親愛的弟兄姐妹主內平安:

我們才剛剛結束八月的讀經營、 門徒訓練與八月短宣的事奉，中心的同工雖然疲乏，還是追趕（士 8:4），現在我們繼續籌備第二期的九月短宣隊。這一個半月是中心每年除了十二月以外最忙碌的日子，但神是我們的力量，是我們隨時的幫助，使我們在繁重的事工中，仍能得著從主的靈來的喜樂與力量，並看到事奉的果效。

在分享中心的事工前, 首先接續七月的校園教會牧養系列:

合神心意的會章與合神心意的教會

V.　以聖經為基礎的教會章程

教會的章程是非常的重要，如果不能按著神的心意來寫，以後處理事情就會產生很多的問題，甚至攔阻牧者牧養教會。北美很多教會都是由校園查經班轉型而成立，在轉型的當中，又沒有請有經驗的牧者在輔導，寫教會章程時，常常是參考其他教會的章程，但這教會的章程也許是抄襲同鄉會或其他社團的章程而寫，因此很多社會的思維就進入了教會，例如: 教會民主化、一人一票等等社會制度，都寫入教會的章程、並深植在教會弟兄姊妹的思想中，甚至教會都還沒有請牧師，同工就已寫好如何趕牧師的章程等等。很多教會寫章程時，也沒有先研讀聖經中的教會真理，沒有好好的禱告、又沒有請教牧者，寫出來的教會章程，與社會各社團或組織的章程，基本上沒有什麼分別。用社會的方法，而非神的方法作教會聖工的基礎，這是很危險的。現今教會常有分爭與分裂，常是因為教會不是神治的教會，是由一個沒有聖經根礎的章程所治理。

教會不能沒有章程，若完全沒有章程，教會處理事情常缺乏依據，各同工就任意而行。但要深記: 一個屬靈教會的章程不是用來管理教會，乃是要透過教會的章程，讓人知道神心意的教會該是如何? 神對教會的要求是什麼？神是怎樣的神？祂作事的原則是甚麼？否則當同工遇見問題，就會一邊研讀教會章程，一邊尋找對自己有利的地方，可以攻擊別人。今天教會的章程，常缺少帶領人回到神的本性、與神作事的方法。摩西在律法書上常說：「你們要聖潔，因為耶和華是聖潔的神！」當神告訴以色列人要如何生活? 及如何處理事情時，祂常對以色列人說：「你們要……因為我耶和華是……」，今天很多教會的章程， 既缺乏聖經的根據，也不能使有問題的人回到神的面前，更不能引導人用神的方法處理事情。

教會的章程是教會的第二 “根據”（僅次於聖經），但偏偏許多人碰到教會問題時，卻只細讀章程，沒有好好讀聖經。因此寫章程時，一定要請有經驗的傳道人（五年、十年以上牧會的經驗）來帶領，也要懷著學習教會真理的心情去擬寫。當團契要轉型為教會時，很多同工都以為擬寫章程，只需一兩個月內就可以搞定，殊不知在如此短的時間內能完成的章程，往往都是抄襲其他社團、或其他教會的章程。問題是其他教會的章程，不一定是按著聖經的教訓而寫，很多是按照一般社團的方式而寫的，這樣就會產生很多的問題。即使其他教會的章程在真理上沒有偏差，也不一定適合自己的教會。寫章程的同時，要學習聖經，這樣才能真確地知道為什麼要這樣寫? 聖經的根據是什麼? 並且得以與一些來自不同教會的同工， 常因個人過去經驗、背景而產生的不同教會觀念能有所合一。章程寫出來後，也要教導全教會的弟兄姊妹，我們教會的章程，所根據的聖經是什麼? 因為需要給同工與弟兄姊妹時間去思想與消化，並經過多次的交通討論，章程才能編寫出來。根據筆者過去多次的協助校園團契轉型為教會的經驗，同工們要預備一年的時間來寫章程。

總結來說，教會寫章程的時候，要特別注意：

1. 校園教會多以年輕的信徒為主體，所以寫章程時，必須請有經驗的傳道人來帶領。
2. 教會章程必須要以神的話為基礎。
3. 先按聖經建立弟兄姊妹的教會觀，再編寫教會章程。
4. 教會章程必須幫助弟兄姊妹日後遇到困難時，首先能回到神的面前。
5. 寫章程不要急於草率，更不要抄襲。

修改章程時要注意：

教會既然有了會章就必須遵守，作一個守法的人，因為教會的會章，也曾在政府前立案，我們就有義務遵守。當看到教會需要有長久性的改變，教會的會章是可以考慮修改的，特別教會在經過重大的動蕩後，也需思想問題與章程的關係，好作修改。但章程的修改必須慎重而行。

1. 先反省章程，乃是先反省我們自已，先修改自己，再修改章程。
2. 先禱告，求主光照。
3. 找有經驗的傳道人協助。
4. 多禱告。
5. 要按章程原有的要求去修改。
6. 重讀聖經，仔細的研讀聖經有關的經文與真理細節。
7. 按聖經的真理去修改。
8. 不要為了自己的利益去修改。
9. 要讓弟兄姊妹了解會章修改的聖經原則是什麼?

