Editor’s note: This article is written by a rural grassroots pastor from North China in which, from his personal experiences, he shares all kinds of pressures and influences that he felt were encountered by the community of rural pastors, especially the plight. He himself also has various challenges, serving while doing all types of small businesses to make a living. “What is the reason of rural churches being unable to develop normally and healthily, and what factors lead to the faltering or even vanishing of rural ministry?” This is the topic he hopes to discuss.
Time flies. More than 20 years passed seemingly overnight, and I still stick to my position as a rural grassroots pastor. To be honest, I have thought about leaving many times for other jobs. However, whenever I reflect in the dead of night, the voice will once again sound in my ears, and scenes of me being called emerge in my mind. With the condemnation of my conscience and the call of the times, I can only carry forward with my heavy burden.
I learned at a dinner party from my colleagues that a brother who was serving outside had left his ministry. I couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. So, what are the answers to the above questions?
I identified five factors that were affecting the community of rural pastors.
First, it is the temptation of the times and environment.
Living with today’s rapid development and materialistic desires, people’s pursuits are gradually changing, starting from basic living to chasing superior living conditions. There is no shortage of pastors among this group of people who pursue excellent and high-quality life. How many pastors slowly forget their first call? Perhaps, in the mouth of many believers, these evangelists represent the love for the world, showing weakness and incompetence. However, there might be a sad story behind almost every one of the evangelists who love the world.
Many years ago, I attended training in a suburban church. On one of the nights, a brother of the church drove me around the city. I seldom went out, but I saw wide roads, bright lights, and busy people running back and forth. All these sights made my thought at that time stir, and how eager I was to have my own life in this bustling city. At that time, I was still relatively simple, often reminded by biblical words, so my fluctuating mind gradually became quiet in the Lord.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
Second, the pressure is from real life.
I remember when I was a child, I seldom heard the word ‘stress’, and I didn’t even know what it meant. However, today children in primary schools know that there is a pressure of studying, economic pressure of working people, market pressure of doing business, and work pressure of employees. It is obvious that pressure is everywhere, and the pressure of real-life squeezes out children’s childhood happiness and makes many adults leave their homes and work hard all year round.
Today, living in the 21st century, in the face of this seemingly accelerating pace of life, people are constantly improving their life requirements and quality, and they are constantly putting pressure on themselves virtually. Buying a house and a car are now the life goals of many. They are the outward indicators of wealth. This social trend has also slowly influenced the church, thus affecting many evangelists to gradually incline to it. My colleagues around me often talk about the pressure of mortgage loans, and they often talk about the troubles of car loans, which suddenly make them exhausted.
I was born in the post-1980s. I can understand the generation very well, and I have personally experienced the great pressure of life with old people and children. I have experienced immeasurable grace in the care and protection of God. Behind every hardship, there will be an unforgettable touch for me. If it were not for the guidance of God and the help of his gracious hand, I would have collapsed on the verge of serving. I have experienced such difficult times, for example when there was less than 20 yuan collectively in my family. I witnessed the noisy scenes where children had to compete with classmates in food and clothing and heard the voices of children saying that they didn’t want to get involved in preaching when they grew up. Too much negative information in life makes me very stressed.
Third, it is the new norm of suspending in-person gatherings.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, my church has received many notices from the relevant departments to suspend gatherings, and the longest suspension lasted for half a year. Many churches can’t provide effective online ministries after the suspension which leads to the loss of believers, and that has very much affected the church. In rural churches, the suspension of gatherings also means that evangelism has lost its basic guarantee. Some colleagues left to find a job temporarily because of practical needs, while others left the church completely for job-related reasons. Rural churches do not have a good management system nor a healthy concept of church development, therefore many pastors can’t see the hope and so they leave in search of other work.
