Since 2020, the number of young people in many domestic churches has sharply decreased. At the same time, these churches have faced challenges in providing pastoral care for young members.
The financial pressure brought on by the pandemic has significantly impacted young people, including those within the church. Financial stresses, such as housing mortgages, have led to significant migration of young people for work.
In addition to the loss of members, providing adequate pastoral care for existing members has become a major challenge for youth fellowships. Some fellowship leaders are uncertain about how to enhance the spiritual growth of their members.
A staff worker who has been leading a youth fellowship in the northwest for over a decade expressed helplessness, stating that they didn't know how to encourage members to commit to the church and engage in service. Another church worker in the fellowship mentioned that he did not know the direction of ministry or what efforts he should make. Furthermore, since the core members serving the fellowship are mostly post-80s, it's challenging to attract those from the 1990s and Generaztion Z. Consequently, youth fellowships have gradually transformed into middle-aged fellowships.
A pastor from a county church in East China has also encountered challenges in providing pastoral care for young people. With his own children now working, this middle-aged pastor has devoted much of his energy to serving the church and has gathered over 40 young people. However, beyond regular gatherings, he's unsure about how to further support them.
The situation is even more severe in a church in Northeast China. The number of their youth fellowship members sharply decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with only around 10 people left. One pastor believes that young people nowadays are occupied with work and rarely have leisure time. They tend to relax at home by using their phones rather than participating in church activities.
To effectively pastor youth fellowships, some successful practices from other churches can be adopted. Targeted pastoral care is a breakthrough point for nurturing young groups. For example, those interested in music can be encouraged to participate in worship and learn instruments. Those inclined towards art and photography can form relevant groups, and book enthusiasts can form reading groups. Additionally, grouping by age segments, such as millennials and Gen Z, can facilitate more common ground.
Offering ministry positions within the church to young people promotes their commitment. This approach not only lightens the burden on fellowship leaders but also gives young people a sense of ownership rather than just being attendees.
To attract more young staff workers, the church also needs to address their concerns about the future. In a county-level city in Jiangsu two or three decades ago, volunteers in churches were primarily in their seventies and eighties. About twenty years ago, the current head of the municipal Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) arrived and addressed the issue of full-time pastors’ salaries. Consequently, a group of pastors in their forties and fifties emerged. Currently, they are training more young church staff in their twenties and thirties to prevent a talent gap in the church's future.
"Moses was getting old, and Joshua would run away," a grassroots pastor described the current state of some churches. If churches don't make efforts to nurture young people, this phenomenon will become even more pronounced in the future.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
自2020年以来，国内不少教会里的青年群体在人数上急剧下降；与此同时，他们在对青年人的牧养上陷入了瓶颈。
疫情带来的经济压力给年轻人带来很大的冲击，教会中亦是如此。其中，因为背负着房贷等诸多经济压力，外出打工是流失的主要原因。
除了人员流失，对于现有人员的牧养也是青年团契面临的一大难题，一些团契负责人不知如何能够提升成员的灵命。
西北一位已带领青年团契十多年的同工无奈地表示，她不知如何提升成员对教会的委身，以及如何让他们参与服侍。团契中另外一位同工则表示，自己缺少侍奉的方向，不知道努力的方向是什么。另外，因为服侍这个团契的核心同工大多是80后，他们很难吸引90后、00后的加入，因此青年团契实际上逐渐成为了中青年团契。
华东一个县城教会的牧者在青年人牧养上也遇到了瓶颈。这位中年牧者的子女已经走上工作岗位，他把自己主要的精力投入到教会侍奉中，也聚集了40多位年轻人。但是，他们长期只是进行着常规的聚会，除此之外，这位牧者不知该为他们做些什么了。
东北一间教会的情况更为严重。他们的青年团契人数在疫情期间锐减，只剩下10人左右。一位传道人认为，现在的年轻人都忙于工作，难得有一点儿休闲时间，大多都待在家里刷手机来放松，已经没有心力到教会参加活动了。
