A pastor's family had several preachers, but only one was ordained. When it came time for him to decide between continuing in business or changing his profession to become a preacher, his family unanimously voted in favor of him becoming a preacher.
Pastor Chen Hongyuan (pseudonym), in his 50s, has served the Lord for nearly 30 years and is the fourth generation of Christian in his family.
According to Pastor Chen, his paternal great-grandmother became a believer over 100 years ago. The family's faith was passed down through generations, from his great-grandmother to his grandparents, parents, himself, and his siblings.
He never met his paternal great-grandmother. His grandfather was an elderly preacher, and his home was a place where the church congregation would often gather, with many unfamiliar people staying there. His grandfather passed away when he was about 15 or 16 years old. His uncle was also a preacher, and his paternal grandfather and grandmother were both Christians.
"Although I grew up in a Christian family from a young age, all the teachings at home were very traditional, focusing on outward aspects like personal behavior and speech. Many of the rational discourses and legalistic content from the elders were not actually liked by the children."
He did not initially aspire to be a pastor. He chose to venture into business, and in the late 80s and early 90s, he had a successful clothing business away from his hometown.
One summer, he returned to his hometown to see his family. Also, because he was exhausted from long years in business, he wanted to take some time off at home, which coincided with the off-season of the clothing industry.
After returning home, the church held a training program for preachers, and most of the participants were not preachers. Young Chen joined the training program and graduated two to three months later.
Afterwards, he was faced with the challenge of choosing between his business and becoming a full-time minister. Some people can be preachers and continue to do business at the same time. Though his business was flourishing, it kept him far from home. If he were to accept the church's appointment to become a Pastor, it would require completely giving up his own career.
Chen mentioned that during that time, although his faith was not very strong, he felt that being a pastor was a very sacred calling. He sought God's guidance but did not seem to receive a clear response. So he gathered his family and sought their opinions.
"Originally, I thought they would strongly oppose it, and we might even argue intensely. But surprisingly, they all agreed that I should become a pastor. The only hesitation was within myself," Pastor Chen recalled.
Many years later, Pastor Chen is very grateful. "Since that's the case, I decided to obey and completely give up my career. After that, I became a full-time preacher, and I have been serving God and His church ever since. I was in my twenties back then, and now I'm in my fifties. More than half of my time has been devoted to serving God and His church."
- Translated by Nonye Nancy
一个牧师家出了好几名传道人，但是被按立的只有他一个。当初在他选择继续做买卖还是转行成为传道人的时候，家人居然全票通过支持他成为传道人。
陈鸿远牧师（化名）今年50多岁，服侍主近30年，而他在他们家族当中是第四代基督徒。
据陈牧师说，早在100多年以前，陈牧师的外公的母亲就已经信主。后来，家族的信仰就一直传承下来，从外公的母亲，到外公、外婆，然后到陈牧师的父亲、母亲，再到陈牧师以及他的兄弟姐妹。
陈牧师从来没有见过他外公的母亲。外公是一名老传道人，外公家里面就是接待教会的，常常会有很多他不认识的人到外公家里来住。在他15、16岁左右的时候外公就去世了。他的舅舅也是传道人，另外，他的爷爷和奶奶都是基督徒。
“虽然我是从小就生活在基督徒家庭里面，但是家庭里面所有的教导都是非常传统的，注重于人的行为、言语这些表面的一些教导。长辈们他们的很多道理性的说教和律法性的内容，孩子们其实是不喜欢的。”
但陈牧师并不是一开始就立志要成为传道人和牧师的。他自己的选择是经商，上世纪80年代末90年代初，他在外地的服装生意很成功。
一年的夏天，他回到了老家，看望一下家人。另外也是因为长年经商非常疲惫，想要在家休息一段时间，那时刚好是服装行业的淡季。
回到家里以后，正好赶上教会举办一个培训传道人的活动，参加的大多数都不是传道人。而年轻的陈也参加了这个传道人培训班，两三个月以后，从这个传道人培训班毕业了。
之后他经历了很大的挑战，继续经商还是成为一名传道人？一些人可以一边做传道人一边继续经商。他的事业虽如火如荼，但离家很远。如果接受教会的委派成为传道人的话，那需要完全放弃自己的事业。
陈说在当时他的信仰虽然不太好，但是觉得传道人这个职分是非常神圣。他求问上帝好像也没有得到什么回应。于是，陈弟兄就把家人都叫过来，听听他们的意见。“原本我以为他们听了以后会非常反对，甚至吵得不可开交。但是他们居然一致赞成我做传道人，唯一犹豫的就是我自己了。”陈牧师回忆说。
多年以后，陈很感恩，“既然如此，那我也就决定听从，把事业完全放弃了。之后我成为了一名全职传道人，一直到现在。那个时候我二十多岁，现在五十多岁，一多半的时间都在服事上帝和祂的教会。”
故事： 从成功生意人到全职传道人
A pastor's family had several preachers, but only one was ordained. When it came time for him to decide between continuing in business or changing his profession to become a preacher, his family unanimously voted in favor of him becoming a preacher.
Pastor Chen Hongyuan (pseudonym), in his 50s, has served the Lord for nearly 30 years and is the fourth generation of Christian in his family.
According to Pastor Chen, his paternal great-grandmother became a believer over 100 years ago. The family's faith was passed down through generations, from his great-grandmother to his grandparents, parents, himself, and his siblings.
He never met his paternal great-grandmother. His grandfather was an elderly preacher, and his home was a place where the church congregation would often gather, with many unfamiliar people staying there. His grandfather passed away when he was about 15 or 16 years old. His uncle was also a preacher, and his paternal grandfather and grandmother were both Christians.
"Although I grew up in a Christian family from a young age, all the teachings at home were very traditional, focusing on outward aspects like personal behavior and speech. Many of the rational discourses and legalistic content from the elders were not actually liked by the children."
He did not initially aspire to be a pastor. He chose to venture into business, and in the late 80s and early 90s, he had a successful clothing business away from his hometown.
One summer, he returned to his hometown to see his family. Also, because he was exhausted from long years in business, he wanted to take some time off at home, which coincided with the off-season of the clothing industry.
After returning home, the church held a training program for preachers, and most of the participants were not preachers. Young Chen joined the training program and graduated two to three months later.
Afterwards, he was faced with the challenge of choosing between his business and becoming a full-time minister. Some people can be preachers and continue to do business at the same time. Though his business was flourishing, it kept him far from home. If he were to accept the church's appointment to become a Pastor, it would require completely giving up his own career.
Chen mentioned that during that time, although his faith was not very strong, he felt that being a pastor was a very sacred calling. He sought God's guidance but did not seem to receive a clear response. So he gathered his family and sought their opinions.
"Originally, I thought they would strongly oppose it, and we might even argue intensely. But surprisingly, they all agreed that I should become a pastor. The only hesitation was within myself," Pastor Chen recalled.
Many years later, Pastor Chen is very grateful. "Since that's the case, I decided to obey and completely give up my career. After that, I became a full-time preacher, and I have been serving God and His church ever since. I was in my twenties back then, and now I'm in my fifties. More than half of my time has been devoted to serving God and His church."
- Translated by Nonye Nancy
Story: From Successful Businessman to Full-Time Preacher
