I recently often hear many church staff put forward suggestions on reform, and they even set a reforming framework because the original church operation mode is no longer suitable for present challenges.
Here I offer four reform suggestions for the church in the post-pandemic era.
The first aspect of the reform suggestion is that the positioning of a pastor’s service should be clarified and the supervision of pastors be reinforced. Not only should their sermons meet certain criteria, but also should their theological degrees and personal qualities. Originally, being a pastor only required the person to be loyal and wise, but now the requirements for applying to be a pastor focuses on his or her efficiency and ability.
The second main reform suggestion is that the economic needs of pastors should be attended to. Special attention should be paid to poor pastors and pastors who have more expenses in their families. Perhaps in the future, the income of pastors should not only come from fellowships, but also from the supplies of local major churches; as such, their financial power could be enriched and stabilized to a certain extent.
The third suggestion is about layoffs. Practically, a church does not need people who occupy positions for nothing, let alone people who occupy resources but with inadequate abilities. So this aspect of reform is mainly aimed at the professional ability of the pastor. The whole pastoral care they provide should be assessed. If it reaches the standard, the church will provide them with incentives accordingly. If the service fails to meet the standard, the pastor will face the possibility of layoff.
The fourth suggestion is that the church should set up different operational departments instead of having only one person leading all of them. There should be more than ten serving staff in charge of various areas. The suggested departments are the teaching department, Sunday school department, Bible study department, missionary department, the consultation department, prayer department, etc. Assign each staff to work in different departments, strictly assess the gifts and abilities of the pastors, and use their strengths accordingly. Of course, after being assigned to different departments, the pastor should also assist the work of various departments. Instead of being busy in one department, all departments should contact each other to form a powerful team.
The fifth suggestion is to pay attention to the calling of full-time pastors. Sometimes, the pastor needs to know his own calling, his own vision, and whether he is in the calling of full-time service or part-time service. This is more conducive to the pastor's strengths, enabling him/her to steadily progress in his/her career, and preventing him from leaving the service position and pastoral ministry.
The church needs to be updated. The older generation needs to keep pace with the ideology of the present-day youth, and the young need to learn from their elders with humility.
The renewal of a church is not only the renewal of personnel but also the renewal of the church model and influence. Sooner or later, the older generation will leave, and what will be left is the young people who will rise up and shoulder the responsibility and mission. It is necessary for them to have new visions and burdens, spiritual insights, and understand that the development of a church mainly lies in the deployment of personnel, the use of resources, the follow-up of work, the supply of workers, and the effectiveness of pastoral care.
In the past, the development and progress of the church conformed to the past era. The original pastors had not experienced systematic theological training and attainments, but they had the ability, authority, and the heart of loving the Lord, so the effect of their work was particularly obvious. Nowadays, the pastor is updated in knowledge but is greatly weakened inability. Now, we need not only enough knowledge but also the practice and application of spiritual ability. Sometimes a pastor is incapable of preaching and praying, which is the weakness and shortcoming of a pastor in spiritual life. Because knowledge cannot replace spiritual life and good spirituality in many cases, the renewal of the pastor at present is the renewal of life, service, preaching, and prayer.
Another more important aspect of the renewal of the church is the cultural mission. To this aspect, a pastor should approach the world to understand its needs. The pastor can only understand the needs of believers if he or she remains in the church circle. Therefore, only when the pastor sees the needs of the society and participates in public welfare care and voluntary work can he make sermons more practical, down to the earth and life-oriented. The deficiency is that today's pastors are busy with the work of the church and have no time to observe and think about society. So go to factories, go to different job sites or occasions, and understand people's pursuits and ideas, as well as the trend of social development. Most of the time, the pastor's understanding of the world is only through the media and the Internet, and there are few practical understandings, experiences, and discoveries, which need to be updated.
Therefore, the reform and renewal of the church are necessary especially in this special era when we are faced with the severe test of situations. We also have to bear in mind that disciples need training within a church and the gospel needs to be preached outside a church.
