In official churches, hundreds of thousands of people gather together to attend services, but many don't know each other or just connect with their own group members. This article discusses the church pastoral mode accessible for the localization of Christianity in China and advocates small family churches.
Why advocate for small and comfortable home churches?
The big church model that the majority of churches used in the past aimed at the masses, making it impossible to achieve "refined care" with just a few staff workers serving hundreds or even thousands of people.
However, small home churches allow pastors the time and focus to observe those who need support, building pastoral relationships conducive to nurturing congregants and resembling a loving and warm home.
The smallest unit of a church is the family, and like the early church, small gatherings of two or three individuals create small meeting points. These gatherings can be held in homes, neighborhoods, or communities, facilitating easy access for attendees.
Amid the pandemic, some larger churches have attempted to establish "branched churches," with two or three families gathering later. This has been effective, and some pastors believe it will become a trend in the development of the church in China.
How can we build home churches?
Emphasis on family pastoral care
Small home churches emphasize pastoral care for families, providing a faith environment suitable for family members. Through birthday celebrations, parent-child activities, family devotions, and meals together, interactions and communication among family members are enhanced.
For instance, a home church of about a dozen people, affected by the pandemic, had not celebrated birthdays for a while. They spontaneously update records of members' birthdays and resume monthly celebrations now. Some small family churches also hold regular parent-child activities, such as foot-washing ceremonies for parents.
Establishing intimate relationships
Small home churches facilitate the establishment of intimate relationships. Pastors can regularly meet with each member at least once a month. Common issues can be addressed during Sunday gatherings, while personalized concerns can be handled through one-on-one counseling sessions.
In such churches, the smaller number of attendees fosters closeness. People like to pay home visits, with several believers conducting regular visits. Particularly for the sick, especially the elderly with severe illnesses, visits provide comfort and financial support. After the pandemic, crises in employment and entrepreneurship have emerged, and church members need mutual encouragement and resource support.
Emphasis on spiritual care
Small home churches should prioritize spiritual care for congregants, providing personalized guidance and support in faith. Regular spiritual activities like devotions, prayer meetings, and Bible studies help members establish a solid spiritual foundation and faith.
Many believers, despite years of professing faith, lack a foundational understanding of the Bible's teachings, which makes them vulnerable during turbulent times. Small and comfortable home churches enable pastors to provide one-on-one or small-group guidance. Besides instilling foundational truths, they also offer practical life companionship. These churches might organize basic, intermediate, and advanced Bible study groups, encouraging believers to attend men's or women's gatherings conducive to pastoral care based on individuals' spiritual conditions or differences in gender and occupation.
Strengthening community cooperations
Home churches should strengthen ties with the community by integrating Christians into community life and providing spiritual care and support.
They collaborate with communities by conducting seminars on marriage, parenting, law, and psychology. They also volunteer in nursing homes, providing support to elderly individuals whose children are not nearby. Additionally, they participate in cultural activities conducted by senior citizen universities in communities, engaging in activities like calligraphy, painting, and dance, and occasionally sharing the gospel.
Promotion of multicultural integration
Small home churches should advocate for multicultural integration, respecting people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Hosting multicultural events and offering multilingual services can be effective strategies.
For example, in a home church, the members include an art teacher, a civil servant, a homemaker, a migrant worker, and an IT professional. They organize varied activities to promote multicultural integration, such as art classes, sports events, and food festivals. Another house church comprises exclusively highly educated individuals above the university lecturer level. They enjoy Bible study sessions, weekly singing of hymns in multiple parts, as well as outings for painting and sketching sessions.
(The author of the original article is a Sichuan believer, and the Gospel Times published it.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
参加大教会堂会聚会的肢体，可能都有这样的感触：几百上千人近十年在一起听道、聚会，若不是参与教会的小组团契或服侍，可能很多弟兄姊妹都不曾认识，也没有关系或连接，虽说教会有成百上千人，但只对自己小组的几个人才比较熟悉一点。本文在探讨适合中国本土化的教会牧养方式上，便从倡导小而美的家教会这一方向谈开来。
本文探讨适合中国本土化的教会牧养方式，倡导小而美的家教会。
为什么要倡导小而美的家教会？
大堂会模式，牧养须得考虑前来参加聚会的所有会众，几名同工服侍几百上千人，根本没有办法做到“精耕细牧”。
而小而美的家教会，则利于牧者有时间和精力观察到那些需要扶持的人，彼此建立牧会关系，利于牧养信众的生命，更像一个有爱、温暖的家。
教会最微小的细胞单位就是家庭，与初代教会一样，两三个人聚在一起，建立小而美的聚会点。这种聚会点可以以房屋、小区、街区等为单位，方便信众就近参加活动和聚会。
疫情之下确实有些人数规模很大的教会尝试把“大堂会”下分设“区分堂”，再下设立两三个家庭组成的“小而美的教会”。这是很有果效的，也有牧者说会成为中国教会之后发展的一个必然趋势。
如何建造小而美的家教会？
注重家庭牧养
小而美的家教会更注重对家庭的牧养，提供适合家庭成员的信仰环境。通过生日聚会、亲子活动、家庭灵修、家庭聚餐等方式，增强家庭成员之间的互动和沟通。
有个十几人组成的家教会，受疫情影响，好久没有生日庆祝仪式；现在大家自发把过去记录肢体们的生日信息重新完善，开始恢复每月生日聚会。还有些小而美的教会，定期举行为父母洗脚的亲子活动。
有真实扶持的亲密关系
小而美的家教会，利于建立有真实扶持的亲密关系。牧者可以定期每个月至少与每位见一次面。有共性的问题可以通过主日聚会讲道解决，而个性化问题则在一对一见面的时候给予辅导。
在小而美的家教会，人不多彼此容易亲近。大家喜欢进行家庭探访活动，几个姊妹或者弟兄定期家访。尤其是生病的肢体，特别是重症的老人，探访时给与安慰、经济支持。疫情后 就业和创业的危机问题频频出现，需要肢体们彼此鼓励和资源扶持。
