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2022 年 3 月 12 日／13 日 Click here for English 荒年逆流，教會仍要「信培」嗎？
張穎新牧師
教會既是真理的柱石和根基，在此聚集的信徒，就必然要以基督的真理為安身立命之本。無論是順境抑或逆境，基督徒都應該在世上的客旅人生中，盡上本分，成為聖潔，合乎主用，預備行各樣的善事（提後二 21，三 17）。而我們確信，上帝的聖言是基督徒行事為人的準則，我們倘能用心學習和踐行聖經的教導，必然於己有益，同時也能榮耀神、造就人。 然而，面對世紀疫症，世情動盪，人心迷惘，各人為要應付防疫與生活劇變，已忙到「一頭煙」，喘不過氣來。我們不禁要問，荒年逆流，教會仍要推動「信仰培育、信徒培訓」嗎？ 作為教會的專責部門，信培部仝人仍然深信，大環境不管如何惡劣，推動信徒參與「信培」事工，仍是我們的召命。使徒保羅明言末世必有艱難的日子（提後三 1），所以跟隨主的人更需要時刻裝備自己，深化信仰，而我們也實在驚訝在今天如斯艱難處境中，聖經真理仍是鏗鏘有力，擲地有聲，基督徒群體如能深入認識，必可更體會到上帝的信實，使靈命成長，抗逆力增強。 在今天的證道內容中，我們見到昔日的約沙法王勤於在全國上下教導主話，適切地運用了動員、聚焦及執行三大要素（代下十七 7-9），值得我們借鏡。動員方面，牧者可與不同專業背景的領袖，一起策劃「信培」事工，提升互動和協作效益。聚焦方面，信培部將掌握此時此地的群體脈搏和屬靈需要，提供更貼地的信仰課程和培訓項目。最後是執行，我們將靈活運用實體和網上配套，持守「停擺不停學」的原則，定期構想和開辦信仰課程，讓信徒群體得著合適裝備，提升悟性，回應世情。 備忘 為配合未來「十年北宣人」的願景，教會已將過去的初信栽培、青成主日學、門徒訓練和領袖培訓等事工，重新整合為一個全新的事工部門「信培部」，務求在行政上化繁為簡，增進效益，並在事工上重組加強，創新傳承。 「信培」方針是以每一個信徒的靈命成長需要為主要考量，當中涉及兩個範疇。一方面，是信仰培育，即是以青成的基教模式，培育和裝備不同階段的信徒，從而使信仰深化、適切時代需要、突破時空限制。另一方面，是信徒培訓，顧及初信者、受浸和過會者、事奉領袖等不同的信齡階段的需要，度身訂造切合他們需要的栽培事工。 Pastor's Sharing Training in the Church in Hard Times Still? Rev Wayne Cheung The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. Believers gathering here must have their lives founded upon the truth. Whether in good times or bad, Christians in their lives as sojourners on earth should do their part, become holy, stand ready for service to God and to undertake all kinds of good works (2 Timothy 2:21, 3:17). We are convinced that since God’s Holy Word forms the basis of our being and doing, we will benefit by earnestly learning and putting into practice the teachings in the Bible. We will also be able to glorify God and build others up. Yet, in the face of the pandemic when hearts are confused, the world is in turmoil and that we can hardly breathe having to cope with the anti-pandemic measures and the drastic changes in life, we cannot help but ask: Should the church still promote faith nurturing and spiritual training for believers? All of us at the Equip Department, the church’s designated department for this, believe that no matter how difficult the surroundings, mobilizing believers to take part in training ministries remains our calling. The Apostle Paul states clearly that in the last days, there will be difficult times (2 Timothy 3:1). That is why followers of the Lord need all the more to be equipped and to deepen our faith. We are amazed that in all of today’s difficult situations, biblical truths are still so powerful and relevant. A deeper understanding of the truth will enable the Christian community to experience God’s faithfulness more profoundly, to grow spiritually and to be more resilient to hardship. In today's sermon, we learn that Jehoshaphat King of Judah had the word of God taught diligently to all people in the nation, aptly applying three core elements of mobilization, focus and execution (2 Chronicles 17:7-9). This sets an example for us. For mobilization, pastors can team up with leaders of different backgrounds and expertise when planning for training ministries to enhance interaction and synergy. For focus, we will take the pulse of our community in the here and now and assess our spiritual needs so that we could provide more relevant faith-based courses and training. When it comes to execution, we will flexibly deploy in-person and online platforms and hold on to the principle "learning does not stop with lockdown." We will design and organize faith-based courses regularly so that the community of believers can be adequately equipped, have a better understanding of the truth, and be able to respond to the world. Remarks In line with our vision for "A decade of NPAC worshippers," the church has incorporated and reorganized our past ministries for nurturing new believers, Sunday School for adults, discipleship as well as leadership training into the new "Equip Department." This is to streamline administrative work and enhance effectiveness. The ministries are also regrouped and strengthened to embrace creativity and heritage. The main consideration of the Equip Department is the spiritual growth needs of each believer, which involves two areas. The first concerns the nurturing of faith. The adult Christian education model to grow and equip believers in various stages will be adopted. The goal is to deepen their faith to meet current needs, overcoming the limitations of time and space. The second concerns training for the believer that caters to the needs in different stages of faith, including new believers, baptismal candidates, those preparing for membership transfer, ministry leaders, etc. Ministries to nurture them will be tailor-made to suit their needs. |