Last Sunday, I attended a worship service at a church, noticing a one-third reduction in the attendance. Additionally, the number of worship sessions decreased from three to two. Choirs and fellowships are also suspended until the end of February.
Curious about this, I inquired with the church's pastor. He explained that the church's members are primarily migrant workers, and many had returned home during the Spring Festival or the Chinese New Year. This led to a significant decrease in the church's attendance and a shortage of staff serving in the church, which prompted the suspension of some ministries.
This situation is prevalent in many churches, particularly those consisting mainly of migrant workers. Over the years, I've interacted with numerous staff workers and believers, understanding that the impact of returning home for the Chinese New Year on the church goes beyond the immediate circumstances.
Z, a Christian lady born into a rural family, works in a southern city. When she arrived in the city, feeling lonely, she joined and served in a church, making friends there. However, when she returned home for the Spring Festival, she did not attend any gatherings, though there was a medium-sized church nearby.
According to her, "While in the city, I felt very lonely, so I participated in church activities and made many friends. However, when I returned home for the Chinese traditional festival, the overwhelming visits and reunions left me with no time for church."
Similarly, W, a Christian gentleman from Northeast China, also refrains from attending services when he returns to his hometown. The reason is the abundance of local friends, which makes Christian fellowship unnecessary. Moreover, he may not have the same topics as other believers with a lower educational level in his hometown’s church.
Pastor L, passionate about evangelism, recognizes the significance of believers back home spreading the gospel. He pointed out, "During the Chinese New Year, hundreds of millions of people move around the country. If among them there are Christians, the gospel can be brought back to their hometowns. They may proclaim it there and lead many to Christ."
Hence, he focused on the doctrinal training of migrant workers, hoping they could bear witness to Christ when they returned home. One male believer from a rural area in Anhui, trained by Pastor L, returned to his hometown during the Spring Festival. He led many locals to faith, starting a registered church.
Similar to Pastor L, Christian woman C also highlighted the significance of believers returning to their hometowns for their local churches. However, she pointed out, "Many migrant believers in the city have received theological equipment in urban churches. If they go back home, they can bring back good ministry practices, thereby promoting the development of local churches."
Every time she returns home for the Spring Festival, she engages in discussions with local pastors and elders. She introduces successful experiences from urban churches, providing devotional materials to help them pastor the church and edify believers.
W, a Christian writer, has always been cautious about estimating the number of Chinese Christians. Through observing the quietness in urban churches during the Spring Festival, he proposed a viewpoint on China's church revival.
He stated, "The revival of urban churches is brought about by migrant workers. Although many coastal city churches are thriving, the first generation of Christians is not substantial; they are mainly composed of migrant believers. Therefore, in terms of the overall national count, the number of Christians has not increased significantly, and it is just an illusion of the revival of urban churches." This is a perspective worth considering, but further in-depth research is needed to arrive at a more accurate conclusion.
(The author is a Christian living in Fujian and the article was originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
上个主日到某教堂礼拜，发现敬拜人数少了三分之一。而礼拜场次也从原来的三场，减少到了两场。此外诗班、团契也都暂停了，要到2月底才能恢复。
于是我就询问教会的传道，何以如此。他说教会的信徒是以外来务工人员为主的；春节大家都回去了，教会人数急剧减少，也缺乏侍奉同工，因此就暂停了一些事工。
而这种情况在不少教会中都存在，尤其是外来人员为主的教会。多年来笔者接触了不少同工、信徒，了解到春节回家对于教会的影响不止于此。
Z女信徒出生在一个农村家庭，她在南方某城市工作。她来到城市后举目无亲，于是就来到教堂聚会，并热心侍奉，认识了不少肢体。而当她春节回到家乡后，虽然当地有一座规模中等的教堂，可她也没有去聚会。
据她说：“在城市的时候，我非常孤独，因此参加教会活动，认识了不少朋友。可回到家乡后，春节的走亲访友就让我应接不暇，没有时间再去教堂。”
W男基督徒回到东北老家时，同样也是不去教会的。原因就是家乡朋友多，不需要肢体的社交了。而且家乡教会的信徒素质较低，彼此没有共同语言。
L传道十分热心福音事工，他觉察到信徒春节回家对于福传的意义。他指出：“中国每到春节时，都有几亿人的流动。而假如其中有基督徒的话，就会把福音带回自己的故乡；并在家乡传扬，让不少人接受救恩。”