注重灵性关怀
小而美的家教会应当注重对信众的灵性关怀，提供个性化的信仰指导和支持。可以通过定期的灵修活动、祷告会、读经会等方式，帮助信众建立坚实的属灵基础和信仰根基。
好多信徒信主多年，并没有扎根圣经研读，没有掌握基要真理，风浪一来，就会软弱跌倒。小而美的教会便于牧者一对一或一对多进行辅导；除了扎根真理，还有切实的生命陪伴。小而美的教会可以细分查经初级班、中级班、深度班，门训可以细分为弟兄会、姊妹会，利于根据属灵生命的状况，或者性别职业等方面的不同进行牧养。
强化与社区的合作
小而美的家教会应当加强与社区的联系，融入社区生活，为社区提供属灵关怀和支持。
部分小而美的教会与社区建立了一些服务合作，如开展婚姻、亲子、法律、心理讲座；与社区养老院一起做义工，对于儿女不在身边的老人或者孤寡老人，进行生活上的扶持；社区许多老年大学开办的有书法、画画、跳坝坝舞文艺班，与老年大学也能共同开展一些文艺演出活动，择机给老人们传福音。
增进了多元文化的融和
小而美的家教会应当倡导多元文化的融和，尊重不同文化背景的人。可以举办多元文化的活动、提供多语言的服务。
有家小而美的教会，组成人员有美术老师、公务员、家庭主妇、农民工、IT人士等，他们举办各种活动展开多元文化的融和，开展过美术培训、运动会、美食活动；还有家小而美的教会，全是大学老师以上的高级知识分子，他们喜欢一起读圣经，每周一次组织多声部的唱圣歌，也有郊游、外出画画写生。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系四川一名基督徒。
探索中国本土化的牧养之倡导小而美的家教会
In official churches, hundreds of thousands of people gather together to attend services, but many don't know each other or just connect with their own group members. This article discusses the church pastoral mode accessible for the localization of Christianity in China and advocates small family churches.
Why advocate for small and comfortable home churches?
The big church model that the majority of churches used in the past aimed at the masses, making it impossible to achieve "refined care" with just a few staff workers serving hundreds or even thousands of people.
However, small home churches allow pastors the time and focus to observe those who need support, building pastoral relationships conducive to nurturing congregants and resembling a loving and warm home.
The smallest unit of a church is the family, and like the early church, small gatherings of two or three individuals create small meeting points. These gatherings can be held in homes, neighborhoods, or communities, facilitating easy access for attendees.
Amid the pandemic, some larger churches have attempted to establish "branched churches," with two or three families gathering later. This has been effective, and some pastors believe it will become a trend in the development of the church in China.
How can we build home churches?
Emphasis on family pastoral care
Small home churches emphasize pastoral care for families, providing a faith environment suitable for family members. Through birthday celebrations, parent-child activities, family devotions, and meals together, interactions and communication among family members are enhanced.
For instance, a home church of about a dozen people, affected by the pandemic, had not celebrated birthdays for a while. They spontaneously update records of members' birthdays and resume monthly celebrations now. Some small family churches also hold regular parent-child activities, such as foot-washing ceremonies for parents.
Establishing intimate relationships
Small home churches facilitate the establishment of intimate relationships. Pastors can regularly meet with each member at least once a month. Common issues can be addressed during Sunday gatherings, while personalized concerns can be handled through one-on-one counseling sessions.
In such churches, the smaller number of attendees fosters closeness. People like to pay home visits, with several believers conducting regular visits. Particularly for the sick, especially the elderly with severe illnesses, visits provide comfort and financial support. After the pandemic, crises in employment and entrepreneurship have emerged, and church members need mutual encouragement and resource support.
Emphasis on spiritual care
Small home churches should prioritize spiritual care for congregants, providing personalized guidance and support in faith. Regular spiritual activities like devotions, prayer meetings, and Bible studies help members establish a solid spiritual foundation and faith.
Many believers, despite years of professing faith, lack a foundational understanding of the Bible's teachings, which makes them vulnerable during turbulent times. Small and comfortable home churches enable pastors to provide one-on-one or small-group guidance. Besides instilling foundational truths, they also offer practical life companionship. These churches might organize basic, intermediate, and advanced Bible study groups, encouraging believers to attend men's or women's gatherings conducive to pastoral care based on individuals' spiritual conditions or differences in gender and occupation.
Strengthening community cooperations
Home churches should strengthen ties with the community by integrating Christians into community life and providing spiritual care and support.
They collaborate with communities by conducting seminars on marriage, parenting, law, and psychology. They also volunteer in nursing homes, providing support to elderly individuals whose children are not nearby. Additionally, they participate in cultural activities conducted by senior citizen universities in communities, engaging in activities like calligraphy, painting, and dance, and occasionally sharing the gospel.
Promotion of multicultural integration
Small home churches should advocate for multicultural integration, respecting people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Hosting multicultural events and offering multilingual services can be effective strategies.
For example, in a home church, the members include an art teacher, a civil servant, a homemaker, a migrant worker, and an IT professional. They organize varied activities to promote multicultural integration, such as art classes, sports events, and food festivals. Another house church comprises exclusively highly educated individuals above the university lecturer level. They enjoy Bible study sessions, weekly singing of hymns in multiple parts, as well as outings for painting and sketching sessions.
(The author of the original article is a Sichuan believer, and the Gospel Times published it.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Pastor Advocates Small Home Churches to Provide Better Care
