The church is like a dynamic reservoir, with an outlet and an inlet. The increase in church population is closely linked to the ministry of evangelism. If people in the church have a passion to witness the Gospel, they will bring new believers to the church.
With the culture of secularization and postmodernism constantly impacting the minds of contemporary people, people tend to pursue material things. In particular, the consciousness of Generation Z is characterized by deconstructing authority and no longer seeking the meaning of human existence and the value of life like Generation X. The modes of evangelism used by preachers in the past (online or street encounters, preaching through relatives, etc.) have shown great weakness for today's people.
Recently, the Christian Times, a Chinese online Christian newspaper, interviewed Wu Shunxiang (pseudonym), a native of South China born in the 1980s. I learned that most of the churches he led were led by middle-aged working elites, and they adopted a demand-oriented preaching method in the spreading of the Gospel.
The so-called demand-based approach is that pastors invite members in the workplace to give different types of lectures. The lecturers in the church are professionals in the fields of work, psychological counseling, marriage, and family and are generally born-again believers in the church. In the field, the free open classes provide professional counseling to those in need and also serve as a contact point for understanding the Christian faith.
Pastor Wu said, "It is difficult for the old believers to lead the new believers to attend the church. When the new believers do not understand the preaching, it will also make them feel embarrassed. Therefore, they encourage believers to attract new believers through lectures on topics such as family of origin, psychological counseling, and the workplace. We use a combination of demand-oriented and relational approaches to evangelism. Instead of street evangelism, we encourage believers to use Moments on WeChat to attract new believers to the talks. The lecturers are not pastors. Some of them are professionals in social psychological counseling and public welfare organizations. The speakers will begin by explaining that biblical values will be used in the lecture."
Pastor Wu emphasized, "In this process, we will select those who are interested in the values of the Bible and invite them to a six-week class for new believers. Then we go through three weeks of baptism classes and eventually become members. I will encourage old believers to actively post Moments in WeChat and encourage new believers to attend free lectures, and the ticket for new believers to attend these lectures is to bring another new believer to attend."
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
教会就像一个蓄水池，有排水口，也要有进水口，是动态变化着的。教会人数的复兴离不开传福音事工。教会中的信众们如果有见证福音的热情，他们会带新人过来聚会。
随着世俗化、后现代主义的文化不断冲击着当代人的心思意念，人们心中的价值观和世界观更趋向于物质层面。尤其是95-00后的人群意识特点是解构权威、不再像70-80后群体那样寻求人存在的意义和生命的价值。传道人过去使用的福传模式：网络上的、街头偶遇式和关系性传道等方式面对当下的人群，已经显出很大的乏力。
近来，一中国网络基督教报纸基督时报采访一位华南80后吴顺翔（化名）。得知他所带领的教会大部分是中年职场的精英，他们在福音的拓展上采用的是一种需求型传道法。
所谓需求型传道法，就是牧者会邀请在职场中的会友来做不同类别的讲座。教会里的讲师有在职场领域的、心理咨询领域的和婚姻家庭领域的专业人士，一般是是教会的重生得救的信徒。在实地免费公开课里，给与对这些方面有需求的人专业辅导的同时，也成为一个认识基督信仰的接触点。
吴牧师分享到：“让老信徒带领新人参加礼拜是有难度的，万一新人听不懂，也会让他们感到尴尬。因此，他们通过原生家庭、心理辅导、职场等主题讲座来鼓励会友带新人过来。我们使用的是需求型和关系性结合的方式来传福音。我们不会采用街头福音传道，而是鼓励会友通过发朋友圈来吸引新人参加讲座。讲座的讲员不是牧师、师母，有些是在社会当中心理咨询和公益机构中的职场人士。讲员会在开场前说明，讲座中会用到圣经的价值观。”
吴牧师强调说：“在这个过程中，我们会选出那些对圣经价值观感兴趣的人，邀请他们进入到为期六周的慕道班。然后进行三个星期的洗礼班的培养，最终成为会友。我会鼓励老信徒积极发朋友圈，鼓励新人参加免费的讲座，新人的门票就是再带一个新人来参加。”
对话｜教会在拓展新人入口上需要不断创新
The church is like a dynamic reservoir, with an outlet and an inlet. The increase in church population is closely linked to the ministry of evangelism. If people in the church have a passion to witness the Gospel, they will bring new believers to the church.
With the culture of secularization and postmodernism constantly impacting the minds of contemporary people, people tend to pursue material things. In particular, the consciousness of Generation Z is characterized by deconstructing authority and no longer seeking the meaning of human existence and the value of life like Generation X. The modes of evangelism used by preachers in the past (online or street encounters, preaching through relatives, etc.) have shown great weakness for today's people.
Recently, the Christian Times, a Chinese online Christian newspaper, interviewed Wu Shunxiang (pseudonym), a native of South China born in the 1980s. I learned that most of the churches he led were led by middle-aged working elites, and they adopted a demand-oriented preaching method in the spreading of the Gospel.
The so-called demand-based approach is that pastors invite members in the workplace to give different types of lectures. The lecturers in the church are professionals in the fields of work, psychological counseling, marriage, and family and are generally born-again believers in the church. In the field, the free open classes provide professional counseling to those in need and also serve as a contact point for understanding the Christian faith.
Pastor Wu said, "It is difficult for the old believers to lead the new believers to attend the church. When the new believers do not understand the preaching, it will also make them feel embarrassed. Therefore, they encourage believers to attract new believers through lectures on topics such as family of origin, psychological counseling, and the workplace. We use a combination of demand-oriented and relational approaches to evangelism. Instead of street evangelism, we encourage believers to use Moments on WeChat to attract new believers to the talks. The lecturers are not pastors. Some of them are professionals in social psychological counseling and public welfare organizations. The speakers will begin by explaining that biblical values will be used in the lecture."
Pastor Wu emphasized, "In this process, we will select those who are interested in the values of the Bible and invite them to a six-week class for new believers. Then we go through three weeks of baptism classes and eventually become members. I will encourage old believers to actively post Moments in WeChat and encourage new believers to attend free lectures, and the ticket for new believers to attend these lectures is to bring another new believer to attend."
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
Dialogue: Churches Need to Be Innovative in Attracting New Believers