因此他十分注重对外来务工人员的真理教导，希望他们能够回到家乡见证基督。有位来自安徽某地农村的男信徒，就是在L传道等同工的培训下，春节时回到家乡，带领不少乡人信主，并建立了教会并登记的。
与L传道的观点类似，C女基督徒同样指出了信徒回家对于家乡教会的意义。只是她指出：“很多外来信徒在城市教会接受了好的真理装备。如果他们回家了，就能把好的事工带回去，从而促进当地教会的建设。”
她每次春节回到老家，都会与当地牧者、长老交流。介绍城市教会的成功经验，提供优秀的灵修教材，以帮助他们牧养教会、造就信徒。
W男信徒是位主内作家，他对中国信徒数量一直持谨慎的态度。而通过城市教会中在春节期间的冷清，得出了中国教会假性复兴的观点。
他认为“城市教会的复兴，其实是外来务工人员带来的。虽然不少沿海城市教堂很火爆，但第一代基督徒并不多，都是外来信徒构成的。因此从全国总量看，基督徒数量其实并没有太大增长，城市教会的复兴只是假象。”这个角度值得思考，但需要深入调研，才能得出较为准确的答案。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系福建一名基督徒。
春节返乡潮对教会带来的影响
Last Sunday, I attended a worship service at a church, noticing a one-third reduction in the attendance. Additionally, the number of worship sessions decreased from three to two. Choirs and fellowships are also suspended until the end of February.
Curious about this, I inquired with the church's pastor. He explained that the church's members are primarily migrant workers, and many had returned home during the Spring Festival or the Chinese New Year. This led to a significant decrease in the church's attendance and a shortage of staff serving in the church, which prompted the suspension of some ministries.
This situation is prevalent in many churches, particularly those consisting mainly of migrant workers. Over the years, I've interacted with numerous staff workers and believers, understanding that the impact of returning home for the Chinese New Year on the church goes beyond the immediate circumstances.
Z, a Christian lady born into a rural family, works in a southern city. When she arrived in the city, feeling lonely, she joined and served in a church, making friends there. However, when she returned home for the Spring Festival, she did not attend any gatherings, though there was a medium-sized church nearby.
According to her, "While in the city, I felt very lonely, so I participated in church activities and made many friends. However, when I returned home for the Chinese traditional festival, the overwhelming visits and reunions left me with no time for church."
Similarly, W, a Christian gentleman from Northeast China, also refrains from attending services when he returns to his hometown. The reason is the abundance of local friends, which makes Christian fellowship unnecessary. Moreover, he may not have the same topics as other believers with a lower educational level in his hometown’s church.
Pastor L, passionate about evangelism, recognizes the significance of believers back home spreading the gospel. He pointed out, "During the Chinese New Year, hundreds of millions of people move around the country. If among them there are Christians, the gospel can be brought back to their hometowns. They may proclaim it there and lead many to Christ."
Hence, he focused on the doctrinal training of migrant workers, hoping they could bear witness to Christ when they returned home. One male believer from a rural area in Anhui, trained by Pastor L, returned to his hometown during the Spring Festival. He led many locals to faith, starting a registered church.
Similar to Pastor L, Christian woman C also highlighted the significance of believers returning to their hometowns for their local churches. However, she pointed out, "Many migrant believers in the city have received theological equipment in urban churches. If they go back home, they can bring back good ministry practices, thereby promoting the development of local churches."
Every time she returns home for the Spring Festival, she engages in discussions with local pastors and elders. She introduces successful experiences from urban churches, providing devotional materials to help them pastor the church and edify believers.
W, a Christian writer, has always been cautious about estimating the number of Chinese Christians. Through observing the quietness in urban churches during the Spring Festival, he proposed a viewpoint on China's church revival.
He stated, "The revival of urban churches is brought about by migrant workers. Although many coastal city churches are thriving, the first generation of Christians is not substantial; they are mainly composed of migrant believers. Therefore, in terms of the overall national count, the number of Christians has not increased significantly, and it is just an illusion of the revival of urban churches." This is a perspective worth considering, but further in-depth research is needed to arrive at a more accurate conclusion.
(The author is a Christian living in Fujian and the article was originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Spring Festival Travel Wave's Impact on the Church