On the Internet, I occasionally communicate with other colleagues. When talking about the impact of the pandemic on the church, many were sighing and felt helpless about the status quo. I often hear things like “a pastor who has received formal training for many years has become a truck driver”, “a colleague who is fully gifted in serving has become a temporary worker on the construction site”, and “a band leader who has been working for decades has actually become a scaffolder on the construction site”. My heart is deeply tingling when I hear this news.
Once, a pastor asked me: what do you think of the problem of missionary work in the church? My answer is: in fact, I can understand their choice very well. Because churches today are very independent of each other, they lack the concept of mutual assistance, which makes colleagues who are struggling on the edge of service feel lonely and inferior, and they can only find their own way to live.
Fourth, it is the lack of self-equipment.
Today, many church pastors lack the habit of self-study, and they usually don’t concentrate on learning and training and they don’t use the sporadic time to study so a lot of time is wasted without any benefit. In rural churches, the life and work of pastors are irregular, and life is always chaotic. In many cases, preaching can be said to be almost for coping, and in many cases, spiritual preparation is for coping with work. This unhealthy mode of service has gradually made many pastors numb with the status quo, without the desire to make progress, and ultimately, they can’t supply the truth which also brings a lot of negative influences on their churches.
Many years ago, I communicated with a pastor who had been trained for many years. During the discussion, I was surprised to learn that although the pastor preached for many years, he never read the Bible completely even once. In addition, in rural churches, there will also be many evangelists that look like “workaholics”, that is, they can work in the church all the time, but they just don’t want to study quietly.
Fifth, it is the ambiguity of the mission and vision.
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint. (Proverbs 29:18) This is an often-quoted Bible verse by many pastors. In the eyes of many people, vision is an abstract theological term. I remember a teacher said: a vision is to see what God sees and to think what God thinks. However, today many churches preach and work, but they don’t know what vision God gave them. Throughout the Bible, many ancient sages received their own visions from God, and they were responsible for the mission from God so that their work could have outstanding achievements.
Today, the pastors who stop, look around, and wait and see often don’t know what vision God gives them, and there is no vision, so they have no motivation to serve themselves. Consequently, because they can’t withstand the temptations of the world, they will gradually stop serving and start pursuing the world, which is really regrettable.
I have summarized these five factors that affect rural ministry. I think that only by paying great attention to these factors and truly solving them can rural evangelism emerge from the precarious situation and be strengthened so that rural evangelism and rural churches can head to a revival.
- Translated by Charlie Li
编者按：本文是一位来自华北地区的农村基层传道人弟兄的稿件，其中从切身的经历分享了他所感受到农村传道人这一群体所经受的各种压力和影响，尤其是困境。他本人也是身处各种挑战之中，一边服事一边做各种小本经营来维持自己的生活。“到底是什么原因使教会不能正常健康的发展，是什么因素导致农村传道在服侍的边缘摇摇欲坠甚至流失？”这个是他希望探讨的话题。
时光飞逝，转眼过去一晃二十多年，我现在依然坚守在农村基层传道人的岗位。诚实的说，其实我曾经多次想过离开，想过出去工作。但是每当夜深人静思考的时候耳边会再次响起自己曾经蒙召时的声音，脑海中浮现被召时一幕一幕的场景......良心的谴责、时代的召唤，于是只能负重前行。
我在一次同工聚餐中得知在外服侍的一名弟兄离开了禾场停止服事，心中不由产生一种无比的刺痛，到底是什么原因使教会不能正常健康的发展，是什么因素导致农村传道在服事的边缘摇摇欲坠甚至流失？
我总结了五个影响农村传道人群体的因素。
一，时代环境的诱惑
生活在今天这个突飞猛进且又物欲横流的时代，人们追求的目标也在逐渐的改变，从一开始的基本生活上升到追求优越的生活条件，在这群追求卓越、精品生活的人群中也不乏传道人的身影。多少传道走着慢慢忘记了起初的蒙召。或许在众多信徒口中这些传道是贪爱世界的代表，是软弱无能的表现，殊不知在几乎每一名“贪爱世界”的传道背后都有一个个心酸的故事......
