Sisters largely outnumber brothers in not only rural churches but also urban churches. Why is there such an imbalance? This question is worthy of consideration.
Generally, in today's rural churches, believers are primarily farmers. Their main job is farming or doing odd jobs in county towns to supplement their income and help their families. In some all-Christian families, the husbands work outside the home and the wives take care of their children or household chores and participate in church services. That is one of the reasons why there are more females than males in a church. There is surely another reason that not all family members have accepted Jesus - either the husband or the wife believes. Therefore, there will be an imbalance in a church, and the reason why there are more women than men is that women will take care of children at home, pick up and drop off children at school, and tend to work on the farm.
Some people who don't believe in Jesus are also prejudiced against the church. They think that the church is a place where grandmothers or women gather, and few men go to church. So this idea gradually creates the crisis of the lack of men in the church.
Looking back at church history, although many women served in the Church during the Apostolic Period, there were many men who became preachers or deacons, such as Mark, Timothy and Titus. In his letter to Timothy, Paul also mentioned the requirements of female deacons. Paul also recommended a female deacon named Phoebe in the Book of Romans. This shows that women can also take responsibility and provide leadership and direction in the church. For rural churches, not only are the majority of believers female, but they are also in the positions of deacons and leaders.
Personally, I think that whether it is a rural church or a city church, it is better for brothers and sisters to jointly serve their church. If only sisters are serving, there will be many shortcomings in how the church is managed and administered. Of course, this is not to say that sisters can't manage, but that brothers have their unique strengths and wisdom.
On the other hand, rural churches having mainly female and elderly believers is a deficiency. The church was built by God to be complete and perfect, but people are always imperfect and incomplete. When people gather and worship, they also have shortcomings. Even though there may be shortcomings, believers continue to strive for perfection, changing through training and spiritual growth.
The gender imbalance mentioned above should not be the issue we criticize, but we should rather analyze the reasons behind it. Why are there more women and fewer men in the church? Why are there no brothers in the church serving as deacons or elders?
The reasons are summarized as follows:
The first is that the target group for evangelism is not adequately distributed.
Secondly, brothers and sisters neglect to preach the gospel to their families (either wives or husbands believe).
Thirdly, the church model is not open enough to more diverse groups.
The fourth is the failure to train children to become the next generation of believers.
Fifthly, the issue is not a part of prayer in the church.
Of course, this is only my personal opinion and summary. Perhaps there are many reasons that affect the imbalance in number between brothers and sisters in a church. When we look at the development of the church today, we are constantly aware of our own problems and realize that the future development of the church is full of difficulties. Every Christian should function as a part of the body of Christ by giving full play to his/her value and function, coordinating with each other, and performing duties.
However, when we find problems in a church, we should put forward practical methods to improve the situation. We should find the proper operation mode that is consistent with the current situation of that church, so as to increase the number of churches and have them adapt to local conditions. We are not only pursuing an increase in the number of believers but also pursuing improvement in the quality of belief and life.
Regarding the issue that there are fewer brothers in rural churches, I have put forward some suggestions that are for reference only:
The first issue to be solved is people's understanding of the gospel. The gospel is not a commodity, not something suitable for men or women. The gospel is aimed at all people regardless of race, nationality, gender or age. When going out to preach the gospel, evangelists should make their listeners be aware of the universality of the gospel rather than just putting emphasis on individuals.
Secondly, we should be equipped with as many evangelical skills and methods as possible. There are different ways and skills for different groups of people. Of course, apart from methods, the most important thing is to pray and prepare in different ways, so as to do our part for the revival and development of the church.
Finally, Christians should strive for the growth of the Church. Although there are still many problems in how the church operates, such as the imbalance between men and women, the church will be transformed and change as long as it is willing to rely on the guidance and help of God.
