我们如何将福音传遍全球呢？既然教会是属上帝的，作为教会领袖，我们应当在祷告中向祂祈求我们与教会一同做工的良策，而且祷告必须从教会领袖开始。本文来源:《传道者》杂志翻译/朗读:TruthTV 小组

祷告：教会成长的要诀

作者：尼尔森·梅尔卡多，神学硕士

纳什维尔基督复临安息日会牧师，现居美国 田纳西州 纳什维尔市

 基督复临安息日会2019年的统计数据已经新鲜出炉。截至2019年底，全球共有163,745个有组织的教会；新增受洗共1,321,047人，但刨除死亡、转会、失联和离开等情形后，仅剩142,058人。1这些数字固然严峻，但现实却更加触目惊心。斯蒂芬·罗斯在2014年初对世界人口统计数据做了汇编。他的研究结果显示，世界总人口约为7,171,061,698人，全球人口日出生数与死亡数比率为360,000:151,600。因此，我们正在以每天落后208,400人的速度向世人传扬福音。2那么，我们如何将福音传遍全球呢？既然教会是属上帝的，作为教会领袖，我们应当在祷告中向祂祈求我们与教会一同做工的良策，而且祷告必须从教会领袖开始。这是为什么呢？我的经历我成为牧师已有八年，这期间我组织了八次布道活动。当人们把生命献给耶稣时，祷告显然是生活中不可或缺的重要一环。但作为新的牧师和传道者，我组织的前两次活动没有强调教会为之献上祷告。毫无疑问，我本人有祈祷，但是我没有倡议会众恒切祷告。结果收效甚微。我观察到其他牧师同样来到这里，而他们却取得了丰硕的成果，这使我走上了自省并探究布道这一课题的道路。我有幸见证了一些牧师和传道者如何让教友有目的地祷告，使之成为布道活动的重要组成部分。于是我也决定试一试。我在教会成员中组建了（祷告）小组，他们在活动中的一项主要工作是祷告祈求圣灵的感动与同在。这些小组还负责每晚布道活动的祷告。我不仅在美国这样做，还在欧洲(摩尔多瓦)、中美洲(危地马拉)、加勒比海(古巴)和南美洲(哥伦比亚的两次活动)复制了这个模式。在每一次布道活动中，上帝都赐下了丰硕的果实，我有幸参与其中并亲自为慕道友施洗。早期教会中的成长虽然有人可能会争辩说，今日的世界已是今非昔比，困难重重，但在教会发展这个领域中我们可以效学的最好榜样仍是早期教会。使徒们肩负的使命并不轻松——为基督作见证直到地极 (徒1:8)。随后，他们就因传扬耶稣的福音而被捕。使徒们随即以违反禁令为由被大祭司指控。“‘我们不是严严地禁止你们，不可奉这名教训人吗？你们倒把你们的道理充满了耶路撒冷，想要叫这人的血归到我们身上！’”（徒5:28）福音战略家埃德·西尔维索问道：“从使徒行传1:8到5:28，经历了多久呢？仅仅几个星期！在几个星期之内，教会从马可楼发展到了耶路撒冷的千家万户。” 312个普通人怎么可能在几周之内将福音传遍整个城市呢？使徒行传记述了他们是如何做到的。“都恒心遵守使徒的教训，彼此交接，擘饼，祈祷……主将得救的人天天加给他们。” (徒2:42-47) 第42节提到了四个要素，“只有一个……超越其余所有，那就是：祈祷……”“……这种祈祷——是从古至今成功完成伟大使命的关键。” 4教会的成长不仅需要方法论，也需要来自上帝的能力。