宣教士折损调查(美国部分)的再发现 | 20年回顾

按,这是2003年Jim Van Meter博士关于ReMap II调查报告美国部分的分析。20年过去了,有些结论仍然不为我身边的朋友所知。最近在讨论威廉克里时引起了许多对话,所以简单介绍一项有关宣教士折损的大规模调查及其结论。上周送别了一位在重庆8年的朋友,我也问了他许多问题,包括: ...

September 22, 2023 · 16 min · eddy

听来的故事(2)| 桃乐丝克里太太的一生

威廉克里,现代宣教之父……(John Brown Myers,William Carey: The Shoemaker Who Became “the Father and Founder of Modern…, 4th ed.(London: S.W. Partridge & Co, 1887), 27.) 桃乐丝,一个愚钝、无知、对丈夫的崇高目标完全无感的女人……(Charlotte Yonge, Pioneers and Founders (London: Macmillan, 1871), 97.) ...

September 19, 2023 · 7 min · eddy

事工哲学(162)| 陶恕的家庭生活

这几天在更新自己的物理学知识。关于多重宇宙、暗物质、热力学第二定理甚至一种替换大爆炸理论的非牛顿重力理论。(链接是我还至少会再看一遍的油管视频)。有很多想法,比如在爱因斯坦的广义相对论之下,时间是一种空间的曲率表达,而空间的曲率与空间的物质密度有关,举个简单的例子,如果一个空间什么也没有,你测量的体积是V,那么在其中放入一个太阳系之后,这个空间的体积会比V略大一点,因为质量改变空间的曲率,但同时也带来时间的改变。 而Stephen Wolfran对于概念和规则空间的概念解释,对于人类观察者视角(局限)的分析,以及这样理解的相对论与量子力学,则深深地打动了我。我应该回到职业计算机/人工智能译者的角色上,翻译他的一本新书才对。Anyway,从人类视角来看,创世纪第一天的宇宙质量应该小于第三天,所以在经验时间上,第一天应该比第三天短一点——这是我对相对论时间的神学和解。 ...

September 18, 2023 · 6 min · eddy

我这样治好了自己的精神内耗

一直想着一个令人精神内耗的问题。想不下去的时候,就去读全唐诗。写诗和博客一样,有价值的文字都是会冒犯人的。比如白居易老师这样咏枇杷,“回看桃李都无色,映得芙蓉不是花”,果然狠得下心,把桃李和芙蓉都得罪完了。 ...

September 16, 2023 · 5 min · eddy

三颗胶囊:让上层建筑重遇经济基础

继续为“HHW”工作坊做一点宣传。先说术语的问题。 UAB = Understanding and Applying Bible,我翻译了一版,给CIU在线中文课程使用。后来又精修了一版,交给橄榄华宣走出版流程。但在翻译之前,我就知道有一个机构已经翻译过一版,只是那时找不到,也没有时间去询问了。后来才知道,另一个译本是我的长期合作伙伴“研经工具”做的,译者是杨芹。这个译本很好,如果我提前拿到,大概不会再重译一遍。但我的译本好处是完全独立翻译,一点也没有参考和借鉴另一个译本,所以在表述上有着一眼看去的“跨文翻译”体。 ...

September 13, 2023 · 4 min · eddy

第6期“释经与释经式讲道工作坊”(HHW Workshop)报名

明年是安息年了。从2015年毕业离开CIU,辗转几个城市,到2024年就9年了。好吧,凑个整数,从2014年在美国南卡哥伦比亚参与建立改革宗长老会Columbia Presbytery Church (PCA)算起,这就10年了。(就像工龄从参加革命算起,学生时期也算;或者参考郭德纲老师的评论……拿起镰刀斧头,前15年单拿一样的时间就都算了。) ...

September 7, 2023 · 8 min · eddy

“细拉”压力管理干预项目最终报告

简单说一下“细拉”项目。细拉是一个神秘单词,常见于诗篇中某些诗句的结尾,意义不明。而杜克大学的“细拉”项目,则是一个精心设计的研究,旨在帮助传道人更好的自我关顾(self-care)。 ...

August 4, 2023 · 3 min · eddy

事工哲学(159)| 植堂与聘牧

有些教会是凭空出现的。比如使徒行传里面那个只知道约翰的洗礼的。 但从植堂的角度,我们有时候会使用4阶段模型。 ...

July 18, 2023 · 2 min · eddy

事工哲学(158)| 桓侯不应、桓侯不悦、桓侯体痛、桓侯遂死(传道人自我关顾的四个步骤)

