In 2013, Pastor Y from Cangzhou in Hebei traveled from Q County in Handan, about 200 kilometers away, to X County to establish a church. The church's first gathering place was in a two-story building in Beiguan Village of X County. The first floor was almost taken up by the stairs leading to the second floor, which had a bedroom of less than 10 square meters and a living room of about 15 square meters. In that living room, the church held morning prayers and Sunday services. It also served as Pastor Y's prayer room, his family’s dining room, and the guest bedroom.
While studying at Handan Bible School, Pastor Y was inspired by missionary stories, with a heart of evangelism cultivated. Christian faith is flourishing in Handan, with abundant churches and staff workers. He desired to plant churches in Hengshui, known as “hardened soil for the gospel,” was his intended destination. Later, he learned that there was already a small gathering of five or six believers in X County, close to Hengshui, in need of a pastor. This is what brought him to X County to lead the church.
X County has a strong Catholic presence, and in the early days, many Catholics joined the church, leading to frequent conflicts during services due to differing beliefs. Another major challenge was that seven or eight believers were involved in a multi-level marketing scheme. Through biblical teachings and prayers, Pastor Y was able to bring them back.
While fighting for the church, Pastor Y also faced personal hardships. The rented gathering place had no air conditioning in the summer and no heating in the winter. The cooking area was small, and the smoke was overwhelming. Pastor Y shared a detail: during the summer, it was so hot that he couldn’t sleep, so he smeared toothpaste on his body and managed to sleep for an hour or two with the cooling sensation from the evaporating paste.
Today, this church is the only registered gathering place in X County, with about 50 registered members and over 20 regular attendees. The current church location is a two-story residential house with a yard. The first floor has a central living room, with a bedroom on each side for hosting guests. The second floor mirrors the layout of the first floor, with the central space used as a chapel, while the side rooms serve diverse functions such as storage, meetings, or hosting. There is also a row of rooms by the courtyard entrance, which are used as bathrooms and a kitchen. Pastor Y’s family now rents a separate house. Since his two children are away for school or work, and his wife is studying at the seminary, Pastor Y lives alone in the church most of the time.
Financial struggles have been a constant challenge for Pastor Y over the past ten years, though he has also experienced God’s abundant grace. In 2014, when they had to endure the harsh conditions of the previous meeting place, the church could not afford even the annual rent of less than 3,000 yuan, and Pastor Y had to find other ways to cover the cost. Today, the church is able to fully support its current, comfortable, and fully functional meeting place. Pastor Y’s salary has grown from being supported externally to being paid by the church itself, rising from 500 yuan to 3,000 yuan. Though still modest, it is sufficient.
When he stepped out in faith, God’s provision had always followed. From having nothing to being self-sustaining, the church has even had another gathering place during these ten years. In 2015, due to both church needs and the desire to improve living conditions, Pastor Y considered moving to a new location, eyeing a commercial space with an annual rent of 25,000 yuan. However, there were mixed opinions among the believers, and Pastor Y himself lacked confidence due to financial pressures. He sought confirmation from God in prayer. Within three days, a female church member donated 10,000 yuan, which solidified Pastor Y's decision to move. After that, God provided the necessary funds in varied ways. The total cost for rent, renovation, and church supplies, amounting to about 40,000 to 50,000 yuan, was all met without issue.
Since then, God’s provision has never ceased, whether for the church or Pastor Y’s family. Through a friend’s help, a church in Shenzhen became aware of the situation in X County. From the second half of 2015 until 2022, they provided consistent support for the church's rent, as well as helping Pastor Y’s family multiple times.
In the early days of pioneering the church, Pastor Y was often consumed with financial worries and fears. At that time, his wife and children had not yet joined him, and he was alone, constantly thinking, “What will the future hold?” “What about my children?” “What about my parents?” Besides his anxiety, he was scammed out of money. Today, financial needs still exist: the church is still rented, and they wonder when they will have their own building. His daughter is pursuing further studies, and he can’t afford the dowry or a house for his son to get married. However, after more than ten years, Pastor Y feels much more secure, saying, “Move forward with faith; you can’t take steps forward if you’re bogged down with worries and fears.”
Beyond financial pressure, another major challenge has been the loneliness in ministry. For a long time, Pastor Y’s wife worked in a factory to support his ministry, and he had to figure out church matters on his own. The biggest struggle during this time was combating the tendency to grow cold-hearted. As time went on, he witnessed many miracles, and God’s grace became something familiar, to the point of becoming numb to it. "Faith expresses itself through love. When a couple is in love or newly married, their love tightly binds them together, and no one can come between them. The same is true of our relationship with God. But over time, the love for God seems to be absent. That’s why we must constantly draw near to God, experience His love, and rely on His love to continue on the path of ministry.”
Finding strength in God’s love, Pastor Y has persisted in reading excellent spiritual books and studying pastoral knowledge, such as doctrine, for over a decade. During his time at Handan Bible School, one of his teachers emphasized that studying the Bible was the most important, while doctrine was not as essential, so it wasn’t taught. Pastor Y also cherishes the opportunities to study and exchange ideas with other pastors. As his family’s financial situation improved, he encouraged his wife to study theology. This summer, she completed her seminary courses and began an internship at the church.
Today, the church has Pastor Y as a full-time worker, his wife as an intern worker, and three female volunteers. They conducted gatherings, such as Sunday services, Wednesday prayer meetings, and Friday Bible studies. The Wednesday prayer meetings revisit the sermon topics from Sunday, while the Friday Bible studies, currently led by Pastor Y, focus on doctrinal teachings. These studies have proven effective in resisting heresies.
How do God and people view Pastor Y and his family’s more than ten years of ministry? We often hear stories of churches growing from a handful of people to hundreds or even thousands over several years. Some may think that the church in X County is unimpressive, or wonder whether it is worthwhile that a pastor’s family spent over a decade here. Yet, there are also those who see the church as precious, believing that the presence or absence of the church can have far-reaching effects on X County.
The Lausanne Movement recently released the Status of the Great Commission Report with contributions from over 150 missionary-sending nations. In the first section, under the topic “Disciple-Making Movements,” the report provided specific data on disciple-making and church-planting movements. Researchers estimate that more than 100 million people have become disciples through disciple-making movements. Additionally, over nine million churches have been established through church-planting movements, with an average of 14 disciples per church. During Pastor Y’s moments of exhaustion and weakness, this data might bring him hope that his work would be a harvest worth celebrating.
Like Pastor Y, many grassroots pastors quietly persevere because of their love for the Lord. Their work is not in vain. In the Lord, every act of service is remembered. When the six stone jars are filled with water, when seeds are awakened by the right conditions of temperature, moisture, and light, God’s mighty power will come upon us in an awe-inspiring way.
- Edited & translated by Abigail Wu
