Recently, when I visited the county churches of M City in southern China, I learned that many grassroots churches here lack preachers. Being unable to cultivate, support, and maintain them has become the main factor.
M City has a long Christian history, with 168 churches established here before 1949. Because M City is located in the mountains, many churches are in the mountains. If it is not the believers who live nearby who often gather here, there are hardly any believers from neighboring villages who come over mountains and rivers to gather here. That's why it's so important to train local pastors to serve. But the relatively young people here have gone to big cities to work, and the believers left behind are in their 60s. Even the young believers who are consciously trained and sent out to study theology rarely come back and stay, making some churches afraid to train young pastors again.
During the exchange, I learned that some churches cannot afford a pastor. And the preachers, forced by financial pressure, have to find other jobs.
The several churches I went to were all churches with a history spanning more than 100 years, but there were only dozens of people at each meeting, and they are seriously aging. There is no need for such a church to invite a special preacher, which is also a question that the church is currently considering, not to mention that it cannot afford to hire one. At present, these churches only invite pastors to give a sermon every Sunday. The doors of the church are closed at other times, and the church does not carry out any other ministry.
Church B, which is in M City, is actually facing the same problem. But Church B with a steady congregation of only about 60 people, supports three preachers, a seminarian, and an elder. "How can a township church also achieve this? The person in charge must find a way to solve the problem of preachers' compensation." Pastor Y, the head of Church B, said that, in fact, the reason they can provide for so many preachers is that they have found a method suitable for them at the moment.
A pastor can serve multiple churches, and Church B joins with other churches to provide for the pastors. For example, these three preachers have their main church to serve. That is, this church would pay their basic salaries and social security, but that would not be much. So Pastor Y will help them expand their service by going to other churches in need twice a month. Every month, they will also get a subsidy of 500–800 yuan. Then their total income every month would be about 4,000.
"Churches should be united with each other, share pastoral resources, and be independent in management." Pastor Y sees the real needs of the church here, so he is not only doing this in his church, but he is also carrying out training on church strategies and plans for other churches. He hopes that by spreading this idea, he can help more needy churches here.
Currently, two churches work together to cover the cost of supporting a seminarian. Pastor Y said that the theological student will graduate next year, and the church will have another young preacher. The total number of believers in the two churches is about 100, and there are two elders and four preachers, so the pastoral team is still relatively large.
Pastor Y said that he would continue to hire and train preachers and would send them to other churches at any time if needed.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
近日，笔者在走访华南区域，M市的县城教会时了解到，这边很多基层教会缺乏传道人。培养不起来，供养不起，留不住成为了主要因素。
M市有着深厚的基督教历史，1949年之前这边就已经建立了168处教会。由于M市地处山区，很多教会是在山上。如不是附近常居住的信徒在这里聚会，几乎很少有其他邻村的信徒跋山涉水跑来这里聚会。因此培养本地同工起来服侍就变得尤为重要。但这边相对年轻的人都出去工作了，留下的信徒也都是花甲古稀之年的信徒。即便有意识培养送出去读神学的年轻信徒也很少能回来且留得住，使得有的教会不敢再培养了。
交流中了解到，有的教会没有办法供养得起一个传道人。而传道人被生活所迫，就不得不另谋高就。
笔者去到的几间教会都是百年堂，但每场聚会就几十、十几人，而且老龄化严重。这样的教会还有没有必要专门请一个传道人过来，这也是教会当下考量的问题，何况又聘请不起。目前这几间教会只是在每周日的时候邀请人过来讲一场道，其余时间教堂的门都是关着的，除此教会也没有开展什么事工。
同在这所城市的另一个县，其实也面临着相同的问题。但在B堂，一间稳定聚会人数只有60几人的教会，却供养着三个传道人，一位在读神学生，和一位长老。“乡镇教会为什么也能达到这样，负责人要想办法解传道人决薪资问题的。”B堂负责人Y传道说，其实他们之所以能供养这么多传道人，是在当下找到了适合他们的方法。
一个传道人可以服侍多间教会，联合其他教会共同供养传道人。Y传道举例：比如这三个传道人，他们有主要服侍的教会，就由这间教会支付他的几本工资，给缴纳社保，但能给到传道人的也不多。因此Y传道就会帮助他们拓展服侍，去其他有需要的教会一个月服侍两次。每个月也会拿到500-800的补助，总得算来下来一个月还是可以拿到四千左右的。
“教会彼此之间要联合，可以教牧资源共享，管理上独立。”Y传道看到这边教会现实的需求，因此不但自己教会在这样做，也在开展教会策略与计划的培训。希望通过这样的理念，帮助到这边更多有需要的教会。
目前他们送出去的在读神学生，是由两个教会共同在担负其一切的花销。Y 传道说，明年这个神学生就毕业了，教会又增添了一名年轻的传道人。两个堂信徒人数加起来一百人左右，有两位长老，四个传道人，这样的教牧队伍还是可观的。
Y传道表示，他还会继续聘请、培养传道人，其他教会有需要可以随时输送过去。
华南一间教会联合其他教会供养传道人
Recently, when I visited the county churches of M City in southern China, I learned that many grassroots churches here lack preachers. Being unable to cultivate, support, and maintain them has become the main factor.
M City has a long Christian history, with 168 churches established here before 1949. Because M City is located in the mountains, many churches are in the mountains. If it is not the believers who live nearby who often gather here, there are hardly any believers from neighboring villages who come over mountains and rivers to gather here. That's why it's so important to train local pastors to serve. But the relatively young people here have gone to big cities to work, and the believers left behind are in their 60s. Even the young believers who are consciously trained and sent out to study theology rarely come back and stay, making some churches afraid to train young pastors again.
During the exchange, I learned that some churches cannot afford a pastor. And the preachers, forced by financial pressure, have to find other jobs.
The several churches I went to were all churches with a history spanning more than 100 years, but there were only dozens of people at each meeting, and they are seriously aging. There is no need for such a church to invite a special preacher, which is also a question that the church is currently considering, not to mention that it cannot afford to hire one. At present, these churches only invite pastors to give a sermon every Sunday. The doors of the church are closed at other times, and the church does not carry out any other ministry.
Church B, which is in M City, is actually facing the same problem. But Church B with a steady congregation of only about 60 people, supports three preachers, a seminarian, and an elder. "How can a township church also achieve this? The person in charge must find a way to solve the problem of preachers' compensation." Pastor Y, the head of Church B, said that, in fact, the reason they can provide for so many preachers is that they have found a method suitable for them at the moment.
A pastor can serve multiple churches, and Church B joins with other churches to provide for the pastors. For example, these three preachers have their main church to serve. That is, this church would pay their basic salaries and social security, but that would not be much. So Pastor Y will help them expand their service by going to other churches in need twice a month. Every month, they will also get a subsidy of 500–800 yuan. Then their total income every month would be about 4,000.
"Churches should be united with each other, share pastoral resources, and be independent in management." Pastor Y sees the real needs of the church here, so he is not only doing this in his church, but he is also carrying out training on church strategies and plans for other churches. He hopes that by spreading this idea, he can help more needy churches here.
Currently, two churches work together to cover the cost of supporting a seminarian. Pastor Y said that the theological student will graduate next year, and the church will have another young preacher. The total number of believers in the two churches is about 100, and there are two elders and four preachers, so the pastoral team is still relatively large.
Pastor Y said that he would continue to hire and train preachers and would send them to other churches at any time if needed.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
Church in South China Unites With Other Churches to Provide for Pastors
