Recently, while visiting the Minnan (South Fujian) region, I discovered that local churches count their believers by "households." When asked about the number of believers, they generally tell you the number of households; if even one person in a family has been baptized as a Christian, the rest are considered seekers.
Through investigation and review of materials, I learned that the clan culture in the Minnan region is relatively strong. People place great importance on relationships within their clan, family, and household. A pastor mentioned that the locals first consider whether anything would bring shame to their clan before thinking about themselves and their immediate family.
In addition, the Minnan region is rich in religious beliefs, including Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, and numerous folk religions. In terms of variety and number of religious beliefs, the southern Fujian people have the most among all ethnic groups in the country. Minnan people often refer to idol worship as "bai bai," which means worship or sacrifice. The objects of worship can be historical figures or fictional deities and spirits. Recently, the “parade of the gods” also caused a stir online.
Under the dual influence of clan culture and religious beliefs, a distinctive feature in the area is that both Christian faith and idol worship are family-oriented: a whole family believes in Christianity, or a whole family practices idol worship. Therefore, when counting believers, they use the concept of households.
Certainly, churches still have baptism records. They typically estimate four people per household when counting the overall number of believers. For example, a county church with 700 registered members would have a pastoral population of 2,800 people, including seekers. However, the actual number of congregants attending services might only be around 400. There are several reasons why seekers might not attend services: some are too busy with work, some need time to learn the basic doctrines before baptism, and some do not oppose their family members' faith but do not actively participate themselves.
A pastor mentioned that generally, if one family member is a believer, the others, who don't attend church, won't participate in idol worship either. Moreover, family events such as weddings and funerals would be conducted according to church ceremonies.
In their teachings, pastors encourage believers to practice love within their families, so as to influence those around them. "Why is your family so harmonious?" Many people will naturally come to know Jesus because they see that Christianity is a religion of love and different from others.
Another significant aspect of the Minnan people's emphasis on clan culture is the importance placed on ancestor worship. The local customs for ancestor veneration are heavily mixed with idol worship. When the gospel was first introduced to Minnan, the missionaries concluded that ancestor worship involved treating people as gods, which was a form of idolatry. Hence, Chinese Christians were prohibited from ancestor worship, and this custom has been passed down among Minnan Christians.
The Qingming Memorial Service held by a church in Pinghe, Zhangzhou, can be seen as a beneficial attempt to replace local ancestor worship practices. To show respect to deceased ancestors, the service has been held four times since 2019, with the exception of the three years during the pandemic. The memorial service, conducted in a Christian manner, typically takes place on the Saturday before the Qingming Festival, with thousands attending each time. The service is held at the Pinghe Fushou Hall, where attendees read scriptures, observe moments of silence, sing hymns, listen to sermons, receive blessings, and then offer flowers to their deceased relatives in sequence.
Inspired by this church, other churches in the county and Zhangzhou city have also started holding collective memorial services, providing a platform for people to commemorate their family members and ancestors according to Christian rituals.
Pastor L of the church stated that the memorial service not only allows believers to express their grief for deceased loved ones but also gives them hope, indirectly aiding the spread of the gospel. He also mentioned that, as the only child in local families, the person feels lonely when commemorating alone during the Qingming Festival. Now, with thousands attending the memorial service together, tomb sweepers no longer feel isolated or helpless.
“Whether believers or non-believers, each person can understand how Christianity views death from this memorial service. Although the ritual is simple, it demonstrates that believing in Jesus does not mean forgetting one’s ancestors,” he added.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
前段时间走访闽南地区，发现当地教会统计信徒按“户”计算。问起多少信徒，一般会告诉你有多少户；一个家里只要有一位是接受了洗礼的基督徒，其他就都是慕道友。
通过了解和查阅资料得知，闽南地区的宗族文化相对浓郁，人们非常重视宗亲、家族和家庭的关系。一位牧者谈及当地人的特点说，任何事情第一考虑就是宗族，会不会给家族抹黑；其次考虑的才是自己和家人。
此外，在闽南地区宗教信仰丰富，除了佛教和道教，基督教、天主教、伊斯兰教，还有数量庞大的民间信仰。以种类和数量来论，闽南地区甚至可以在全国各民系中名列前茅。闽南人常将这种偶像崇拜称为“拜拜”，也就是祭拜、祭祀之意。崇拜的对象有真实历史人物，也有虚构的鬼神等，犹记得前段时间的游神也在网络上掀起一波热议。
在宗族文化和宗教信仰的双重影响下，当地一个特点是信主和拜拜都呈现家族化：信主的是一个家族，拜拜的也是一个家族。因此，在统计信徒时也习惯采用户的概念。
当然，教会还是有洗礼在册登记的，他们一般以每户4人来统计整体信徒。如一县城教会洗礼在册有700人，牧养人数如果加上慕道友，就是2800人（一人洗礼，其他都算慕道友。）而实际聚会可能只有400人。慕道友有几种情况：有的由于工作忙来不了，受洗需要学习一段时间的基本要道，他们没办法做到；还有的是对家人信主不反对……
一位传道人说，一般一家只有一个信徒，其他家人即便不来教会，也不会去拜拜，而且家里婚丧嫁娶也会请教会按照教会仪式办。
在教导上，牧者也会劝勉信徒要在家里活出爱心来，这样就会影响身边的人。“为什么你们家这么和睦？很多人自然而然就来认识耶稣，因为他们会看到基督教很不一样，很相爱。”
