approaches, and service time arrangements. Pastors should engage in more interactive sermons, allowing young individuals not only to listen but also to express themselves, share their understanding and logic, and discuss the aspects they resonate with.
If pastors and church workers can first establish a friendship with them and subsequently teach them about God's creation and salvation, it would be more effective.
Contemporary young people require more than just pastors who can communicate through words. They yearn to witness the pastors' exemplary lives before receiving "lectures". By demonstrating an infectious church life and exemplifying it themselves, we can attract them to remain in the church, draw closer to it, and foster commitment.
Christian Times: How do you perceive the church's ability to provide pastoral care to individuals with high academic qualifications?
Shang Boen: Drawing from the Book of Acts, the lives of the apostles showcased a harmonious integration of truth and life. The church needs to minimize the initial emphasis on doctrinal teaching and instead focus on an interactive pastoral approach. It is essential to allow highly educated individuals the space to pose questions and encourage them to witness the integration of faith and life within the pastor's family. Additionally, modern-day youth face immense work pressure and have limited time availability, so service times should be flexible, avoiding a fixed schedule.
Furthermore, the church should offer premarital counseling, love counseling, career counseling, career planning, and related courses, connecting them with the overarching theme of God's kingdom, holistic faith, and life.
- Translated by Charlie Li
编者按：今天中国的教会同信一位救主耶稣基督，有一样的真理的根基——《圣经》。但在每周的敬拜聚会的模式上，有大型教堂的堂会的聚会模式，也有在信徒家里的聚会的模式，还有在网络上聚会的教会等等。
近来，尚博恩（化名）弟兄与中国一网络基督教报纸基督时报分享了他如何看待传统堂会的聚会模式和家庭聚会模式。
尚弟兄是一位来自西南A市的归国留学生，他曾经在美国修得本科，也是在美国接受了基督信仰。当他回国经历了不同类型的聚会后，他有着对聚会形式和内核的一种观察和反思。
基督时报：您是如何成为基督徒的？您蒙恩的经历是？
尚博恩：我是在美国俄亥俄州上大学一年级的时候接受基督信仰的。当时我有一个朋友，他是博士生兼助教，他邀请我去参加一个福音营的活动。当时就有感动就做了决志祷告。之后不间断地会去每周的聚会，随后上了受洗班，在2017年接受洗礼的。
基督时报：信仰之前和信仰之后，您的生命发生了怎样的变化呢？
尚博恩：未信之前，我其实是很迷茫的一个人。我就是在学习数理化等不同的学科的时候，需要用不同的思维去思考问题，这个时候我觉得应该会有一个根基性的真理作为基石来生发出各样的学问和知识。包括自己也扪心自问，我是谁，我为什么而活的问题。拥有了信仰之后，就有了答案，也有依靠。
基督时报：您在留学的时候参加教会的活动和您现在回到国内参加教会聚会有什么不同呢？
尚博恩：我其实很喜欢在美国参加教会时的那种氛围 ，以及平时的各种聚会活动。我毕业之后，回到了国内，一开始我参加的是传统教会的敬拜，之后我又去了另外一个不同于传统教会的聚会模式，叫做家教会模式。过去传统大型聚会的特点是规模比较大，人数比较多，仪式感很强。另外，听完牧师的讲道之后，我的感受是讲道内容强调教义的部分比较多，我听完之后很难记住什么可以融入到生活的信息。
但是现在我在的家教会的聚会模式，它的特点是，缩小原来传统的教会聚会规模，然后侧重于家庭之间的塑造。从每一个基督徒的家庭来入手去扩展每个人的内在生命，这些人能够去彼此分享关于神的道。这个过程中，大家把所听的道融入到自己的生活处境中。这种家教会的聚会本意是想效法使徒时代。它与小型团契不一样的地方在于，它仍然保持敬拜的仪式和圣餐等内容。
除了主日以外，各小组的负责人有点像家长的形式，联络不同的组员。在周中的时候聚一聚学习神的话语，然后周日就不分组了，大家聚在一个人的家里。每周有不同的家人做礼拜的主持和事奉工作。一起分享神的话语，一起赞美，敬拜祷告，礼拜后一起爱宴和生活上的分享。
基督时报：你觉得就当代年轻人 95、00后群体有着怎样的特点和需要？教会该如何帮助当代的年轻人走进教会，认识信仰呢？
尚博恩：我自己是94年的，我所接触的很多年轻人，他们越来越讲究逻辑或者说个人主义，非常强调个性。他们可能接触的更多是文化的多元性，但他在社会上又怕去负责任，会习惯性地避开人际交往中的责任。他们对社会中各样的事情，都有很强的包容度，但是需学会在接纳和包容中有批判思维。同时，他们需要在有博爱的能力的同时，要学习面对责任。因此，教会如果能够作为一个陪伴者的角色可能会更好的帮助到当代的年轻人。
我认为，教会需要在传递真理信息方面、牧养模式方面、聚会时间安排等方面都需要为当代年轻人做出改革。牧者需要加强聚会的互动性，不只是牧者在讲，信众在听。而是也需要给年轻慕道友们去表达自己，表达他们的理解和逻辑，他们的领受的部分。
如果教会的牧者和同工能够学会先与他们成为朋友，再陪伴他们经历何为神的创造，何为神的救恩等。
当代年轻人需要的不止是能够言传的牧者，比起言传，他们更想要先看到牧者的身教。通过教会和牧者有感染力的生活本身的呈现，能够吸引当代的年轻人留在教会，亲近教会，委身教会。
基督时报：您怎么看待当今教会如何更好地去牧养高学历的人群？
尚博恩：回归使徒行传中，使徒们的生活就是把真理和生活紧紧的融合在了一起。教会需要一开始阶段减少教义的教导，而是更加重视互动式的牧养模式。要给这些受教育程度高的人可以质疑的空间，也让他们走进牧者的家庭里，看信仰和生活的融合。另外，现在的年轻人工作压力大，时间紧，聚会时间可以灵活变化，不是固定在一个时间点。
与此同时，教会可以提供婚前辅导，恋爱辅导、职场辅导、职业规划等课程，再把这些连接到神的国度的主题，就会让信仰和生活发生融合。
专访｜西南一留学生回国后 对教会不同聚会模式的体验与对当代年轻人需要的反思
Editor's note: In the present day, the churches in China maintain their belief in the singular savior, Jesus Christ, and uphold the Bible as their shared foundation of truth. Beyond this, they engage in diverse forms of congregation: the customary in-person services held within large churches, the intimate house church meetings, and the practice of online worship.
