Since China's reform and opening-up, its rapid socioeconomic development has been widely recognized. On one hand, people enjoy the convenience brought about by advancements in material goods and technology. On the other hand, a unique group, pastors living in top-tier cities, face immense challenges and tests in life.

Small groups and discipleship training are increasingly valued in churches. To strengthen these ministries, pastors in charge often adopt materials from various churches and institutions to facilitate growth. However, pastors have diverse perspectives on the training materials they use, shaped by their specific contexts. Three frontline pastors gave their views on the contextualization of training materials to the Christian Times.

A pastor from East China spent ten years helping believers clarify the overall framework of each book of the Bible. Not only did he move from the periphery of the Bible to its core, but believers also grew in biblical literacy.

The witches (religious healers) invited to perform rituals at their home left in despair; on the contrary, Shen, a man with lower limb paralysis recovered at the hospital when his mother, in the distance, chose to trust in Jesus and dedicated him to God in prayer.

Should the church hire Christians with jobs as the staff? Can pastors with secular jobs lead the church? Pastor Chen shares his personal experience of serving as a pastor while with an additional job.

Full-time pastors and ministers often face a significant income gap compared to the need to support their families and children's education. It is a matter of concern whether pastors can venture into business. Five pastors from different provinces in China, each with over 20 years of pastoral experience, expressed their views on the issue.

A pastor from East China shared that lacking healthy competition, many pastors became addicted to the praise of believers, unable to keep up with the times to provide quality pastoral care.

A pastor stressed the importance of practicing the words of God in life rather than just preaching on the stage from four stories.

As pastors have been studying external teaching materials to increase memberships, issues have arisen during the process. Three pastors discuss how to make these materials more contexualized in the Chinese context.

A man who believes in God attests to his complete dedication to the Lord after He healed him of incurable breast cancer.