Us vs. Them 的教會觀 — 張傳華

        一個人在教會得聞福音信主、受造就、成長、到參與事奉，把教會當作是自己的家，這是理所當然的。在中小型的教會，人數並不多，滿有家的感覺。卻發現新朋友要融入教會的圈子裡，就不太容易，不久就離開了。

        另一種觀念，認為教會不是我們的，教會是社區的燈台；是為他們而設，對社區要有使命感，進行對社區作研究分析，然後提供很多活動切合社區的需要，甚至教會的設施齊備且十分現代化。連主日崇拜的內容模式，也脫離了敬拜傳統。為了滿足會眾的需要，促使會眾抱著消費者的心態來選擇教會，這種情形多數出現在人數多的教會。

        究竟教會是「我們的」還是「他們的」？如何調整教會達到「是我們的也是他們的」？後現代的教會應回到屬靈傳統去，重索福音傳統、敬拜傳統和社關傳統的價值，來主導現今世代的需要。

An “Us vs. Them” Church View

        It is natural to see the church as one’s home when one heard the good news, accepted Christ, being edified, nurtured, and eventually involved in the ministry in the same church. In a small and mid-size church, where there is not a large number of people, one could really feel at home. However, we often find that it is not easy for new people to assimilate into the church and leave soon.

        Another idea is that the church is not established for us, but as a lamp stand for the community. The church is established for them. The church has to have a sense of mission for the community. The church studies and analyzes the community, and then provides activities to meet its need. The facility and equipment of the church is very much modernized; even the content and pattern of the worship service is very different from a traditional one. Fulfilling the needs of the congregation, make people choose a church with a mindset of consumers. This often happens in churches with high attendance.

        Is the church “ours”, or “theirs”? How do we fine-tuned the church so that it is “for us and for them? Postmodern church should return to her spiritual tradition to reshape the evangelical, worship and social justice traditions, to guide the needs of this generation.

作者簡介：張傳華1975年畢業於伯特利神學院，獲神學學士學位。1985年獲建道神學院教牧學碩士，2008年獲建道神學院教牧學博士。1983年3月13日按立為牧師。曾任銅鑼灣潮語浸信會佈道所、灣仔浸信會、九龍城浸信會事奉、加拿大多倫多愛證浸信會主任牧師。現任美加華人浸信會聯會總幹事。1975年畢業至今，事主40年。