In recent years, within certain growing churches, pastors have increasingly emphasized pastoral care within church groups and disciple training, as well as studying and employing teaching materials from different churches and organizations.
In the process of selecting and using teaching materials, there have been some issues. For instance, some pastors tend to overlook contextualization when using materials, resulting in a direct copy-and-paste approach that doesn’t fit well. Some teaching materials have an average lifespan of less than two years, so churches can’t consistently use a fixed set of materials. There are also issues with some popular courses having insufficient depth in their gospel content.
The Christian Times, an online Christian newspaper in China, interviewed three front-line pastors from different provinces on the topic.
Liang, a pastor born in the 1970s from the southern region, leads a church of fewer than 100 people.
From daily devotions to Sunday sermons and group sessions, Pastor Liang always prepares for the courses. He places significant emphasis on elucidating the core message of the gospel. Regardless of the version of small group materials he uses, his concern lies in whether the core of the gospel is clearly articulated within those materials.
He reinstates gospel information into parts of group sessions where the gospel seems diluted.
"No matter which set of teaching material is used, the most important thing is that it is used for the proclamation of the gospel, rather than the gospel serving the use of the material," emphasized Pastor Liang.
Liu, born in the 1960s, serves as the senior pastor of a 300-member church in a city in South China, where two-thirds of the congregation are working professionals.
His church has experimented with diverse, effective courses like "Happiness Group" and "Alpha Course," yet the results were only moderately satisfactory.
For the pastoral care of believers, he uses the CCC&TSPM textbook set MasterLife authored by Avery T. Willis Jr. He shared, "Compared to previous materials, this set focuses more on faith practices, helping them apply the truth and bear witness to Jesus after learning. Materials from some Western and East Asian countries tend to lean more towards doctrines, lacking in practical aspects."
"The faith practice sections in MasterLife suit the contextual characteristics of Chinese believers. For example, the material includes training on evangelism, lessons on caring for family, and specific actionable exercises. When believers practice these, they become more attentive to changes in their lives and the personal mission they've received. Previous materials we used didn't yield such gains and results," he added.
Pastor Li ministers in a church in a southern urban area and has mainly served migrant workers for over 20 years.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, his church transitioned towards decentralized pastoral care through smaller groups.
Li observed that many pastors nowadays adopt a "copy-and-paste" approach for convenience without investing their mental efforts. Whether for Sunday sermons or daily pastoral care, they directly use others' teaching materials. While this might resonate with some, it alienates others.
He believed that when using teaching resources, pastors should follow the principles of contextualization and practical theology. He has developed four sets of teaching materials at different levels for seekers and believers. The first set focuses on evangelism, primarily exploring the relationship between faith and science. The second set covers the journey from doubt to faith and baptism. The third set encompasses the content for spiritual growth from initial faith, covering aspects like prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, church, gospel, and sanctification. The fourth set talks about how Christians study the Bible, lead groups, conduct worship, and engage in team ministry.
"They extend to varied facets of Christian living, including how to live and work. I also incorporate courses on Christian filial piety and marital relationships into these teachings, and the results are quite significant," he concluded.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
近些年来，在一些发展型的教会里，牧者越来越看重对教会小组的牧养以及门徒训练，也在学习和使用来自不同教会和机构的教材。
在牧者选择一套教材和使用教材过程中也存在一些问题。例如，一些牧者容易忽略使用教材时处境化的问题，直接照搬照抄，导致水土不服；或是一套教材的平均使用寿命不超过2年，教会无法稳定地使用一套固定教材；一些流行的课程也存在一些福音内容含量和力度不够的问题。
基督时报近来与来自三位不同省份的一线牧者交流了这个话题。
梁牧师，是一位华南地区的70后牧者，他带领一个不到100人的教会。从每日灵修到主日证道，再到小组课程，钟牧师都认真预备。
这位牧师非常注重讲解基督的福音信息。因此，无论他使用怎样版本小组教材，他所在乎的是，这个教材是否把福音核心信息讲解得清楚明白。
梁牧师会把一些小组课程中对福音弱化的部分，重新注入福音信息的内核。
“无论使用哪一套教材，最重要的是让教材为宣扬福音来服务，而不是让福音为教材的方法服务。”钟牧师强调说。
刘牧师，一位60后牧者，他在华南某城市一间300人的教会里做主任牧师。他所带领的人群有三分之二是职场人群。
刘牧师的教会在做小组时，也尝试过不少教会使用效果很好的《幸福小组》、《启发课程》等，但是他应用的时候发现他最终效果一般。
这位牧师会使用全国基督教两会出版的《塑造主生命》这套教材来做信徒的牧养。他分享说：“这套教材与之前的教材相比，信仰实践部分增加，让信徒学了之后有可以落地的应用和见证。西方与东亚一些国家的教材往往更加偏向于教义，而实践的部分很缺乏。”
