对话｜华南一牧者谈：教会发展不可忽视人才，亟需培养“三识人才”

 

众所周知，任何一个行业想要拥有良好的发展，他的软实力一定是离不开人才这个要素的，同样，教会的发展不可忽略的，也是对人才的重视和培养。日前，一位华南牧者C牧师在谈到教会需要重视培养人才这个话题时，他分享了自己的一个观点——建立好一个人才，就是建立好一间教会，当下中国教会需要重视培养“三识人才”：知识、见识和胆识。（=当summary）

他观察说：“过去40年时间里，中国大陆的教会里普遍的一种趋势是，一流的人才在社会，三流的人才在教会。而那时的台湾教会曾发起一个运动，就是一流人才做传道人，三流的人才去公司。当时台湾有很多人才纷纷回应了这个呼召 ，所以后面他们教会的生命力和影响力变得很大。到了2000年左右，台湾教会人才饱和后，教会又重新呼吁：‘一流的人才去社会，三流的人才在教会。’这个案例告诉我们重视人才的重要性。”

关于对‘三识人才’的理解，他解释说：“第一个‘识’就是指知识，传道人不仅要有神学的知识，也要有社会的基本常识。如果教会的领袖认为‘自己的孩子或者信众的孩子考不上大学，那就让他读神学吧！’——如果这样的观念不改，教会是没有未来的。教会和牧者应该要营造一种氛围，基督徒首先鼓励自己的孩子读大学，之后才有资格参与教会服事。这样观念的改变虽然需要时间，但却是非常必要的。”

“第二‘识’就是见识。”他继续举个例子说到，“有些传道人不喜欢读书，不喜欢独立自主学习，比如有的是高中毕业就读神学，然后参与全职事奉，缺少一定的社会阅历和格局，也有很多传道人成家之后，他们饭都不会做。”他打个比方说：“传道人需要做一个带着井走的青蛙”，也就是承认自己去了哪里都是井底之蛙的状态，勇敢正视自己的有限和知识面的狭窄，但是仍然渴望去学习和打开自己的见识。

C牧师认为，“传道人读书和提高阅历的目的是既能够丰富自己的内心，同时也能够促进牧会能力的提升，尤其是事奉过程中，面对来自不同行业的弟兄姐妹的困惑，当他们跟牧者沟通时，非常考验传道的见识水平，如果你不能够给出一个有见解的回答，很难为牧者的形象加分，甚至会降低牧会影响力。”

“第三个‘识’是胆识。”C牧师继续分享说：“环境艰难的处境下，传道人如何发展教会呢？传道人的勇气和胆量就显的非常有必要了。如果传道人心里没有惧怕，带着破釜沉舟的信心做主的工作，会给整个教会带来灵性的复兴和人数的复兴。反之，传道人面对艰难的环境，带着做贼的心态去事奉教会，这种氛围也会蔓延在整个教会，使信众心中徒增忧愁和惧怕。”

C牧者所在的教会人才从60后到80后各个年龄段都有，他分享说自己培养人才的原则不是等一切资质都成熟了才交给他们使命和位置，而是让他们先去做，一边放手做， 一边去跟进和培养他们，他们也会采用教会的督导团来做帮扶训练，就像老兵带新兵一样做辅导。

同时，他也强调说：“无论是教会里祷告的团队，督导的团队，或是其他各种事奉的团队，无论哪个岗位的事奉者，都要找到自己的团队归属，持续地追求‘三识’方面的成长，如此他们可以更加专业地事奉主的教会。”

https://christiantimes.cn/news/37841/

Feature: Gen Z Preacher Chooses to Go Back to the Countryside

 Translated By Richard Zou

Born in the countryside beside a developed coastal city, Brother L in East China hopes to help his hometown rural church to transform into a small group pastoral congregation within seven years. "While Jesus spent three and a half years cultivating disciples, I want to spend twice as much time cultivating the Lord's disciples," the Gen Z preacher said.

Since childhood, Brother L often went to attend church meetings held at his grandparents' house. Since he started to learn to read, he has participated in some simple ministries in the church. 

A year ago, Brother L resolutely chose to return to a rural church in his hometown to serve and care for elderly people all day. In today's rapid urbanization process in China, this is an unusual scenario.

A Chinese online Christian media outlet, the Christian Times, interviewed Brother L about why he chose to serve in a rural church rather than woke full-time in a city church.

Brother L gave three reasons for choosing the home church. He thinks that the church in his hometown has always treated him well, and has always supported him. Additionally, he said, "I'm scared that if I serve outside, one day my grandparents will return to their heavenly home and I won't be able to get back in time. "As for the third reason, the young church worker noted that he was considering marriage. Her girlfriend worked full-time in his hometown at the time. 

Brother L recalled taking a minivan every week for a six-hour round trip to another place for ministry while studying theology at the first seminary, most of those six hours spent on rural roads.

Later, he went to another seminary in another place, and often went to the rural church to participate in the ministry. To reach there, he had to take a bus, train and walk.