门徒祷告，上帝就赐给他们圣灵，圣灵使他们有作见证的能力、促进教会成长。“早期教会并不是因为计划或人的恩赐得以成长，而是依靠祷告和圣灵。” 5 如果教会像使徒一样祷告，上帝今天难道不会照样成就吗？祷告、圣灵和教会成长约瑟夫·基德认为祷告是教会成长的“四大要素”（有效能的领袖，热情而真实的灵性，委身而火热的会众，和高举上帝的崇拜）之一。6 他坚持认为，我们必须优先考虑灵性，特别举了怀爱伦热心于复兴的例子：“复兴必须以应允祷告为前提。人们在很缺乏上帝的圣灵时，无法赏识所传讲的道；但是当圣灵的能力感动他们的内心时，所讲的道就不会没有效果。” 7 西尔维索说：“复兴必须以上帝的荣耀为中心，因此，也要向失丧的人传扬福音……“……未能将迷羊带到耶稣面前的复兴是自私的复兴，因为这是以人的需要和指望为中心，而不是上帝的荣耀作为中心。” 8 因此，复兴必须与布道齐头并进。复兴能促进教会的成长。因此，我们可以得出结论，教会的成长必须以应允祷告为前提。然而，对教会牧师和领袖而言，依靠循序渐进的方法似乎比依靠祷告容易得多。我知道，教会领袖很容易觉得把时间放在祷告上会占据实施策略的时间。这是一个可悲的现实。1994年，托姆·雷恩反思道：“牧师、教会领袖们，让我们真正诚实地对待彼此和上帝。我们中间的大多数人对生活有着诸多诉求，以致祷告被排到末位。最近的研究表明，美国牧师平均每天的祷告时间为15-22分钟。四分之一的牧师每天的祷告时间甚至不足十分钟。” 9如果是圣灵的缺失使福音事工乏力，那么我们如何获得圣灵呢？那就是祷告——它是我们与上帝最基本最根本的联系，我们向上帝祈求，祂就赐予——这对经历上帝和圣灵的能力至关重要。这种能力可以移山，教会的成长也就成为了圣灵的工作——我们无需担心。因此我认为祷告对教会的成长极其重要。耶稣应许圣灵，但祂将圣灵赐给教会，不是为了让基督徒感到很兴奋，或能证明自己的基督徒身份，而是为使他们有能力完成自己的使命。教会发展专家罗素·伯瑞尔对此表示赞同，他说：“在圣灵最初的沛降中，我们发现了圣灵到来的目的：为使命的达成赋能。圣灵的倾降——是为了完成基督的使命……因此，若不藉着圣灵，我们无法完成工作。只有人们愿意被圣灵充满，靠着上帝与他们的邻舍分享基督时，圣灵才会降下。”10虽然伯瑞尔强调圣灵的倾降是祷告的结果，且是出于福音事工的目的而被赐下，但他也指出祷告才是教会成长的要诀，其他也包括形成传福音的文化、教会的自然发展，以及向朋友传讲福音，来到教会成为耶稣的门徒。11五旬节和教会成长五旬节的事件向我们阐明了所有关于教会成长的要素。原教会行政管理人员杰伊·加利莫尔说：“虽然我们可能会发现许多有关教会成长的原则，但当论及真正有效的灵性成长时，五旬节给我们留下了不容忽视的三大法宝：祈祷、悔改与圣灵。” 12 这三者是复兴的要素，因此也是教会成长的关键。复兴和改革推动教会的成长，这一点怎么强调都不为过。因此，如果牧师和领袖想见证教会的成长，他们就需要跪下来向上帝求圣灵，上帝会使得救的人数加给教会。祷告是教会得以成长的关键。乔治·拜尔纳在他的《用户友好型教会》13一书中研究了一些发展迅速的美国教会。他发现祷告是使教会迅速增长的秘诀。他发现这些教会在四个方面强调了祷告的重要性：

