In the current climate, churches are shrinking, aging, and disoriented. How should a church carry on? Should it stagnate, give up, or proactively transform?
Pastor Ye has nearly 20 years of ministry experience. He and his colleagues faced up to the common problems that challenge contemporary churches. In their prayers and practices, they consistently experimented, transformed, and optimized their approach, and ultimately led their church into a more stable and well-established state.
The Transformation from a Youth Fellowship into a Church
The former body of Pastor Ye's church was a youth fellowship. When asked why the church needed to transform, he explained, "Initially, we all just met at my mother-in-law's house, and almost every member was a youth. The fellowship was growing and increasing, and soon her small living room couldn't accommodate us." Facing space limitations, the fellowship recognized the need for a more suitable venue for long-term gatherings. Eventually, they purchased a new meeting place and spent a year on its renovation before it was finally ready for use.
The move was more than just a change of space; it became a crucial opportunity for the church's transformation. Soon after the settlement, the core workers of the fellowship started a series of deep self-reflections and study processes. They visited and learned from other churches, and they seriously discussed among the whole group the future of the fellowship. The core team made a key decision: to transform the fellowship into a more structured and regulated church. From then on, the group was no longer a youth-focused fellowship, but it became a local church with its own governance system.
On confirming the transformation, Pastor Ye and his colleagues formulated a church management system. For pastoral care, they decided to rely on a preacher system. It was decided that they should rely less on guest preachers but train their own preachers. That basis could guarantee a more stable supply of preachers for their church. In addition, the original fellowship, which centered on Bible studies, gradually shifted towards cell groups to better care for congregants.
Meanwhile, the church created an election system and a membership system. Pastor Ye believes the church's election system is both democratic and timely, and these two points are very important. He stated, "The election system stipulates that relatives cannot serve in the same church, which prevents nepotism. Furthermore, the term for a church leader is only two years, so no one stays in that position for too long. Moreover, candidates must be actively working in frontline ministries so that those who just talk and don't do anything don't qualify to be elected."
Pastor Ye further explained that the membership system was because many believers lacked commitment. The church staff reflected on this and made member commitments a key goal for the church's development. That was why they ultimately finalized the membership system during a staff meeting.
Challenges in the Reformation of the Church System
The church's reforming process wasn't all smooth. Pastor Ye once disagreed with older pastors about the method of communion. "The older generation of church leaders always insisted on the 'common bread and cup' communion, but during the pandemic, many brothers and sisters felt it was unhygienic and were worried about the risk of contracting COVID-19," Pastor Ye recalled. "At that time, our church started communicating with some of the older pastors, hoping to switch to 'separate bread and cups,' but they were very reluctant to accept it."
However, after several rounds of debating, Pastor Ye's church ultimately decided to use the "one person, one cup" method. "From a theological perspective, I personally don't see any problem with one cup per person. In fact, continuing to insist on 'common bread and cup' could cause greater trouble."
"Many brothers and sisters worried about getting hepatitis from sharing a communion cup. The elders emphasized that we should receive it in faith, but, on the other hand, they would say, 'If there were brothers and sisters with hepatitis, it'd be best for them to take communion last'. That statement is contradictory," Pastor Ye admitted. "Instead of making believers struggle between their faith and health, it was better to adjust the method."
After extensive discussions and prayers, the church decided to change from "common bread and cup" to "separate bread and cups," which respects the faith and shows responsibility for the health concerns of its members.
On building the internal staff team, they developed a system that includes discipleship courses, regular book reviews, and a more standardized pay system.
"We require full-time staff to read a book every two weeks and share their insights," Pastor Ye said. The church pays for social security and retirement insurance for pastors to ensure long-term stability of their full-time ministry. It also provides subsidies based on education level, years of service, and living situations. "We want our pastors to feel secure in serving their spiritual roles long-term," he said.
Pastor Ye believes their church's system helps prevent conflicts among people. Now members are more united, which is characteristically unique in this church. "Harmony helps foster greater enthusiasm for ministry. It is relatively less likely for members to feel hurt in our church," Pastor Ye added. "Compared to other churches, a higher percentage of our members are involved in ministry. We have provided many opportunities for brothers and sisters to serve, and the number of formal staff members accounts for 60% of our total congregation."
Originally from the Christian Times
- Edited by Katherine Guo and translated by Charlie Li
