The rural churches seem not worth mentioning. There are no magnificent churches, gorgeous ornament or good hardware facilities. However, we should never underestimate their huge development potential.The Chinese New Year seems a good opportunity to them since the church in rural areas reach a large population, noted for their wide scope.
Opportunity to evangelize migrant workers
Many people have to leave their rural hometowns and migrate to cities for jobs. Despite the long distance, most of them are eager to return to hometowns during the Chinese New Year festival, a time for family reunion. The silent countryside becomes noisy and exciting.
So the rural church can seize the opportunity to reach people, such as distributing gospel tracts and holding evangelistic meetings. In addition, the church can mobilize the congregation to invite their unreligious family members to attend meetings.
At the end of the lunar year, many young people get married and some believers pass away. As a result, the church can conduct weddings and funerals to expand its influence.
What's more, pay attention to the youth ministry. Make the young migrant workers feel the change of the church and encourage more young people to serve God. Meanwhile, the church should renew the ideology of the older generation and tell them that God is not merely for the poor and the sick, whom everyone needs.
Train the locals and believers busy with chores in their daily life with Bible teachings
In the countryside, a number of young people stay for business startups. They plant vegetable greenhouses, run stores or work in factories nearby, as a result, being busy all the year round except Sundays.
Many elderly believers have to look after their grandchildren at home, ferrying them to and from school, making meals and doing household chores. So there is little time left for gatherings.
During the Spring Festival, the agricultural work is over and school ends. It's a good time to train the congregation with Bible teachings.
Connect with church workers from other places
In my hometown, a few believers attend the rural church. Many locals move to other places to run businesses and settle down there. In other parts of China, some convert to Christianity and serve in churches as co-workers. When they return to their hometowns, the local church communicates with them, learning experience from their churches.
It's really good for churches to connect with and learn from each other. More rural churches are needed to take this step. On the one hand, the rural church should avoid self-isolation or being extremely conceited; on the other hand, it should take its own situation into account and not copy others blindly.
Translated by Karen Luo
