Editor’s note: Set on the southern tip of the Liaoning Peninsula, Dalian is just across the Bohai Strait from North Korea. It’s a pleasant city, with good weather, interesting architecture, and a cosmopolitan culture. Local pastors say the church has many needs, especially for more leaders. Because the Christian community in Dalian is small, even young Christians can be pushed into leadership positions, sometimes before they are ready. They long for deep, gospel-focused growth in the churches around Dalian.
The Church Needs Pastors… and Patience
China Partnership: How can we pray for churches and families in Dalian?
Wang Fu: The church has many, many needs. The first is probably the need for preachers. In this culture, it is a very, very big deal for young people to put down their work and work as a preacher. It also requires the church to have the ability to train them, and to provide for their livelihood.
We have been urgently praying for more young people to rise up and do this work. But we still have a great lack. We should be planting churches, but we don’t have people. We pastors are busy with ministry, and have little time to find and train young people. We need prayer.
In this culture, it is a very, very big deal for young people to put down their work and work as a preacher. It also requires the church to have the ability to train them, and to provide for their livelihood.
I myself pray that the church’s growth will be driven by the gospel. Doing a lot of things won’t necessarily lead to growth – instead, I hope that growth comes from understanding the gospel and growing in practicing it.
I pray for patience for myself and for the church. This is the work of the Holy Spirit; it’s not our work. Slowing down is very difficult. We need great patience, knowing that it takes many years to change. We can’t change people quickly. We need many years to, little by little, change. We shepherd, we wait, and then, one day, people become mature.
Pray for Family Difficulties
Pray for families in the church. Not all of us have believed in the Lord for many years, maybe just for a decade. Many families, like mine, came to faith late. So, our families have many needs.
In China, someone might become a Christian one month and be pastoring the next – in one year, they might become a pastor! Their wife still doesn’t understand quite what has happened. So, in this difficulty, we just have to rely on God’s grace to move forward, to serve as we pray.
No matter what happens, our life and death are in the Lord’s hands. We are not our own – our lives are also in his hands.
There are many needs families face: children’s education; harmony between husband and wife; how to balance family and ministry. As a brother who is a bit older, I’m especially concerned about today’s young people, because they face very great challenges.
Pray for Physical Health
For me personally, my prayer concern is physical health. Three years ago, I had cancer, and had to have major surgery. Since then, my physical condition hasn’t been very good. Two years ago, I hurt my back and was bedridden for two months. This year, I’m having issues with my lungs. The doctor is observing the situation, and says it may be early-stage cancer. We can remove it, but I will have to face surgery.
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Experiencing such things for three consecutive years – for me, this has been very significant. Through this, my physical weakness has drawn me closer to the Lord. It has also helped me to better understand others. At least when I visit sick people, I know how to comfort them – I won’t use false words.
For my wife, these consecutive challenges have made her feel a bit weak. Pray for my wife and family. Ask the Lord to give my wife peace, and to let her know that, no matter what happens, our life and death are in the Lord’s hands. We are not our own – our lives are also in his hands. I hope she can submit to that.
I also hope that, in this difficulty, we come to love the Lord more. We don’t need to love our bodies more – because sooner or later, we’ll leave [the body].
Gospel Transformation
Zang Xile: Pray for our health. Pray for the spiritual health of the preacher, and also for the health of the preacher’s family and of the church. This cannot be separated from the gospel.
We hope that brothers and sisters not only have intellectual knowledge of the gospel, but we can more deeply experience the transformation and renewal the gospel brings.
We hope that brothers and sisters not only have intellectual knowledge of the gospel, but we can more deeply experience the transformation and renewal the gospel brings.
My personal vision is hoping that we can flourish in the gospel. Not just for one church to flourish — but that as we complete the Great Commission, the charge Jesus gave to the church — we will be able to connect with each other and flourish in the gospel.
Perhaps I haven’t been in Dalian very long, but I know that the connection between churches is particularly lacking. I hope that we can connect with one another more and, together, flourish the gospel.
Wang Fu and Zang Xile are pseudonyms for house church pastors in Dalian.
Pray for Dalian to have more Christian leaders and for young people to be willing to enter the ministry.