- Translated by Charlie Li
如何看待农村教会姊妹多弟兄少的现象？
教会中姊妹多、弟兄少这种现象不仅仅在农村教会出现，城市教会也不例外。为什么会有这种失衡的现象？这值得我们思考的。
当下的农村教会，普遍的信徒都是农民，主要面对的工作就是务农，或者是在县城集镇打一些零工，贴补家用。有的全家信耶稣的基督徒，基本是丈夫出外打工，妻子照顾家庭，参与教会服事，这也是造成教会女性多男性少的原因之一。当然还有一方面的原因就是许许多多的家庭成员还没有完全接受耶稣，要么是丈夫自个信，要么是妻子自个信。所以说教会中的群体会男女失衡，之所以出现女性多于男性的问题，是因为女性相比较会在家里照顾孩子，接送孩子上学、放学、种地、收割等。
有一些不信耶稣的人对教会也有偏见，他们认为教会都是老奶奶或妇女聚集的地方，很少有男性来教会，所以就逐渐造成了一些危机——教会的男性逐渐缺失。
回顾教会历史，使徒时期的教会，虽然说也有很多女性在职服侍，但也不乏有诸多的男性成为传道人或执事，比如马可、提摩太、提多等。保罗也在写给提摩太的书信中提到，女执事的信仰生活要求，以及在罗马书信中保罗也曾举荐一个名叫非比的女执事。这说明教会中女性也是可以担当责任，带领教会的发展方向。对于农村教会而言，不仅仅信徒大多数为女性，甚至也有女执事、领袖。
笔者个人认为无论是农村教会还是城市教会，弟兄与姊妹搭配的服事是更好的，如果只有姊妹缺少弟兄，那么教会的管理和行政就有很多的不足之处，当然这里并不是说姊妹不会管理，乃是说弟兄身上有弟兄身上长处和智慧。
再一方面谈到农村教会信徒以女性化、老年化为主，这就是教会的不足之处，教会是神建造的本是完整且完美的，但人总是不完全的，当聚集敬拜形成神的家，也充满了很多的不足。因为只有不足，才会努力地追求完全，因为不足才会努力地改变自己、训练自己。
农村教会姊妹多，弟兄少并不是我们该批评的话题，乃是我们分析其背后的原因，到底为什么教会中女性多，男性少？为什么教会中缺乏弟兄作为执事或长老？
笔者从以上做出分析和理解寻其原因如下:
第一就是传福音的对象群体不够合理分配，
第二就是弟兄姊妹给家里的人传福音有所忽略（或者妻子/丈夫未信），
第三就是教会的模式生硬，没有对更多元化群体开放，
第四就是缺乏培养孩子成为信仰的接力棒，
第五就是没有放在多方的祷告当中。
当然这只是笔者个人的看法和总结，或许影响教会中弟兄姊妹失衡的原因还有很多，当我们努力审视当今的教会发展时，也不断地认识到自身的问题，认识教会的未来发展充满艰难。每个基督徒都要做基督身上的肢体，发挥其价值和功用，互相搭配，各尽其职。
然而当我们发觉教会存在的一些问题后，就要提出切合实际的方法来改善，并且找出与当下处境教会相符合的运作模式来使教会的人数增长，因地制宜。我们不仅仅追求人数的增长，更要追求质量和生命的提升。
关于农村教会弟兄少姊妹多的问题，笔者提出了一些建议仅思考探讨：
首先要解决的是人对于福音的认识，福音不是一件商品，不是说适不适合男性或女性的东西，福音所面向的是所有人，不分种族国家，不分男女老少。出去传福音时，要让听福音的人意识到福音的普世化，而非仅仅停留在个人身上。
其次，也尽可能的多多装备传福音的技能和方法，针对不同的人群，有不同的方式和技巧，当然除了方法方式之外，最重要的就是多方祷告，多方预备，为了教会的复兴和发展尽上我们自己的本分。
结语：
教会的成长是基督徒当努力的方向，虽然当下教会运作模式还存在许多的不完全，以及教会男女失衡等问题，但只要愿意靠着神的带领和帮助，教会就会有所转变，有所更新。
如何看待农村教会姊妹多弟兄少的现象？
Sisters largely outnumber brothers in not only rural churches but also urban churches. Why is there such an imbalance? This question is worthy of consideration.