如何牧养好青年团契，一些发展较好的教会的经验可以借鉴。针对性牧养是牧养青年群体的一个突破口。比如，喜欢音乐的可以引导他参与敬拜、乐器学习等；喜欢绘画、拍摄等也可以组成相应的小组；读书爱好者也可以成为一个组。另外可以按年龄段分，分成80后、90后、00后等，因为年龄相近会有更多的共同话题。
在教会给年轻人提供服侍岗位是促进他们对教会的委身。如此，既可以减轻团契负责人的担子，也可以使他们有主人翁意识，而非只是参加聚会的客人。
教会想要吸纳更多的年轻同工，还需要解决他们的后顾之忧。江苏一个县级市，二三十年前各教会主要由七八十岁的义工负责。现任三自爱国会主席二十年前过来后，落实了全职传道人的待遇。因此现在有一批四五十岁的传道人。眼下，他又着手培养了二十多位二三十岁的同工，防止将来教会中出现人才断层。
"摩西老了，约书亚跑了”，这是一位基层传道人对当下一些教会光景的描述；如果教会还不努力培养年轻人，将来这一现象将会越发明显。
疫情后，部分教会青年人数量呈断崖式下降
Since 2020, the number of young people in many domestic churches has sharply decreased. At the same time, these churches have faced challenges in providing pastoral care for young members.
The financial pressure brought on by the pandemic has significantly impacted young people, including those within the church. Financial stresses, such as housing mortgages, have led to significant migration of young people for work.
In addition to the loss of members, providing adequate pastoral care for existing members has become a major challenge for youth fellowships. Some fellowship leaders are uncertain about how to enhance the spiritual growth of their members.
A staff worker who has been leading a youth fellowship in the northwest for over a decade expressed helplessness, stating that they didn't know how to encourage members to commit to the church and engage in service. Another church worker in the fellowship mentioned that he did not know the direction of ministry or what efforts he should make. Furthermore, since the core members serving the fellowship are mostly post-80s, it's challenging to attract those from the 1990s and Generaztion Z. Consequently, youth fellowships have gradually transformed into middle-aged fellowships.
A pastor from a county church in East China has also encountered challenges in providing pastoral care for young people. With his own children now working, this middle-aged pastor has devoted much of his energy to serving the church and has gathered over 40 young people. However, beyond regular gatherings, he's unsure about how to further support them.
The situation is even more severe in a church in Northeast China. The number of their youth fellowship members sharply decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with only around 10 people left. One pastor believes that young people nowadays are occupied with work and rarely have leisure time. They tend to relax at home by using their phones rather than participating in church activities.
To effectively pastor youth fellowships, some successful practices from other churches can be adopted. Targeted pastoral care is a breakthrough point for nurturing young groups. For example, those interested in music can be encouraged to participate in worship and learn instruments. Those inclined towards art and photography can form relevant groups, and book enthusiasts can form reading groups. Additionally, grouping by age segments, such as millennials and Gen Z, can facilitate more common ground.
Offering ministry positions within the church to young people promotes their commitment. This approach not only lightens the burden on fellowship leaders but also gives young people a sense of ownership rather than just being attendees.
To attract more young staff workers, the church also needs to address their concerns about the future. In a county-level city in Jiangsu two or three decades ago, volunteers in churches were primarily in their seventies and eighties. About twenty years ago, the current head of the municipal Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) arrived and addressed the issue of full-time pastors’ salaries. Consequently, a group of pastors in their forties and fifties emerged. Currently, they are training more young church staff in their twenties and thirties to prevent a talent gap in the church's future.
"Moses was getting old, and Joshua would run away," a grassroots pastor described the current state of some churches. If churches don't make efforts to nurture young people, this phenomenon will become even more pronounced in the future.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Number of Young People in the Church May Have Declined Sharply after Pandemic