“《塑造主生命》教材里信仰实践的部分很符合中国信徒的处境特点。比如，这个教材里有对学员传福音的训练，有对家人关爱的课程和作业，也有一些具体可以去做的落地的操练。当信徒实践之后，他们会更加关注自己在生活中的改变和对个人所领受使命的确信。之前我们使用过的其它类型的教材，并没有达到这样的反馈和效果，”他补充说。
李牧师，是一间在南方城镇教会的牧者。在他牧会20多年的时间里，主要事奉的人群是务工人群。疫情后，他的教会也化整为零，走向小组化牧养。
李牧师观察到，现在有很多牧者讲员为了省事，采用拿来主义，他们不用自己动脑和付代价，无论是主日证道还是平日的牧养，都是拿别人的教材直接用，这样会迎合一些人，也是会失去一些人。
这位牧师认为，教材的使用一定要尊重处境化和实用神学的原则。他为自己教会慕道友和信徒编写四套不同层次的教材。第一套是慕道福音课程，主要围绕信仰与科学之间的关系。第二套课程是从怀疑到信仰，再到受洗内容的学习。第三套课程是从人的初信到成长，例如，认识祷告、读经、聚会、教会、福音、成圣等内容的学习。第四套课程是基督徒如何研经，带小组，带敬拜，团队的服事等内容。
“关于基督徒生活方面，比如，怎么做人、如何做事，衍生到基督徒生活方面的方方面面。我也会把基督徒的孝亲之道，夫妻之道的课程融入其中，效果还是很显著的，”他补充到。
圆桌间｜三位牧者不同角度分享：各种牧养教材如何处境化更好使用？
In recent years, within certain growing churches, pastors have increasingly emphasized pastoral care within church groups and disciple training, as well as studying and employing teaching materials from different churches and organizations.
In the process of selecting and using teaching materials, there have been some issues. For instance, some pastors tend to overlook contextualization when using materials, resulting in a direct copy-and-paste approach that doesn’t fit well. Some teaching materials have an average lifespan of less than two years, so churches can’t consistently use a fixed set of materials. There are also issues with some popular courses having insufficient depth in their gospel content.
The Christian Times, an online Christian newspaper in China, interviewed three front-line pastors from different provinces on the topic.
Liang, a pastor born in the 1970s from the southern region, leads a church of fewer than 100 people.
From daily devotions to Sunday sermons and group sessions, Pastor Liang always prepares for the courses. He places significant emphasis on elucidating the core message of the gospel. Regardless of the version of small group materials he uses, his concern lies in whether the core of the gospel is clearly articulated within those materials.
He reinstates gospel information into parts of group sessions where the gospel seems diluted.
"No matter which set of teaching material is used, the most important thing is that it is used for the proclamation of the gospel, rather than the gospel serving the use of the material," emphasized Pastor Liang.
Liu, born in the 1960s, serves as the senior pastor of a 300-member church in a city in South China, where two-thirds of the congregation are working professionals.
His church has experimented with diverse, effective courses like "Happiness Group" and "Alpha Course," yet the results were only moderately satisfactory.
For the pastoral care of believers, he uses the CCC&TSPM textbook set MasterLife authored by Avery T. Willis Jr. He shared, "Compared to previous materials, this set focuses more on faith practices, helping them apply the truth and bear witness to Jesus after learning. Materials from some Western and East Asian countries tend to lean more towards doctrines, lacking in practical aspects."
"The faith practice sections in MasterLife suit the contextual characteristics of Chinese believers. For example, the material includes training on evangelism, lessons on caring for family, and specific actionable exercises. When believers practice these, they become more attentive to changes in their lives and the personal mission they've received. Previous materials we used didn't yield such gains and results," he added.
Pastor Li ministers in a church in a southern urban area and has mainly served migrant workers for over 20 years.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, his church transitioned towards decentralized pastoral care through smaller groups.
Li observed that many pastors nowadays adopt a "copy-and-paste" approach for convenience without investing their mental efforts. Whether for Sunday sermons or daily pastoral care, they directly use others' teaching materials. While this might resonate with some, it alienates others.
He believed that when using teaching resources, pastors should follow the principles of contextualization and practical theology. He has developed four sets of teaching materials at different levels for seekers and believers. The first set focuses on evangelism, primarily exploring the relationship between faith and science. The second set covers the journey from doubt to faith and baptism. The third set encompasses the content for spiritual growth from initial faith, covering aspects like prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, church, gospel, and sanctification. The fourth set talks about how Christians study the Bible, lead groups, conduct worship, and engage in team ministry.
"They extend to varied facets of Christian living, including how to live and work. I also incorporate courses on Christian filial piety and marital relationships into these teachings, and the results are quite significant," he concluded.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Roundtable: Contextualizing Pastoral Resources in the Chinese Context
