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 Chinese online Christian newspaper.
Pastor Liang, born in the 1970s in southern China, leads a church with fewer than 100 members. He specializes in sermon ministry. Liang emphasized that the gospel is the core of all ministry and teaching materials. Regarding the training materials, he cared most about whether the gospel’s core message was clearly explained.
He believed that simply copying and applying other churches' methods was wrong even if these churches were developing well. He acknowledged the need to learn from successful cases, but the key, as he emphasized, was to seek God’s guidance and apply the materials contextually. If one saw strengths in others and tried to learn from them without considering his context and characteristics, he would not achieve the desired results.
Therefore, Liang supplemented the materials that were not sufficient in the core of the gospel. “No matter what material it is, the essential criterion is that it serves to proclaim the gospel rather than the gospel serves the method of the material,” Liang said.
Pastor Liu, born in the 1960s, is a senior pastor of a 300-member church in a southern city. Two-thirds of the believers he led were working adults, and many often worked overtime. Therefore, Liu often faced challenges in carrying out group care ministry.
In his small group ministry, many effective materials that were popular among other churches had been adopted, for example, Happiness Group (small group studies specifically focused on evangelism), and Alpha Course. However, the effect was mediocre. He believed that pastors needed to better understand the characteristics of their congregations as those courses could only temporarily ignite enthusiasm.
Liu chose MasterLife: The Disciple’s Mission published by CCC&TSPM. He advised, “Compared to previous materials, this one contains significantly more practices of faith, allowing believers to acquire applicable and testable knowledge after learning. Teaching materials from some Western and East Asian countries tend to focus more on doctrine, lacking practical components.”
“The practices of faith in MasterLife very much match Chinese believers in contexts. For instance, the material includes training for preaching the gospel; courses and assignments on caring for family members; and specific practical tasks that people can truly do. After practice, learners will pay more attention to the changes in their lives and conviction in their missions. The materials we used before did not achieve such responses and effects,” Liu added.
Pastor Li leads a church in a southern town. During his more than 20 years of ministry, he has primarily served migrant workers. After the pandemic, his church was divided into smaller groups for pastoral care.
Li observed that many pastors and speakers adopted a “plagiarism” approach. Whether for Sunday sermons or daily pastoral tasks, they bluntly used others’ sermons or materials. He compared this to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor treating colds. A special remedy might work well in northeastern China, but the same prescription could result in fatalities in Africa. The reason is that the cold in northeast China is the wind-cold type, while in Africa, it is the wind-heat type.
Therefore, Li emphasized that pastors must understand the contexts and needs of their churches and believers rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. Li believed that the use of teaching materials must respect the principles of contextualization and practical theology.
To address this, he compiled four sets of teaching materials for seekers and believers in his church, catering to different levels. The first set is an evangelistic course for seekers, mainly focusing on the relationship between faith and science. The second set covers learning from doubt, faith, and baptism in sequence. The third set provides guidance from initial faith to growth, including understanding prayer, Bible reading, gatherings, the church, the gospel, sanctification, and other aspects. The fourth set focuses on how Christians can study the Bible, lead small groups, lead worship, and serve in teams.
“Regarding all aspects of Christians’ lives, such as how to behave and do things, I also incorporate courses on Christian filial piety and marital ethics into our programs, and the effect has been rather significant,” he added.
- Translated by Charlie Li