1.会众受到《圣经》中关于祷告对基督徒生活重要性的教导。这些已经在讲台和其他教会分享中完成。

2.教会领袖（专职工人和义工）将祷告作为基督徒生活各个方面重要的常态化行为。尽管日程繁忙，也要用大量的时间祷告。

3.这些教会已经学会庆祝祈祷的果实。他们知道祷告的确有效，因为他们听到了许多祷告的回应。

4.要求会众对祈祷负责。教会信徒及领袖定期在教会分享自己的祷告生活。

如本文开篇所述，相对于人口增长，基督复临安息日会的信徒正在减少。杰伊·加里莫尔沉思道：“当牧师们获得教会成长博士学位时，教会也正争先恐后地寻找能让他们成长的牧师。” 14 问题不在于教育，甚至也不在于教会如何成长；只在于我们增加对圣灵的倚靠——将我们的重心从在书本中寻找方法转向在祷告中寻求上帝。

方法论对教会成长的作用

“只要祈祷，教会就会成长”的说法可能看起来有些简单甚至天真，教会领袖必须有与祷告密切相关的愿景和规划。“当我们向上帝祈祷，希望祂能给向我们启示教会的愿景时，祂会神迹般地向我们显出各种可能。” 15 除非我们的计划是藉着祷告从上帝而来的，否则我们的计划无论多么美好，都永远无法收获赐福与成功。约书亚可能从未设计过占领耶利哥城的计划。良策出于上帝；因此，他尽可期待上帝对这个计划的赐福。

论到圣灵沛降在使徒身上，怀爱伦说道：“每一个工人应当天天受圣灵的洗，向主献上祷告。一队一队的福音工作者应当聚集，为这特别的帮助和属天的智慧祈求，好使他们知道如何聪明地计划并开展圣工。”16

由此，我们可以得出结论，基督的工人不但要有计划，还要寻求属天的智慧以晓得如何出入。“今日上帝教会的信徒若不与属灵成长的源头保持活泼的联络，到了收割的时候，他们便要发觉自己没有作好准备。” 17 方法论在教会也有重要的用处——但这只能作为对祷告的回应。

前所未见

上帝知道我们的社区需要什么，当我们在祷告中寻求祂时，祂就会将适合我们社区的策略指示我们。怀爱伦说道：“让我告诉你吧，主会在这最后的工作中以一种超常的、与人的任何计划不同的方式作工……工人们将因祂要用来开展并完成祂公义之工的简单方法而惊奇。”18 

这对我们来说是前所未有的——但对上帝而言却不是。《圣经》已经给了我们模板：早期教会，当然还有耶稣的生活。方法很简单：（只要）祷告，圣灵就必沛降。然后，祂将引导我们寻得帮助教会成长的良策，因为最终，是上帝将得救的人天天加给教会。

———

1.见“2019年分会成员统计预发布”，《2020年度统计报告》，第2卷(马里兰州 银泉：档案、统计和研究办公室，基督复临安息日会全球总会，2020年)。

2.Stephen Ross,《收获的田野：2014年统计数据》,健康密码，2014年6月23日，http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/greatc.html.·