多年以前，我在一个城市的郊区教会参加培训，晚上教会的一名弟兄开车带我在市里外环转来转去，很少出门的我看到宽阔的马路、璀璨的灯光和来回奔走的热闹人群，这些都让当时的我的心蠢蠢欲动，自己是多么的渴望在这个繁华的城市能有自己生活的一片天地。那时的自己还是比较单纯，常有圣经话语的提醒，因此波动的心也逐渐的安静在主的里面。
你要保守你心，胜过保守一切，因为一生的果效都是由心发出（箴4:23节）
二，现实生活的压力
记得小时候很少听到压力这个词语，更不懂它到底是什么意思。然而在今天这个时代，小学的孩子们就知道有学习的压力，打工的人群有经济的压力，经商的人群有市场的压力，上班的人群有工作的压力......可见压力无处不在，现实生活的压力挤走了孩子们多少童年的快乐，又让多少成年人背井离乡常年在外拼搏。
生活在21世纪的今天，面对这似乎在不断加快的生活节奏，人们对自己的生活要求和生活品质也在不断的提高，无形之中也是在不断的给自己施加压力。购房、买车这些都是现在很多人生活的追求目标，是对外炫富的标志，这样的社会潮流也慢慢的对教会产生了影响，从而影响了多少的传道逐渐倾向于此。我身边的同工传道常常谈起房贷的压力，左右的朋友也常常说起车贷的烦恼，顿时让人感觉人生好累。
我是一个标准的80后，非常能够体会80后这个年龄段的人群，更是亲身经历了上有老人下有孩子的巨大生活压力。在神的眷顾保守中我经历了无数的恩典，每一次艰难的背后都会有一个令笔者难忘的感动，如果不是上帝的引导，不是祂恩手的搀扶，我早已经崩溃在服侍的边缘。曾经经历过家里仅剩下不足20元的艰难时刻，目睹过孩子要和同学吃穿攀比而吵闹的情景，也听到过儿女亲口说长大后不想再涉足于传道的声音，太多生活中的负面信息让我很有压力。
三，聚会暂停的常态
自新冠疫情爆发以来，我所在教会多次接到相关部门暂停聚会的通知，暂停时间最长的一次竟然长达半年之久。好多的教会在暂停聚会后不能做到有效的网络牧养，导致信徒流失，教会很受影响。而在农村教会，聚会暂停也意味着传道失去了基本生活保障。个别同工因为现实需要临时出去找了工作，还有的离“教会”出走，彻底出去工作。农村教会没有完善的管理体制，没有健康的教会发展观念，以致于让很多的传道看不到希望，出去工作。
网络上我偶尔和其他同工交通，在谈到疫情对教会的影响时，好多同工都是一声叹息，对现状无可奈何。常常听到类似于“受过多年正规培训的牧师成了货车司机”，“满有服侍恩赐的同工成了工地上的临时工”，“当了几十年的乐队队长竟然干起了工地上的架子工”......听到这一个个消息我的心深感刺痛不得安慰。
有一次，有一名牧者问我：如何看待教会传道打工的问题？我的回答是：其实非常能够理解他们的选择。因为今天这个时代的教会彼此间非常独立，因此非常缺乏互助观念，让一些艰难徘徊在服侍边缘的同工感觉非常孤单自卑，他们为了生活只能自想办法寻求生路。
四，自我装备的匮乏
今天很多的教会传道缺乏自我学习的习惯，平时没有集中时间学习培训，也不会利用零星时间学习，以至于很多时间都白白浪费了却不能产生任何的效益。在农村教会，传道人的生活工作没有规律性，生活总是杂乱无章，很多的时候讲道可以说几乎就是为了应付，也有很多时候灵修预备就是为了应付工作。这种不健康的服事模式让很多的传道逐渐的麻木与现状，没有了上进之心，最终给教会群羊带来不了真理的供应，也给教会带来很多的负面影响。
很多年前，我和一位受训多年的传道同工交流，谈论中惊讶地得知这位传道虽然传道多年，但是竟然从来没有完整的把圣经读哪怕一遍。另外，在农村教会也会出现很多看起来类似“工作狂”的传道，也就是可以在教会不停的工作，但是就是不愿意踏实安静下来学习。
五，使命异象的模糊
没有异象，民就放肆。这是很多传道经常会引用的一节经文。在很多人的眼里，异象是一个非常抽象的神学名词。记得有一个老师讲过:异象就是看神所看想和神所想。然而今天很多的教会传道能讲道，能工作，却不清楚上帝给他的异象是什么。纵观圣经中许多的古圣先贤，他们都有自己从神所领受的异象，担负着从上帝而来的使命，因此他们的工作才能够有卓越的成就。
而今天那些走走停停、左右观望的传道们往往都是不清楚上帝给自己的异象究竟是什么，没有异象，于是自己里面就没有服侍的动力，于是就经不住世界的诱惑 ，逐渐的就会停止服侍，走向追求世界的道路，实在令人扼腕叹息。
以上就是我所总结的影响农村传道的五个因素，我认为，只有很好的重视并且真实的解决好这些影响因素，农村传道才能够从“摇摇欲坠”的危险状况中走出来并且得到坚固，如此，农村传道和农村教会才能够迎来复兴。
心声| 究竟是哪几大因素导致农村传道人群体在服侍边缘“摇摇欲坠”甚至流失？
Editor’s note: This article is written by a rural grassroots pastor from North China in which, from his personal experiences, he shares all kinds of pressures and influences that he felt were encountered by the community of rural pastors, especially the plight. He himself also has various challenges, serving while doing all types of small businesses to make a living. “What is the reason of rural churches being unable to develop normally and healthily, and what factors lead to the faltering or even vanishing of rural ministry?” This is the topic he hopes to discuss.
Time flies. More than 20 years passed seemingly overnight, and I still stick to my position as a rural grassroots pastor. To be honest, I have thought about leaving many times for other jobs. However, whenever I reflect in the dead of night, the voice will once again sound in my ears, and scenes of me being called emerge in my mind. With the condemnation of my conscience and the call of the times, I can only carry forward with my heavy burden.