- Translated by Charlie Li
观察与思考丨后疫情时代教会的未来之路：改革与更新
这段时间一直听到很多教会的人员提出改革的建议，并且设定了改革的框架，因为原来的教会运作模式已经不再适应当代的挑战。
有人提出了改革的第一个方面就是，帮助传道人定位自己的服事，并且加强要求对传道人的管理。不仅仅在讲道的场次上，还要在讲道人的神学学位上和个人素质上有标准。原来去牧会说只要有忠心有见识就行，但现今对于牧会的要求是看果效，看业务能力。
第二个方面的改革就是，要关注传道人的经济需求。特别关注那些困乏的传道人，家庭中需要更多开支的传道人，或许以后供养传道人不仅仅是团契的供应，地方A教会也要供应，这样的话可以帮助传道人在经济上有一定的充实和稳定。
第三个方面的改革是关于裁员。有时候教会中不需要白占地土的人，更不需要占用资源而又没有能力的人，所以改革这一个方面主要是针对的是传道人的业务能力。对传道人整体的牧养进行考核，达到标准的话，教会就会有相应的待遇，达不到标准就会面对裁员的可能。
第四个方面的改革是，教会设立不同的运作部门，不再是一个人来领导全部，而是有十人以上的同工团队相继负责。设立的部门有：教导部门，主日学部门，查经部门，宣教部门，咨商部门，祷告部门等。把每个传道人分配到不同的部门进行工作，严格考核传道人的恩赐和能力，按其才用其长。当然传道人被分配到不同的部门之后，也要辅助其它部门的工作，并不是只在一个部门忙碌，乃是各个部门互相联络，形成一股有力的团队。
第五个方面的改革就是关注全职传道人的呼召问题。有时候传道人要清楚自己的呼召，明白自己的异像，知道自己是在全职服事的呼召之中，还是在半职呼召里面，这样话更有利于传道人在服事的过程中有力量前行，而不会轻易离开服事岗位及牧养工作。
教会需要更新，老一辈的人需要年轻人的搭配，年轻人需要谦卑向长辈们学习。
教会的更新不仅仅是人员的更新，也是教会榜样的更新、影响力的更新。老一辈的人迟早要离去，剩下的是年轻人起来担负责任和使命。要有新的异像和负担，并且有属灵的洞察力，明白教会的发展之路主要在于人员的调配，资源的使用，工作的跟进，工人的供应，牧养的果效上。
过去教会的发展和迈步是顺应了过去的时代，原来的传道人都没有经历过系统栽培，没有在神学上的造诣，但他们有爱主的心，并且有能力和权柄，做工的果效特别明显。而如今传道人在知识上更新了，但在能力上却大大减弱。当下的时代不仅仅需要的是知识上的足够装备，更需要属灵能力的操练和运用。有时候传道人讲道没有能力，祷告没有能力，这是一个传道人在属灵生命上的薄弱和短板。因为知识很多时候不能代替属灵生命以及美好的灵性，所以说当下传道人的更新是在生命上的更新，在服事上的更新，在讲道上、祷告上的更新。
教会的更新还有更为重要的一方面就是文化使命这一块传道人当进入到世界去感受世界的需要，若只是在讲台上、在教会圈子里，只能感受信徒的需要。所以传道人要到社会上看见社会的需要，参与社会的公益关怀、义务劳动，才能够更加切实的把讲道给实际化、落实化、生活化。不足的是现今传道人忙于教会的工作，没有时间去到社会上观察、思考；去到工厂里面，去到不同的工作岗位或场合中，明白人们的追求与想法，以及社会发展的趋势。很多时候传道人对世界的理解仅仅是透过媒体、网络，而切实去体会、去经历、去发现的比较少，这是需要更新的地方。
所以教会的改革和更新是必要走的路，特别是在这个特殊的时代，我们面对了严峻的环境与打击的考验，还要面对：对内有门徒栽培，对外有福音的拓展。
https://www.christiantimes.cn/news/34657/%E8%A7%82%E5%AF%9F%E4%B8%8E%E6%80%9D%E8%80%83%E4%B8%A8%E5%90%8E%E7%96%AB%E6%83%85%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3%E6%95%99%E4%BC%9A%E7%9A%84%E6%9C%AA%E6%9D%A5%E4%B9%8B%E8%B7%AF%EF%BC%9A%E6%94%B9%E9%9D%A9%E4%B8%8E%E6%9B%B4%E6%96%B0
观察与思考丨后疫情时代教会的未来之路：改革与更新
I recently often hear many church staff put forward suggestions on reform, and they even set a reforming framework because the original church operation mode is no longer suitable for present challenges.