3.埃德·西尔沃索，《无人应当灭亡：如何藉着祷告将福音传遍全城》(加利福尼亚州 文图拉：皇家图书公司，1994)，60。

4.同上，64页。

5.约瑟夫·基德，“对北美基督复临安息日会未来的思考：教会成长的长远观点(第2部分，共2页)”，传道者，2011年2月，第14页。

6.约瑟夫·基德，《教会家庭兴旺的四大秘密》(马里兰州 黑格斯敦：评论和先驱报出版社，2011)，13。

7.基德，“反思”，14。参见怀爱伦，《信息集粹》，卷1 (华盛顿州特区：评论和先驱出版社，1958)，121。

8.西尔维奥，《无人应当灭亡》，70页。

9. 托姆·雷恩，《吞象：“一口一口地”使你的教会实现长期成长》(田纳西州 纳什维尔：布罗德曼和霍尔曼，1994)，23。

10.罗素·伯瑞尔，《教会中的革命：发挥平信徒传道的力量》(加利福尼亚 法布鲁克：哈特研究中心)，16。

11.罗素·伯瑞尔，《如何发展安息日会的教会》(加利福尼亚 法布鲁克：哈特图书公司)，17–107。

12.杰伊·加利莫尔，“教会的成长——缺失的力量”，传道者，1986年12月，第12页。

13.乔治·拜尔娜，《用户友好型教会》(加利福尼亚 文图拉：皇家图书公司)，116–119。

14.加里莫尔，“教会成长”，12。

15.托姆·雷恩，《教会成长书》(B & H出版集团，1993)，第178页。^

16.怀爱伦，《使徒行述》(爱达荷州 南帕：:太平洋出版社，1911)，50；重点补充。

17.同上《使徒行述》，55页。

18.怀爱伦，《给传道人的证言》(加利福尼亚州 山景城：太平洋出版社，1923)，300。

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PRAYER: THE KEY TO CHURCH GROWTH

By Nelson Mercado, MMin, pastor of the Nashville First Seventh-day Adventist Church, Nashville, Tennessee, United States.

The 2019 statistics have emerged for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. At the end of year 2019, there was a total of 163,745 organized congregations. We had a total of 1,321,047 accessions but, after taking into consideration deaths, transfers, missing, and adjusted out, we had only a 142,058 net gain.1

These numbers are certainly grim, but they get worse. Stephen Ross compiled the world’s population statistics at the beginning of 2014. His findings revealed that the world population was estimated to be 7,171,061,698, with world birth to death ratios of 360,000 births versus 151,600 deaths per day. Therefore, every day we fall behind in reaching the whole world with the gospel by 208,400 people.2

So, how will we reach the whole world? Since the church belongs to God, as church leaders we should seek Him in prayer to find the methods that will work with our churches. , and it has to start with church leaders. What do I mean?

MY EXPERIENCE

I have been pastoring for eight years and have conducted eight evangelistic campaigns. Prayer was obviously an important component as people gave their lives to Jesus. But as a new pastor and evangelist, my first two campaigns were conducted without emphasizing prayer by the church. To be sure, I prayed; but I didn’t have the church members actively praying. The results were minimal.

I observed other pastors come to the same territory and experience fruitfulness and this led me on a path of soul-searching and study on the subject of evangelism. I had the privilege of witnessing how some pastors and evangelists made prayer by the membership intentional and central their campaigns. I decided to try it. I created teams of church members whose sole campaign function was to pray for the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit on our campaign. These teams were also in charge of the campaign prayer each night. I did this in the United States and repeated the pattern in Europe (Moldova), Central America (Guatemala), the Caribbean (Cuba), and South America (two campaigns in Colombia). In each of these campaigns, God blessed us with great fruitfulness, and I had the privilege of entering into the pool and baptizing the candidates myself.

CHURCH GROWTH IN THE EARLY CHURCH

While some may argue that today’s world is much different and more difficult, the best example we could follow in the area of church growth is that of the early church. The task assigned to them was no less easy. The apostles were commissioned to be Christ’s global witnesses (Acts 1:8). The apostles were subsequently arrested for preaching the gospel of Jesus. The apostles were then charged by the high priest with disobeying an order to cease and desist. “ ‘Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!’ ” (Acts 5:28, NKJV). Missions strategist Ed Silvoso asks, “How much time elapsed between Acts 1:8 and Acts 5:28? Just a few weeks! In a matter of weeks, the Church went from the Upper Room to every living room in Jerusalem.”3

How was it possible for 12 ordinary persons to reach an entire city with the gospel in a matter of weeks? Acts tells what they did. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. . . . And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42–47). While four elements are mentioned in verse 42, “only one . . . reaches beyond the group: prayer. . . .

“. . . This kind of prayer—is the key to the successful fulfillment of the Great Commission, then and now.”4

Churches do not just need methods to grow, they need power: God’s power. The disciples prayed, and God gave them the Holy Spirit, who empowered them to witness, resulting in church growth. “The early church did not grow because of programs or talents; they grew because of prayer and the Holy Spirit.”5 Will He not do the same today if the church prays as the apostles did?