Recently, Brother Shang Boen (pseudonym) shared his perspectives on traditional church gatherings and familial gatherings with the Christian Times, an online Christian newspaper in China.
Brother Shang is a returnee student from City A in the Southwest. He studied for an undergraduate degree in the United States, where he also accepted the Christian faith. After he returned to China, he experienced different kinds of church gatherings. In the interview, he talked about his observational reflection on the church's experiences back in China.
Christian Times: How did you come to embrace Christianity? What was your conversion experience?
Shang Boen: I embraced the Christian faith during my freshman year in Ohio, USA. At that time, a friend of mine, who was a doctoral student and a teaching assistant, invited me to attend an evangelical camp. I was deeply moved and offered the sinner's prayer. Subsequently, I began attending the weekly services without interruption. Later on, I participated in a baptismal course and was baptized in 2017.
Christian Times: How did your life transform before and after your faith?
Shang Boen: Prior to my belief in the Lord, I was genuinely perplexed. Engaging in diverse subjects such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry compelled me to contemplate differently. I recognized the necessity of a fundamental truth serving as the bedrock for all forms of knowledge and comprehension. I pondered upon my identity and the purpose of my existence. Upon embracing the faith, I obtained answers and placed my reliance on God.
Christian Times: What distinguishes the attendance of church activities during your time studying abroad from attending church meetings in China?
Shang Boen: I truly appreciated the atmosphere of attending church in the United States and the myriad of activities during ordinary times. Upon my graduation, I returned to China. Initially, I attended a traditional church, followed by a church that deviated from tradition—an intimate house church. In the past, conventional large-scale gatherings were characterized by their sheer magnitude, a vast number of attendees, and a pronounced sense of ceremony. However, I found that the sermons predominantly emphasized doctrine, making it arduous for me to retain the information that could be integrated into my daily life after the sermons.
Conversely, the current gathering style in the house church I belong to is marked by scaled-down assemblies that place a premium on fostering familial bonds. Commencing with each Christian household, the church nurtures the inner lives of its members, enabling them to share the word of God. Throughout this process, individuals incorporate what they have heard into their own life circumstances. The objective of such gatherings is to emulate the apostolic era. Distinct from smaller fellowship groups, this approach upholds the worship ceremony and the holy communion.
Apart from Sundays, the leaders of each group assume a parental role, maintaining contact with different team members. Midweek, we convene to study the word of God. On Sundays, we forgo division into groups and gather in a single individual's home. Every week, different family members attend church and partake in service. We come together to share God's word, offer praise, engage in worship and prayer, and subsequently enjoy communal meals and shared experiences of life.
Christian Times: What do you believe are the characteristics and requirements of today's youth? How can the church facilitate their engagement and understanding of their beliefs?
Shang Boen: I was born in 1994. Many young individuals I have encountered are becoming increasingly rational and inclined towards individualism, placing significant importance on personal identity. They may be exposed to a wide array of cultural diversity, yet they tend to shy away from social responsibilities, often avoiding them in interpersonal relationships. While they exhibit a strong tolerance for various aspects of society, they need to learn to critically evaluate acceptance and tolerance. Simultaneously, they must learn to embrace responsibility while possessing the ability to foster brotherhood. Therefore, if the church can serve as a companion, it has the potential to greatly assist contemporary young people.
In my view, the church needs to adapt and reform in terms of conveying the truth, pastoral approaches, and service time arrangements. Pastors should engage in more interactive sermons, allowing young individuals not only to listen but also to express themselves, share their understanding and logic, and discuss the aspects they resonate with.
If pastors and church workers can first establish a friendship with them and subsequently teach them about God's creation and salvation, it would be more effective.
Contemporary young people require more than just pastors who can communicate through words. They yearn to witness the pastors' exemplary lives before receiving "lectures". By demonstrating an infectious church life and exemplifying it themselves, we can attract them to remain in the church, draw closer to it, and foster commitment.
Christian Times: How do you perceive the church's ability to provide pastoral care to individuals with high academic qualifications?
Shang Boen: Drawing from the Book of Acts, the lives of the apostles showcased a harmonious integration of truth and life. The church needs to minimize the initial emphasis on doctrinal teaching and instead focus on an interactive pastoral approach. It is essential to allow highly educated individuals the space to pose questions and encourage them to witness the integration of faith and life within the pastor's family. Additionally, modern-day youth face immense work pressure and have limited time availability, so service times should be flexible, avoiding a fixed schedule.
Furthermore, the church should offer premarital counseling, love counseling, career counseling, career planning, and related courses, connecting them with the overarching theme of God's kingdom, holistic faith, and life.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Interview: Chinese Student Returnee Says Exemplary Lives of Pastors Serve as Compelling Testimony to Young People
