I once accompanied an unbelieving friend to church and happened to attend the welcoming event of the youth fellowship. Faced with newcomers, they immediately started talking about the transworld depravity and Jesus' salvation. They spoke for about half an hour without allowing my friend to ask a single question. After explaining the entire concept of salvation, my friend shared his confusion, anxiety, and workplace challenges. However, their response was simply, "You can only find solutions by recognizing Jesus and embracing salvation."
On the other hand, for someone who believes in Jesus and encounters similar problems, the response might be, "Your problem indicates a crisis in your relationship with God. How long has it been since you read the Bible and prayed? When did you last come before God to confess your sins?"
Many Christians are enthusiastic about the church's growth, focusing on how many people attend meetings and how many believers are baptized each month. However, when it comes to the personal situations of these believers, they are unwilling to understand. Some pastors only want to face a mass of believers and explain the Bible, rather than pay attention to a believer's inner anxieties and pain.
The traditional model was effective in a time of material scarcity and frequent disasters. The alignment of suffering and doctrine made it easy for people to accept the teachings. Therefore, there was no need for listening, as each person's condition was the same, and they all needed doctrine to explain and resolve their suffering.
Contemporary people also face hardships – entrepreneurial failure, broken marriages, exam failure, job rejections, or unfair treatment in the workplace. Each one has his own struggle, which is no longer a shared hardship.
In today's era, despite having unified social rules, each individual exists under these rules independently. They have their own lives, thoughts, anxieties, and troubles. In such a time, our traditional ways of evangelizing need reconsideration.
"Don't give young people too much advice!" These pieces of advice are based on traditional experiences and are no longer suitable for young people, who are unable to respond to their unique life experiences.
Perhaps, what they need more of is a listener. Every person is eager to express himself, but not many are willing to quiet down and listen to others' expressions. Regardless of whether they are believers or non-believers, they don't need high-and-mighty preaching and advice; they need listeners who can sit down to hear their stories and provide advice to address their anxieties.
The church may consider abandoning the high and mighty, victorious attitude to focus on the voices of those around them, communicating with them on an equal and effective basis.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
我有一次陪一个不信耶稣的朋友去教会，恰好赶上了青年团契的迎新活动。面对新人，他们上来就开始讲世界的堕落，耶稣的拯救。讲了大概半小时左右，没有容得下我朋友问一个问题。在讲解整个救恩之后，我朋友说了自己的困惑，生活中的焦虑，以及工作上的瓶颈。而他们只是回答说，“你只有进入耶稣，进入救恩才能解决。”
然而，对于一个信了耶稣，遇到同样的问题，得到的回答可能是，“你的问题是和上帝的关系出现了危机。你多久没有读经祷告了？你多久没有来到上帝面前承认自己的罪了？”
很多基督徒对教会的发展，有着热心，关注有多少人聚会，每个月建立了多少信徒。至于这些信徒的个人状况，他们不愿了解。牧者只愿意面对黑压压的信徒，讲解圣经，而不想留下来倾听一个信徒内心的焦虑和痛苦。
传统这种模式面对过去那个物质贫乏，灾难频仍的时代尚且有效。苦难与教义的契合，让人们很容易就能接受教义。因此，那个时代不需要倾听，因为每个人的状态都一样，都需要教义来解释、解决苦难。
当代人也有苦难，有的人创业失败了，有的人婚姻破裂了，有的人考试失败，有的人求职受阻，有的人职场受到了不公平待遇。现在每个人有每个人的苦难，不再是共同的苦难。
今天的时代，虽然同样有着统一的社会规则，但是这一规则之下却是每个独立的个体。他们有着自己的生活、思想、焦虑和苦恼。在这样一个时代，我们传统的传福音方式是该考虑一下变革了。
“不要给年轻人太多的建议！”因为这些建议都是基于传统经验，对于年轻人来说已经不适合，不能回应他们自己个性的生命体验。
他们也许更需要倾听者。每个人都急于表达自我，而没有多少人愿意安静下来，倾听他人的表达。
不论是信徒还是非信徒，他们不需要那种高高在上的说教和建议，他们需要的能坐下来听他们诉说的倾听者，是能回应他们焦虑的建议。
教会不妨放下自己过去那种高高在上的、得胜于世界的心态，不妨停下脚步，听听身边人的心声，和他们平等有效地交流！
今日教会：年轻人需要的是倾听，而非建议
I once accompanied an unbelieving friend to church and happened to attend the welcoming event of the youth fellowship. Faced with newcomers, they immediately started talking about the transworld depravity and Jesus' salvation. They spoke for about half an hour without allowing my friend to ask a single question. After explaining the entire concept of salvation, my friend shared his confusion, anxiety, and workplace challenges. However, their response was simply, "You can only find solutions by recognizing Jesus and embracing salvation."
On the other hand, for someone who believes in Jesus and encounters similar problems, the response might be, "Your problem indicates a crisis in your relationship with God. How long has it been since you read the Bible and prayed? When did you last come before God to confess your sins?"
Many Christians are enthusiastic about the church's growth, focusing on how many people attend meetings and how many believers are baptized each month. However, when it comes to the personal situations of these believers, they are unwilling to understand. Some pastors only want to face a mass of believers and explain the Bible, rather than pay attention to a believer's inner anxieties and pain.
The traditional model was effective in a time of material scarcity and frequent disasters. The alignment of suffering and doctrine made it easy for people to accept the teachings. Therefore, there was no need for listening, as each person's condition was the same, and they all needed doctrine to explain and resolve their suffering.
Contemporary people also face hardships – entrepreneurial failure, broken marriages, exam failure, job rejections, or unfair treatment in the workplace. Each one has his own struggle, which is no longer a shared hardship.
In today's era, despite having unified social rules, each individual exists under these rules independently. They have their own lives, thoughts, anxieties, and troubles. In such a time, our traditional ways of evangelizing need reconsideration.
"Don't give young people too much advice!" These pieces of advice are based on traditional experiences and are no longer suitable for young people, who are unable to respond to their unique life experiences.
Perhaps, what they need more of is a listener. Every person is eager to express himself, but not many are willing to quiet down and listen to others' expressions. Regardless of whether they are believers or non-believers, they don't need high-and-mighty preaching and advice; they need listeners who can sit down to hear their stories and provide advice to address their anxieties.
The church may consider abandoning the high and mighty, victorious attitude to focus on the voices of those around them, communicating with them on an equal and effective basis.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Young Believers Need to Be Heard