PRAYER, THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND CHURCH GROWTH

Joseph Kidder sees prayer as part of his “big four” of church growth principles (effective and empowering leadership, passionate and authentic spirituality, committed and active laity, and God-exalting worship).6 He maintains that we must prioritize spirituality, highlighting Ellen White’s passion for revival: “A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer. While the people are so destitute of God’s Holy Spirit, they cannot appreciate the preaching of the Word, but when the Spirit’s power touches their hearts, then the discourses given will not be without effect.”7

Silvoso says that “revival must have as its focus the glory of God and, as its result, the evangelization of the lost. . . .

“. . . A revival that fails to bring the lost to Jesus is a self-serving revival, centered on man’s needs and wants, and not on God’s glory.”8 Thus, revival and evangelization of the lost go hand in hand. A revival will result in church growth. Therefore, we can conclude that church growth needs to be expected only in answer to prayer.

Yet, it seems that it is much easier for church pastors and leaders to rely on step-by-step methods than to depend on prayer. As a church leader, I know that it is easy to feel that dedicating time to prayer will take away from the time needed to implement methods. This is a sad reality. In 1994, Thom S. Rainer reflected, “Pastors, church leaders, let us get painfully honest with each other and with God. Most of us have so many demands on our lives that prayer takes a back seat to everything else. Recent studies have shown that the average American pastor spends from fifteen to twenty-two minutes daily in prayer. And one of four pastors spends less than ten minutes daily in prayer.”9

If the absence of the Holy Spirit makes the gospel ministry powerless, then how shall we be possessed of the Holy Spirit? Here’s where prayer—as a basic, fundamental link with God whereby we ask God, and He gives—becomes crucial to experience the power of God and the Holy Spirit. That power can move the mountains, and church growth becomes the work of the Holy Spirit—and not ours to worry over. That is why I believe prayer is so important when it comes to church growth.

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, but He did not give Him to the church so that Christians would feel excitement and prove that they were Christians. He gave the Holy Spirit to the church to empower them for the task at hand. Church growth expert Russell Burrill agrees with this when he says, “In this initial endowment of the Holy Spirit, we discover its purpose: empowerment for the accomplishment of the mission. The Holy Spirit is poured out for action—for the accomplishment of the task of Christ. . . . That’s why we cannot finish the work without the Holy Spirit. The spirit cannot be poured out unless there are people willing to be filled with power, enabling them to share Christ with the world around them.”10

While Burrill emphasizes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a result of prayer and that the Spirit was given for the purpose of ministry, he also points out that prayer is an essential church growth principle, the others being creating a culture of evangelism, natural church development, and reaching friends for Jesus, church visitors, and discipleship.11

PENTECOST AND CHURCH GROWTH4

The events at Pentecost can teach us all we need to know about church growth. Former church administrator Jay Gallimore stated, “While we may discover many church growth principles, when it comes to spiritual growth that really works, Pentecost leaves us with three nonnegotiables: prayer, repentance, and the Holy Spirit.”12 These three are the ingredients for revival and, consequently, for church growth to take place.

It cannot be overemphasized that revival and reformation lead to church growth. Therefore, if pastors and leaders want to see their churches growing, they need to start by getting on their knees and asking God for the Holy Spirit, and God will add to the church those who will be saved. Prayer is the key to success in church growth.

In his book User Friendly Churches,13 George Barna studied some rapidly growing churches in America. He found that prayer was key to such rapid growth. He found four areas in which prayer was emphasized:1. The congregation was exposed to biblical teaching about the role of prayer in the Christian life. This was done from the pulpit as well as other church forums.
2. Church leaders (staff and laity) modeled prayer as normal and significant behavior in all aspects of their Christian life. Large segments of time were devoted to prayer despite busy schedules.
3. These churches had learned to celebrate the fruits of prayer. They learned that prayer really is effective as they heard about many answered prayers.
4. The congregation was held accountable for prayer. The prayer life of members and leaders was regularly presented to the church.

