Pastor workers in Shandong Province learned on urban ministry in the new era from the successful practices of the Guangzhou Church.
According to the host, the first pastoral staff retreat under the current leadership of the Qingdao Christian Council and Three-Self Patriotic Movement (CC&TSPM) took place on November 14, bringing together nearly 100 pastoral workers from across the city.
The retreat featured Rev. Chen Suisheng, president of the Guangzhou CC and senior pastor of Guangzhou Dongshan Church, along with Rev. Chi Jianqing, secretary general of the Guangzhou TSPM, as keynote speakers.
During the morning session, Rev. Chen Suisheng delivered a keynote address titled "Church Management in the New Era," drawing from the practical experiences of the Guangzhou CC&TSPM and Dongshan Church. He emphasized the importance of addressing the challenges of urban pastoral care in the new era by setting clear pastoral goals, prioritizing efficiency, emphasizing accountability, and utilizing resources effectively, focusing on outcomes, thereby fostering a fresh approach to urban pastoral care.
In the afternoon, Rev. Chi Jianqing shared insights on the "integrated" management practices of the Guangzhou Christian community under the theme "Breaking Through the Bottleneck of Pastoral Care and Re-embarking on the Path of Mission." He highlighted the challenges churches face in the post-denominational, post-pandemic, and AI-intelligent era, emphasizing the need to clarify the church's identity, innovate pastoral and management models, fully mobilize and utilize available resources, achieve standardized site management, and foster the church's comprehensive and systematic development.
At the closing ceremony, Rev. Gao Yongliang, president of the Qingdao CC, encouraged pastoral workers to draw from the successful experiences of fellow churches, continually enhance their personal development and management skills, and explore the implementation of the sinicization of Christianity in Qingdao.