随手引用一组数据。从前也引用过,不过这一次是2022年的updates。采用二手数据来源,https://www.pastoralcareinc.com/statistics/ 工作时长:90% 在55-75小时,还不能算996。(**90%**of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week. (Pre-Covid-19)) 工作心态:84%是加入007待命(84% of pastors feel they are on call 24/7.) 对家庭的影响:80%认为做传道人对家庭有负面影响,包括而不限于孩子们不愿意去教会。(80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Many pastor’s children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents.) 隐私:65%觉得没有隐私,全家都没有隐私。只能做全职表演艺术家。(65% of pastors feel their family lives in a “glass house” and fear they are not good enough to meet expectations.) 人际的疏离:23%觉得在家里是陌生人(23% of pastors report being distant to their family.) 个人时间:78%是度假也会被任务和期待打扰的(78% of pastors report having their vacation and personal time interrupted with ministry duties or expectations.) 休息:65%觉得过去5年没有得到足够的休息(65% of pastors feel they have not taken enough vacation time with their family over the last 5 years. ) 内疚:28%为平时办一点私事没有报备教会而内疚(28% of pastors report having feelings of guilt for taking personal time off and not telling the church.) 繁忙:35%认为教会的要求太多,挤占了家庭时间(35% of pastors report the demands of the church denies them from spending time with their family.) 积怨:24%的传道人家庭对教会有积怨,觉得服侍伤害了家庭(24% of pastor’s families resent the church and its effect on their family.) 配偶:22%的传道人配偶报告说,事工会将不切实际的期待投射到家庭之中(22% of pastor’s spouses reports the ministry places undue expectations on their family. ) 期待:66%的会众期待传道人是道德楷模(66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than themselves.) 神学教育:53%的传道人报告说,神学教育没有充分预备好他们将来的服侍(53% of pastors report that the seminary did not prepare them for the ministry.) 意外:90%的传道人觉得服侍的工作和自己从前的想象大为不同——我以为是在讲道和圣辅,其实是在政治斗争和充当垃圾桶(90% of pastors report the ministry was completely different than what they thought it would be like before they entered the ministry.) 讲道:45%的传道人每周要用10-15个小时来预备(45% of pastors spend 10-15 hours a week on sermon preparation.) 互联网依赖:85%中度-重度依赖(85% of pastors report the use of the internet and other resources have improved their study time compared to when they first started their ministry.) 说谎:50%说他们每天有一个小时祷告(50% of pastors state they spend 1 hour in prayer each day.) 匆忙:95%没有时间与配偶一起祷告(95% of pastors report not praying daily or regularly with their spouse. ) 收入:57%的传道人难以维持生计(57% of pastors believe they do not receive a livable wage.) 工资:57%的传道人无法有效地诈骗信徒钱财(57% of pastors being unable to pay their bills.) 经济:53%的传道人无法安全退休(53% of pastors are concerned about their future family financial security.) 压力:75%至少有一次压力下崩溃的危机(75% of pastors report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.) 自卑:80%的传道人和84%的传道人配偶觉得不够资格(80% of pastors and 84% of their spouses have felt unqualified and discouraged as role of pastors at least one or more times in their ministry.) 过劳:52%面临不切实际的期待,发际线后撤严重(52% of pastors feel overworked and cannot meet their church’s unrealistic expectations. ) 杂乱:54%的传道人觉得这个角色工作繁杂(54% of pastors find the role of a pastor overwhelming.) 冲突:40%在最近一年内与会众发生严重冲突(40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once in the last year.) 夜总会:每周4-5个小时无效会议(75% of pastors report spending 4-5 hours a week in needless meetings.) 抑郁:35%对抗抑郁,或者害怕做不好(35% of pastors battle depression or fear of inadequacy.) 疲劳:26%感觉疲劳**(26%** of pastors report being over fatigued.) 灵性枯干:28%缺乏维持灵性的手段(28% of pastors report they are spiritually undernurished.) 孤单:50%以上觉得难以找到同工(Over 50% of pastors state the biggest challenge is to recruit volunteers and encourage their members to change (living closer to God’s Word).) 自我形象低落:70%(70% of pastors report they have a lower self-image now than when they first started.) 没有朋友(主你是我最知心的朋友):70%(70% of pastors do not have someone they consider to be a close friend. 缺少支持:27%在危机之下无处可去(27% of pastors report not having anyone to turn to for help in a crisis situation.) 试探:81%感受到过性方面的试探(81% of pastors have been tempted to have inappropriate sexual thoughts or behavior with someone in the church but have resisted.) 调情:17%短信调情(17% of pastors report inappropriately texting with a church member at sometime in their ministry.) 色情图片:34%服用(34% of pastors wrestle with the temptation of pornography or visits pornographic sites. ) 满足感伴随:57%在服侍的满足中,感觉深深的失望、压力和疲劳(57% of pastors feel fulfilled but yet discouraged, stressed, and fatigued. ) 脆弱:84%渴望亲密关系(84% of pastors desire to have close fellowhip with someone they can trust and confide with.) 体重管理:50%以上患病、超重、缺乏锻炼(Over 50% of pastors are unhealthy, overweight, and do not exercise.) 职业评价:传道人近乎底层职业,仅比汽车销售人员高一点(The profession of “Pastor” is near the bottom of a survey of the most-respected professions, just above “car salesman”.) 会众减少。Many denominations are reporting an “Empty Pulpit Crisis”. They do nto have a shortage of ministers but have a shortage of ministers desiring to fill the role of a pastor. 没有安息年:71%的教会没有(71% of churches have no plan for a pastor to receive a periodic sabbatical.) 教牧辅导:66%没有平信徒提供的辅导支持(66% of churches have no lay counseling support.) 工作描述:30%的教会没有工作期待和描述(30% of churches have no documentation clearly outlining what the church expects of their pastor.) 执业风险:10个里面只有1个可以正常退休。(1 out of every 10 pastors will actually retire as a pastor. ) 这是美国的数据,根据*The Fuller Institute, George Barna, Lifeway, Schaeffer Institute of Leadership Development, Christianity Today, and Pastoral Care Inc.*等机构的调查报告。 ...

July 7, 2023 · 7 min · eddy

事工哲学(156)| 大都市与精神生活

这段时间,或者说上次的“五金建才”之后,一直在思考大城市植堂的问题。 来自边远小城的提摩太和来自文化中心大数的保罗,在进入都市植堂之后,表现完全不一样。有的时候,我们会用性格差异来解释,比如提摩太后书中的“刚强起来”——对了,如果感兴趣,当然可以读一下这篇“出来与起来”。但在我看来,提摩太的胆怯或许更多是文化背景差异造成。 ...

June 2, 2023 · 8 min · eddy