I learned at a dinner party from my colleagues that a brother who was serving outside had left his ministry. I couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. So, what are the answers to the above questions?
I identified five factors that were affecting the community of rural pastors.
First, it is the temptation of the times and environment.
Living with today’s rapid development and materialistic desires, people’s pursuits are gradually changing, starting from basic living to chasing superior living conditions. There is no shortage of pastors among this group of people who pursue excellent and high-quality life. How many pastors slowly forget their first call? Perhaps, in the mouth of many believers, these evangelists represent the love for the world, showing weakness and incompetence. However, there might be a sad story behind almost every one of the evangelists who love the world.
Many years ago, I attended training in a suburban church. On one of the nights, a brother of the church drove me around the city. I seldom went out, but I saw wide roads, bright lights, and busy people running back and forth. All these sights made my thought at that time stir, and how eager I was to have my own life in this bustling city. At that time, I was still relatively simple, often reminded by biblical words, so my fluctuating mind gradually became quiet in the Lord.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
Second, the pressure is from real life.
I remember when I was a child, I seldom heard the word ‘stress’, and I didn’t even know what it meant. However, today children in primary schools know that there is a pressure of studying, economic pressure of working people, market pressure of doing business, and work pressure of employees. It is obvious that pressure is everywhere, and the pressure of real-life squeezes out children’s childhood happiness and makes many adults leave their homes and work hard all year round.
Today, living in the 21st century, in the face of this seemingly accelerating pace of life, people are constantly improving their life requirements and quality, and they are constantly putting pressure on themselves virtually. Buying a house and a car are now the life goals of many. They are the outward indicators of wealth. This social trend has also slowly influenced the church, thus affecting many evangelists to gradually incline to it. My colleagues around me often talk about the pressure of mortgage loans, and they often talk about the troubles of car loans, which suddenly make them exhausted.