Here I offer four reform suggestions for the church in the post-pandemic era.
The first aspect of the reform suggestion is that the positioning of a pastor’s service should be clarified and the supervision of pastors be reinforced. Not only should their sermons meet certain criteria, but also should their theological degrees and personal qualities. Originally, being a pastor only required the person to be loyal and wise, but now the requirements for applying to be a pastor focuses on his or her efficiency and ability.
The second main reform suggestion is that the economic needs of pastors should be attended to. Special attention should be paid to poor pastors and pastors who have more expenses in their families. Perhaps in the future, the income of pastors should not only come from fellowships, but also from the supplies of local major churches; as such, their financial power could be enriched and stabilized to a certain extent.
The third suggestion is about layoffs. Practically, a church does not need people who occupy positions for nothing, let alone people who occupy resources but with inadequate abilities. So this aspect of reform is mainly aimed at the professional ability of the pastor. The whole pastoral care they provide should be assessed. If it reaches the standard, the church will provide them with incentives accordingly. If the service fails to meet the standard, the pastor will face the possibility of layoff.
The fourth suggestion is that the church should set up different operational departments instead of having only one person leading all of them. There should be more than ten serving staff in charge of various areas. The suggested departments are the teaching department, Sunday school department, Bible study department, missionary department, the consultation department, prayer department, etc. Assign each staff to work in different departments, strictly assess the gifts and abilities of the pastors, and use their strengths accordingly. Of course, after being assigned to different departments, the pastor should also assist the work of various departments. Instead of being busy in one department, all departments should contact each other to form a powerful team.
The fifth suggestion is to pay attention to the calling of full-time pastors. Sometimes, the pastor needs to know his own calling, his own vision, and whether he is in the calling of full-time service or part-time service. This is more conducive to the pastor's strengths, enabling him/her to steadily progress in his/her career, and preventing him from leaving the service position and pastoral ministry.
The church needs to be updated. The older generation needs to keep pace with the ideology of the present-day youth, and the young need to learn from their elders with humility.
The renewal of a church is not only the renewal of personnel but also the renewal of the church model and influence. Sooner or later, the older generation will leave, and what will be left is the young people who will rise up and shoulder the responsibility and mission. It is necessary for them to have new visions and burdens, spiritual insights, and understand that the development of a church mainly lies in the deployment of personnel, the use of resources, the follow-up of work, the supply of workers, and the effectiveness of pastoral care.
In the past, the development and progress of the church conformed to the past era. The original pastors had not experienced systematic theological training and attainments, but they had the ability, authority, and the heart of loving the Lord, so the effect of their work was particularly obvious. Nowadays, the pastor is updated in knowledge but is greatly weakened inability. Now, we need not only enough knowledge but also the practice and application of spiritual ability. Sometimes a pastor is incapable of preaching and praying, which is the weakness and shortcoming of a pastor in spiritual life. Because knowledge cannot replace spiritual life and good spirituality in many cases, the renewal of the pastor at present is the renewal of life, service, preaching, and prayer.
Another more important aspect of the renewal of the church is the cultural mission. To this aspect, a pastor should approach the world to understand its needs. The pastor can only understand the needs of believers if he or she remains in the church circle. Therefore, only when the pastor sees the needs of the society and participates in public welfare care and voluntary work can he make sermons more practical, down to the earth and life-oriented. The deficiency is that today's pastors are busy with the work of the church and have no time to observe and think about society. So go to factories, go to different job sites or occasions, and understand people's pursuits and ideas, as well as the trend of social development. Most of the time, the pastor's understanding of the world is only through the media and the Internet, and there are few practical understandings, experiences, and discoveries, which need to be updated.
Therefore, the reform and renewal of the church are necessary especially in this special era when we are faced with the severe test of situations. We also have to bear in mind that disciples need training within a church and the gospel needs to be preached outside a church.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Reform and Renewal - The Future Route of Church in Post-pandemic Era