As mentioned at the outset, the membership in the Adventist Church is declining relative to population growth. Jay Gallimore mused, “While pastors are getting doctorates in church growth, churches are scrambling to find pastors who will make them grow.”14 The issue is not education or even church growth; it is simply increasing our dependence upon the Holy Spirit—shifting our emphasis from finding methods in books to seeking God in prayer.

THE ROLE OF CHURCH GROWTH METHODS

It may seem a bit simplistic and perhaps naïve to say, “Just pray, and the churches will grow.” Leaders must have a vision and a plan tied to prayer. “As we pray to God for a vision for our churches, He will miraculously open our eyes to possibilities.”15 Unless the plan comes from God through prayer, our plans, regardless of how good, will never receive the blessing and the success needed. Joshua never may have designed the plan he executed to capture Jericho. The strategy came from God; therefore, he could expect God’s blessing on that strategy.

Speaking about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, Ellen White says: “For the daily baptism of the Spirit every worker should offer his petition to God. Companies of Christian workers should gather to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely.”16

From this, we can conclude that Christian workers must not only have plans but also must seek heavenly wisdom to know which way to proceed. “Unless the members of God’s church today have a living connection with the Source of all spiritual growth, they will not be ready for the time of reaping.”17 Church methods have their place and are important—but only as an answer to prayer.

UNPRECEDENTED

God knows what our communities need and, when we seek Him in prayer, He will direct us to the method that He knows will work in our community. Ellen White stated, “Let me tell you that the Lord will work in this last work in a manner very much out of the common order of things, and in a way that will be contrary to any human planning. . . . The workers will be surprised by the simple means that He will use to bring about and perfect His work of righteousness.”18

Unprecedented for us—but not for God. Scripture has already given us models: the early church and, certainly, the life of Jesus. The method is simple: pray, and the Holy Spirit will be given. He will then guide us into methods that will help our churches grow because ultimately, it is God who adds to the church daily those that are being saved.

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1. See “Advance Release of Membership Statistics by Division for 2019,” 2020 Annual Statistical Report, vol. 2 (Silver Spring, MD: Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2020). ^

2. Stephen Ross, “The Harvest Fields: Statistics 2014,” Wholesome Words, accessed June 23, 2014, http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/greatc.html. ^

3. Ed Silvoso, That None Should Perish: How to Reach Entire Cities for Christ Through Prayer Evangelism (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1994), 60. ^

4. Silvoso, 64. ^

5. S. Joseph Kidder, “Reflections on the Future of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America: The Long View of Church Growth (Part 2 of 2),” Ministry, February 2011, 14. ^

6. S. Joseph Kidder, The Big Four: Secrets to a Thriving Church Family (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 2011), 13. ^

7. Kidder, “Reflections,” 14. See Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1 (Washington, DC: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1958), 121. ^

8. Silvoso, That None Should Perish, 70. ^

9. Thom S. Rainer, Eating the Elephant: Bite-Sized Steps to Achieve Long-Term Growth in Your Church (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 1994), 23. ^

10. Russell Burrill, Revolution in the Church: Unleashing the Awesome Power of Lay Ministry (Fallbrook, CA: Hart Research Center), 16. ^

11. Russell Burrill, How to Grow an Adventist Church (Fallbrook, CA: Hart Books), 17–107. ^

12. Jay Gallimore, “Church Growth—Its Missing Power,” Ministry, December 1986, 12. ^

13. George Barna, User Friendly Churches (Ventura, CA: Regal Books), 116–119. ^

14. Gallimore, “Church Growth,” 12. ^

15. Thom S. Rainer, The Book of Church Growth (N.p.: B & H Publishing Group, 1993), 178. ^

16. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1911), 50; emphasis added. ^

17. White, 55. ^

18. Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1923), 300. 

Please find the original article at https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2020/12/Prayer

传道者   ​