Due to the vast differences between the countryside and the city, he said, “I never imagined myself as a famous pastor, but just wished to serve solidly.” 

At the same time, Brother L shared, "I used to be able to communicate well with young people but not with old people, but later I found that I am now able to communicate well with old people. During my theology studies, I pastored elderly people in two cities. This should also be an early preparation from God for me. 

He added that it is not difficult to pastor the elderly. "There is a saying that the elderly behave almost like children because what the elderly want is very simple, just chat with them and have heart-to-heart communication and they don't expect much. I think it is very important to serve with love. I want to treat them as my grandparents, then all is not a problem.” 

However, there are still many problems in pastoral ministry. For example, because the background of each believer is different, many elderly people are illiterate and cannot understand Bible passages. Therefore, during the pastoral ministry, Brother L had to guide them hand in hand and teach them to read and so on. Then during the Bible study, such as an hour of Bible study, he would spend about 40 minutes studying the Bible, and then the remaining 20 minutes would be used for communication. He would instruct them on how to practice it—for example, how to study a Bible passage, what it said to the people of the old generation, what it means to us today, and how we should understand and how to practice it.

Now that a year has passed, he has seen many changes and growth in the church. However, since the problem of the preacher's salary and support has not been resolved, he has to find a way to run a business to support himself. 

- Translated by Richard Zou 

From Following Christ to Full-time Ministry, Chinese Christian Experiences God's Guidance

 Translated By Richard Zou

Brother Wu has been serving full-time in Hainan Province for almost four years. Rather than just being a Sunday Christian, he expects more young Christians to stand up and respond to God's call to treat the church as a family and devote themselves to it. 

"The mission of Sanya Bihai International Church is clear: to be a missionary church." Brother Wu, a co-worker from Haixiu Church in Haikou, was sent last year to help with the Sanya church planting project. This is what he said about the church.

Sanya is home to migratory birds during migration season, so believers in Sanya churches come and go just like migratory birds. According to Brother Wu, the church pastors some people who, in a year or two or three, may go elsewhere again. Nevertheless, Sanya Bihai International Church remains committed to pastoring such a group so that they can one day serve their communities as salt and light.

As far as the youth fellowship is concerned, one or two hundred people have been pastored, but only one or two dozen still remain.

Recently the church is sending a brother to study theology and has contacted the seminary for him. He is planning to serve in a church in another city after graduating from seminary. "That's okay, I think he has the calling from the Lord and it's God's blessing, right?" he said.

The middle-aged and elderly believers who come to Sanya to pass the winter are relatively stable in their attendance. They go to churches in Sanya and in their hometowns. When they come to Sanya in winter, they will go to the church on their own initiative and do not need to be reminded by the church.

Brother Wu was sent to Sanya Bihai International Church this time to help expand the ministries of the Happiness Group (an approach to reach seekers) and the Nurturing Class (mainly for the newly baptized believers). The Happiness Group at the church started a few years ago but stopped off and on for a year. This year, it was re-launched in May and the congregation was more enthusiastic to participate.

During his time in Sanya, Brother Wu hopes to help the church discover and raise up people with passion and encourage them to rise up and serve. Happiness Groups and Nurturing Classes contain discipleship lessons, and the believers will be trained to serve independently as evangelists. 

Talking about his conversion experience, Brother Wu said, "It wasn't that I chose God, but that God kicked me in at the door."

Since he was a child, his Christian grandmother had preached the gospel to him, but at that time he did not get touched by God. When he learned by chance in high school that there was a church near his school, he went to the Sunday service with his classmates. After the service, one of the older sisters in the church led him in a prayer of determination. After that, he went to church every Sunday for worship.

During his high school and college years, he also used his spare time to participate in some church services.

In October 2018, Brother Wu came to Haixiu Church to serve full-time.

Brother Wu's major was engineering construction, and he worked on construction sites for a while after graduation, which was very hard and he also felt spiritual fatigue at that time.

He was eager to go to church. After this project was over, he returned to Haikou and worked as a store manager in a sales company. His work was still very busy, and sometimes he had to work night shifts.

"Haixiu Church's youth fellowship needed people at that time, and I was eager to get involved." During that time, he often talked to the church preacher and the preacher suggested, ‘You are working in a company for two or three thousand yuan, and a full-time job in the church is almost two or three thousand yuan. You love the work inside the church, why don't you come and work here?' 

His non-Christian parents were authentic Hainanese with a tradition of idolatry. In this case, God opened the way in a wonderful style. His mother was complaining about his sales job and wanted him to change his job, so she agreed to let him go to work at the church full-time. When his mother tried to change her mind, Brother Wu told her, "It's too late, I've already told the company I'm quitting, and I've already confirmed full-time service with the church."

"Some of my previous ministry experiences have taught me to be accepting and tolerant; working on a construction site has taught me to rely on God in difficult circumstances and wait for His call." Brother Wu said, "I believe all of this is God's way of preparing me to be able to respond to His love in full-time service. Everything is just right, hallelujah to the Lord!" 

- Translated by Richard Zou