Compared with decades ago, preachers’ salaries and theology literacy today have significantly improved, but they also face the unique challenges of this era.
The compensation is constantly improving. In some economically developed southeast coastal areas, the monthly salary of urban church preachers reaches around RMB 5,000 or RMB 6,000, and some old preachers with many years of experience can reach nearly RMB 10,000, in addition to social insurance and housing subsidies. The preachers in some churches get 13 months' salary and have an allowance for retirement.
In some areas, grass-roots churches have begun to give financial assistance to their preachers. Fujian churches established the "Pastoral Respect Festival," Guangxi and Shaanxi churches carried out the "Good Shepherds Campaign," and Jilin and Shandong churches raised special funds for preachers. Churches in a prefecture-level city in East China set a unified salary standard for full-time urban and grass-root co-workers and subsidized extra commuting expenses for pastors in local churches.
The preachers are also improving their theology literacy, which is related to the church requirements for the preachers and the seminary's teaching quality improvement. Most of today's full-time preachers have received professional theological training, and the number of graduates with a bachelor's degree or above is increasing. Some theological colleges have been upgraded to undergraduate colleges and the number of graduate students at Jinling Union Theological Seminary is gradually increasing.
In recent years, formal theological training has been required to be established as a preacher. In the past few years, pastors in some places have needed to publish articles in Christian journals to establish themselves. Recently, they were further required to publish articles in higher-level academic journals.
Most city churches are not short of preachers and even have a saturated number of them. However, many grass-roots churches do not have full-time preachers, with only volunteers in charge of ministries and management and pastors from urban churches regularly or irregularly invited to preach sermons. Many grass-roots churches have no awareness of remunerating preachers, which limits their development.
Preachers need to be certified to give sermons. In the past two or three years, the religious administration apartment has standardized preacher management, and preachers without formal theological training are not allowed to preach in the pulpit. This ensured sermon quality, but some responsible volunteers in rural churches could not preach because they could not get the certificate.
Preachers need retraining. It is difficult for many preachers to have systematic learning after graduating from theology. What they have learned in the seminary alone is not enough to support their long-term service. Fortunately, some theological seminaries have held improvement classes, and some churches have organized retreat meetings for the preachers and co-workers, which are good attempts.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
相较于几十年前的传道人，当今的传道人在待遇、神学素养上整体有明显提高；与此同时，他们也有这个时代特有的挑战。
传道人的待遇问题在持续改善。在东南沿海一些经济发达地区，城市教会中的传道人月工资有五六千元，部分服侍多年的老牧者可达近万元，另外还有保险、住房补贴等。有的教会还发13个月工资，而且，他们还有退休工资。
在基层教会，一些地区已开始给予基层传道人以经济上的帮补。福建教会设立了“敬牧节”；广西、陕西教会开展了“善牧行动”；吉林、山东的教会筹措传道人专项帮补资金。华东一地级市教会为市区、基层的全职同工制定统一的薪酬标准，而且还额外给基层教会的牧者通勤费。
传道人的素养在提高，这跟当下教会对传道人的要求，以及神学院的办学水平提高有关。如今的全职传道人绝大多数经过了专业的神学培训，其中本科及以上学历的毕业生在增加。部分神学专科院校已升级为本科院校，金陵神学院的研究生毕业人数也在逐步增加。
接受正规的神学装备，这是近十多年来按立牧师的一个硬性要求；近几年，一些地方，被按立的牧者需要在基督教的刊物上发表文章；近期，又要求在较高级别的学术类刊物发表文章才行。
城市教会大多不缺传道人，甚至出现传道人饱和的状态；但是很多基层教会没有全职的传道人，只有义工在负责牧养以及管理，定期或不定期地邀请市里的牧者过去证道。不少基层教会没有供应传道人的意识，限制了基层教会的发展。
传道人需要执证上岗。近两三年，宗教管理部门对传道人进行了规范管理，没有经过正规神学培训的传道人不允许证道。此举对讲台的质量提供了保证，但是一些乡村教会的负责义工因拿不到证而无法证道。
传道人需要接受再培养。许多传道人神学毕业后就很难再有系统学习的机会；仅凭着在神学院几年所学的知识，不足以支撑他们长久的侍奉。有神学院开办了教牧提高班，还有教会组织了针对教牧同工的退修会，这也是很好的尝试。
当今传道人的生存环境如何？
Compared with decades ago, preachers’ salaries and theology literacy today have significantly improved, but they also face the unique challenges of this era.
The compensation is constantly improving. In some economically developed southeast coastal areas, the monthly salary of urban church preachers reaches around RMB 5,000 or RMB 6,000, and some old preachers with many years of experience can reach nearly RMB 10,000, in addition to social insurance and housing subsidies. The preachers in some churches get 13 months' salary and have an allowance for retirement.
In some areas, grass-roots churches have begun to give financial assistance to their preachers. Fujian churches established the "Pastoral Respect Festival," Guangxi and Shaanxi churches carried out the "Good Shepherds Campaign," and Jilin and Shandong churches raised special funds for preachers. Churches in a prefecture-level city in East China set a unified salary standard for full-time urban and grass-root co-workers and subsidized extra commuting expenses for pastors in local churches.
The preachers are also improving their theology literacy, which is related to the church requirements for the preachers and the seminary's teaching quality improvement. Most of today's full-time preachers have received professional theological training, and the number of graduates with a bachelor's degree or above is increasing. Some theological colleges have been upgraded to undergraduate colleges and the number of graduate students at Jinling Union Theological Seminary is gradually increasing.
In recent years, formal theological training has been required to be established as a preacher. In the past few years, pastors in some places have needed to publish articles in Christian journals to establish themselves. Recently, they were further required to publish articles in higher-level academic journals.
Most city churches are not short of preachers and even have a saturated number of them. However, many grass-roots churches do not have full-time preachers, with only volunteers in charge of ministries and management and pastors from urban churches regularly or irregularly invited to preach sermons. Many grass-roots churches have no awareness of remunerating preachers, which limits their development.
Preachers need to be certified to give sermons. In the past two or three years, the religious administration apartment has standardized preacher management, and preachers without formal theological training are not allowed to preach in the pulpit. This ensured sermon quality, but some responsible volunteers in rural churches could not preach because they could not get the certificate.
Preachers need retraining. It is difficult for many preachers to have systematic learning after graduating from theology. What they have learned in the seminary alone is not enough to support their long-term service. Fortunately, some theological seminaries have held improvement classes, and some churches have organized retreat meetings for the preachers and co-workers, which are good attempts.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
A Glimpse into the Landscape of Chinese Preachers