I was born in the post-1980s. I can understand the generation very well, and I have personally experienced the great pressure of life with old people and children. I have experienced immeasurable grace in the care and protection of God. Behind every hardship, there will be an unforgettable touch for me. If it were not for the guidance of God and the help of his gracious hand, I would have collapsed on the verge of serving. I have experienced such difficult times, for example when there was less than 20 yuan collectively in my family. I witnessed the noisy scenes where children had to compete with classmates in food and clothing and heard the voices of children saying that they didn’t want to get involved in preaching when they grew up. Too much negative information in life makes me very stressed.
Third, it is the new norm of suspending in-person gatherings.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, my church has received many notices from the relevant departments to suspend gatherings, and the longest suspension lasted for half a year. Many churches can’t provide effective online ministries after the suspension which leads to the loss of believers, and that has very much affected the church. In rural churches, the suspension of gatherings also means that evangelism has lost its basic guarantee. Some colleagues left to find a job temporarily because of practical needs, while others left the church completely for job-related reasons. Rural churches do not have a good management system nor a healthy concept of church development, therefore many pastors can’t see the hope and so they leave in search of other work.
On the Internet, I occasionally communicate with other colleagues. When talking about the impact of the pandemic on the church, many were sighing and felt helpless about the status quo. I often hear things like “a pastor who has received formal training for many years has become a truck driver”, “a colleague who is fully gifted in serving has become a temporary worker on the construction site”, and “a band leader who has been working for decades has actually become a scaffolder on the construction site”. My heart is deeply tingling when I hear this news.
Once, a pastor asked me: what do you think of the problem of missionary work in the church? My answer is: in fact, I can understand their choice very well. Because churches today are very independent of each other, they lack the concept of mutual assistance, which makes colleagues who are struggling on the edge of service feel lonely and inferior, and they can only find their own way to live.
Fourth, it is the lack of self-equipment.
Today, many church pastors lack the habit of self-study, and they usually don’t concentrate on learning and training and they don’t use the sporadic time to study so a lot of time is wasted without any benefit. In rural churches, the life and work of pastors are irregular, and life is always chaotic. In many cases, preaching can be said to be almost for coping, and in many cases, spiritual preparation is for coping with work. This unhealthy mode of service has gradually made many pastors numb with the status quo, without the desire to make progress, and ultimately, they can’t supply the truth which also brings a lot of negative influences on their churches.
Many years ago, I communicated with a pastor who had been trained for many years. During the discussion, I was surprised to learn that although the pastor preached for many years, he never read the Bible completely even once. In addition, in rural churches, there will also be many evangelists that look like “workaholics”, that is, they can work in the church all the time, but they just don’t want to study quietly.
Fifth, it is the ambiguity of the mission and vision.
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint. (Proverbs 29:18) This is an often-quoted Bible verse by many pastors. In the eyes of many people, vision is an abstract theological term. I remember a teacher said: a vision is to see what God sees and to think what God thinks. However, today many churches preach and work, but they don’t know what vision God gave them. Throughout the Bible, many ancient sages received their own visions from God, and they were responsible for the mission from God so that their work could have outstanding achievements.
Today, the pastors who stop, look around, and wait and see often don’t know what vision God gives them, and there is no vision, so they have no motivation to serve themselves. Consequently, because they can’t withstand the temptations of the world, they will gradually stop serving and start pursuing the world, which is really regrettable.
I have summarized these five factors that affect rural ministry. I think that only by paying great attention to these factors and truly solving them can rural evangelism emerge from the precarious situation and be strengthened so that rural evangelism and rural churches can head to a revival.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Voice: What on Earth Are Major Factors Causing Rural Pastors to “Falter” or Drift Away?