闽南地区看重宗族的另一个重要体现就是重视祭祖。当地的祭祖习俗已经与偶像崇拜严重杂糅，再加上闽南地区福音传入较早，当初传教士已经判定祭祖是在把人当成神拜，是祭拜偶像。所以禁止中国基督徒祭祖，而这种观点也被闽南基督徒一直传承下来。
漳州平和某教会的清明节追思会可以说是当地针对祭祖风俗的一种有益尝试，目前已经举行了四次，从2019年开始，除了疫情三年，每年都会举行。追思会按照基督教的方式举行。一般于清明节的前一周六举行，每次都有上千人参加。追思会在平和福寿堂举行，大家一起读经，默哀，唱诗，牧者证道，祝福，然后会众依次向已故亲人献花。
在该教会的带动下，本县的其他教会以及漳州市教会也开始举行集体追思，为大家提供一个按照基督教仪式纪念家人以及祖先的平台。
该教会的牧师L表示，追思会不仅是让信徒寄托对已故亲人的哀思，而且也让大家有盼望，间接也有利于教会的福音传播。他还提到一种情况，现在当地的独生子女比较多，清明节一个人冷冷清清，很孤单，现在上千人一起扫墓纪念，这个群体也不会感觉很孤独很无助。“无论信与不信，大家可以借助这场追思会进一步认识基督教如何看待死亡。仪式虽然简单，但是也表明信耶稣并不是不认祖归宗。”
注重家族概念，举办清明追思会——闽南教会牧养特色浅探
Recently, while visiting the Minnan (South Fujian) region, I discovered that local churches count their believers by "households." When asked about the number of believers, they generally tell you the number of households; if even one person in a family has been baptized as a Christian, the rest are considered seekers.
Through investigation and review of materials, I learned that the clan culture in the Minnan region is relatively strong. People place great importance on relationships within their clan, family, and household. A pastor mentioned that the locals first consider whether anything would bring shame to their clan before thinking about themselves and their immediate family.
In addition, the Minnan region is rich in religious beliefs, including Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, and numerous folk religions. In terms of variety and number of religious beliefs, the southern Fujian people have the most among all ethnic groups in the country. Minnan people often refer to idol worship as "bai bai," which means worship or sacrifice. The objects of worship can be historical figures or fictional deities and spirits. Recently, the “parade of the gods” also caused a stir online.
Under the dual influence of clan culture and religious beliefs, a distinctive feature in the area is that both Christian faith and idol worship are family-oriented: a whole family believes in Christianity, or a whole family practices idol worship. Therefore, when counting believers, they use the concept of households.
Certainly, churches still have baptism records. They typically estimate four people per household when counting the overall number of believers. For example, a county church with 700 registered members would have a pastoral population of 2,800 people, including seekers. However, the actual number of congregants attending services might only be around 400. There are several reasons why seekers might not attend services: some are too busy with work, some need time to learn the basic doctrines before baptism, and some do not oppose their family members' faith but do not actively participate themselves.
A pastor mentioned that generally, if one family member is a believer, the others, who don't attend church, won't participate in idol worship either. Moreover, family events such as weddings and funerals would be conducted according to church ceremonies.
In their teachings, pastors encourage believers to practice love within their families, so as to influence those around them. "Why is your family so harmonious?" Many people will naturally come to know Jesus because they see that Christianity is a religion of love and different from others.
Another significant aspect of the Minnan people's emphasis on clan culture is the importance placed on ancestor worship. The local customs for ancestor veneration are heavily mixed with idol worship. When the gospel was first introduced to Minnan, the missionaries concluded that ancestor worship involved treating people as gods, which was a form of idolatry. Hence, Chinese Christians were prohibited from ancestor worship, and this custom has been passed down among Minnan Christians.
The Qingming Memorial Service held by a church in Pinghe, Zhangzhou, can be seen as a beneficial attempt to replace local ancestor worship practices. To show respect to deceased ancestors, the service has been held four times since 2019, with the exception of the three years during the pandemic. The memorial service, conducted in a Christian manner, typically takes place on the Saturday before the Qingming Festival, with thousands attending each time. The service is held at the Pinghe Fushou Hall, where attendees read scriptures, observe moments of silence, sing hymns, listen to sermons, receive blessings, and then offer flowers to their deceased relatives in sequence.
Inspired by this church, other churches in the county and Zhangzhou city have also started holding collective memorial services, providing a platform for people to commemorate their family members and ancestors according to Christian rituals.
Pastor L of the church stated that the memorial service not only allows believers to express their grief for deceased loved ones but also gives them hope, indirectly aiding the spread of the gospel. He also mentioned that, as the only child in local families, the person feels lonely when commemorating alone during the Qingming Festival. Now, with thousands attending the memorial service together, tomb sweepers no longer feel isolated or helpless.
“Whether believers or non-believers, each person can understand how Christianity views death from this memorial service. Although the ritual is simple, it demonstrates that believing in Jesus does not mean forgetting one’s ancestors,” he added.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Qingming Memorial Service: How Christianity Adapts to Minnan's Unique Religious Landscape