Generally, in today's rural churches, believers are primarily farmers. Their main job is farming or doing odd jobs in county towns to supplement their income and help their families. In some all-Christian families, the husbands work outside the home and the wives take care of their children or household chores and participate in church services. That is one of the reasons why there are more females than males in a church. There is surely another reason that not all family members have accepted Jesus - either the husband or the wife believes. Therefore, there will be an imbalance in a church, and the reason why there are more women than men is that women will take care of children at home, pick up and drop off children at school, and tend to work on the farm.
Some people who don't believe in Jesus are also prejudiced against the church. They think that the church is a place where grandmothers or women gather, and few men go to church. So this idea gradually creates the crisis of the lack of men in the church.
Looking back at church history, although many women served in the Church during the Apostolic Period, there were many men who became preachers or deacons, such as Mark, Timothy and Titus. In his letter to Timothy, Paul also mentioned the requirements of female deacons. Paul also recommended a female deacon named Phoebe in the Book of Romans. This shows that women can also take responsibility and provide leadership and direction in the church. For rural churches, not only are the majority of believers female, but they are also in the positions of deacons and leaders.
Personally, I think that whether it is a rural church or a city church, it is better for brothers and sisters to jointly serve their church. If only sisters are serving, there will be many shortcomings in how the church is managed and administered. Of course, this is not to say that sisters can't manage, but that brothers have their unique strengths and wisdom.
On the other hand, rural churches having mainly female and elderly believers is a deficiency. The church was built by God to be complete and perfect, but people are always imperfect and incomplete. When people gather and worship, they also have shortcomings. Even though there may be shortcomings, believers continue to strive for perfection, changing through training and spiritual growth.
The gender imbalance mentioned above should not be the issue we criticize, but we should rather analyze the reasons behind it. Why are there more women and fewer men in the church? Why are there no brothers in the church serving as deacons or elders?
The reasons are summarized as follows:
The first is that the target group for evangelism is not adequately distributed.
Secondly, brothers and sisters neglect to preach the gospel to their families (either wives or husbands believe).
Thirdly, the church model is not open enough to more diverse groups.
The fourth is the failure to train children to become the next generation of believers.
Fifthly, the issue is not a part of prayer in the church.
Of course, this is only my personal opinion and summary. Perhaps there are many reasons that affect the imbalance in number between brothers and sisters in a church. When we look at the development of the church today, we are constantly aware of our own problems and realize that the future development of the church is full of difficulties. Every Christian should function as a part of the body of Christ by giving full play to his/her value and function, coordinating with each other, and performing duties.
However, when we find problems in a church, we should put forward practical methods to improve the situation. We should find the proper operation mode that is consistent with the current situation of that church, so as to increase the number of churches and have them adapt to local conditions. We are not only pursuing an increase in the number of believers but also pursuing improvement in the quality of belief and life.
Regarding the issue that there are fewer brothers in rural churches, I have put forward some suggestions that are for reference only:
The first issue to be solved is people's understanding of the gospel. The gospel is not a commodity, not something suitable for men or women. The gospel is aimed at all people regardless of race, nationality, gender or age. When going out to preach the gospel, evangelists should make their listeners be aware of the universality of the gospel rather than just putting emphasis on individuals.
Secondly, we should be equipped with as many evangelical skills and methods as possible. There are different ways and skills for different groups of people. Of course, apart from methods, the most important thing is to pray and prepare in different ways, so as to do our part for the revival and development of the church.
Finally, Christians should strive for the growth of the Church. Although there are still many problems in how the church operates, such as the imbalance between men and women, the church will be transformed and change as long as it is willing to rely on the guidance and help of God.
- Translated by Charlie Li
How to Explain Male Believers Being Outnumber by Female in Rural Churches?