八、九月短宣隊

八月十八至二十七日，從加州與紐澤西州共計四十人的短宣隊， 分成六隊在開學時來美中短宣；他們所走過的地方都滿有神的同在，也經歷神的恩典與作為。在我這一組的短宣隊，在一次福音聚會之後，短宣隊員與福音朋友個別談道，不到一個小時之內，先後帶領三個學生決志信主。感謝主！原來有不少人的心，早已被主預備好，隨時可以信主，所以我們更要盡快將福音傳開。

九月的短宣隊也即將開始，從九月八日至十七日，將再有三隊短宣隊從加州、 德州與密西根州來美中短宣，他們所走的路程更遠， 除了中西部的 Oklahoma、Kansas、 Illinois、 Missouri 等地外， 更將遠至Mississippi、Alabama、Florida等地，這些都是福音極需要的地方，求主的靈興起，在眾人的心中工作。

八月兩營會

感謝主！約有一百四十多人來參加八月讀經營和門徒與同工訓練營，雖然今年有很多人在這假期返鄉，但感謝主！仍有不少的弟兄姊妹趁這假期來參加營會，目的是為了裝備自己，在新學期更多被主所用。門徒與同工訓練中， 有一些是信主不到一年的弟兄姊妹，但看見教會及團契缺乏同工，需要他們參與事奉，就趕快來學習作主的門徒， 學習在校園事奉，並認真的學習。相信主會在各地使用他們，求主加添他們力量，在各地為主多結果子。

代禱事項：

1. 1月初的短宣隊禱告，他們的旅程比八月的隊伍走得更遠， 除了Illinois、 Kansas、Arkansas 、Oklahoma外，還包括Mississippi、Alabama、Florida等地。求主加添他們奔跑的力量，並為主多結果子。
2. 為高牧師與師母身體的健康禱告，並兩兒女在加州的工作與生活禱告與感恩。
3. 為江士民姊妹週間繁忙的行政與冬季三個營會的準備工作禱告，並求主賜福她週末在各校園間的事奉、與建立學生作主門徒禱告。
4. 為餐廳的擴建禱告，求主使工程能順利完成，十二月營會時能部份使用，也為建造的經費禱告。
5. 為維修同工Daniel Long一家禱告，也求主使Daniel 的維修工作更蒙恩，在事奉中更多得神的智慧與大能。並為他家兩小孩在暑期及秋季間，將結婚感恩，求主賜福。也求主賜福他妻子的身體健康。
6. 為建築同工Pastor Shull過去三十年在中心的建築工作感恩，目前他的孫子也參與建造工程，求主賜福他們二人的工作。
7. 為中心的經費禱告，求主興起更多有負擔的弟兄姊妹與教會，一同在禱告與奉獻上支持中心的事工。
8. 求神興起更多對校園事工有負擔的弟兄姊妹，能帶領其他學生信主，並建立門徒。也求主興起更多在校園附近上班的弟兄姊妹成為小牧人，能帶領門徒並使人去做主的門徒。
9. 為一月份讀經營禱告，求主幫助弟兄姊妹早早報名，也幫助已報名的人能忠心預備功課，靠主力量去完成，並藉讀經營挑旺弟兄姊妹愛讀聖經的心，並裝備同工能有果效的分享神的話。
10. 請為12月冬令會的籌備禱告，求主使各地福音朋友被主得著，弟兄姊妹靈命得復興。
11. 請為12月門徒與同工訓練營準備與推動禱告，求主讓更多人能放下世界的享樂，預備心參加營會，好建立新一代的學生，作主的見證人與校園同工；
12. 請為年底各營會的講員禱告，求主恩膏他們，並賜給他們聖靈的大能，使弟兄姊妹得著建立。

願主賜福您！

主內
高榮德敬上

 

Dear brothers and sisters, Peace in the Lord!

We just finished the August Bible Camp, the Disciple Training Camp, and the August short term mission trips. Although physically the CWC coworkers are weary, yet pursuing (Judges 8:4). Now we are planning for the second September short term mission trips. Besides the month of December, this one and half months are the busiest time for us. And yet God is our strength and help at all times. His Spirit blesses us with joy and strength, allowing us to see the fruits of our labors amidst our heavy workload.

Before sharing news of CWC’s ministries, I would like to continue the series “Pastoring Campus Churches” last visited in the July newsletter.

God’s pleasing Church By-Law and God’s pleasing Church

V. Bible-based Church By-Laws

The church by-laws are very important. If these do not go after God’s heart, they will permit or even encourage many problems in dealing with church affairs and may hinder the pastor and other leaders in shepherding the church. Many Chinese churches in North America grew from campus Bible study groups, and thus often lacked mentoring from experienced ministers during their transition. Consequently, they often copied other churches’ by-laws when they wrote their own. However, these other churches’ by-laws had copied from disparate denominations, national associations, and secular communities. Therefore, worldly values were unsuspectingly introduced into churches. For example, societal interpretations of democracy and voting rights were written into church by-laws and deeply entrenched in brothers and sisters’ minds. Some bylaws had detailed procedures for firing a pastor but lacked any guidance for hiring one. Without studying the truths of the church in the Bible, without adequate prayers and consultation with experienced ministers, the finished church by-laws would quite resemble those of secular associations or social organizations. It is indeed very dangerous to undertake a church’s holy ministry with a worldly way instead of God’s way. Churches nowadays often suffer quarrels and divisions, attributable to the fact that they are not governed by God but governed by by-laws that conflict with the Bible.

A church cannot function without by-laws. Without guidelines in dealing with church affairs, coworkers of course do what they think is right in their own eyes. But we need to keep this constantly in mind: by-laws of a spiritually healthy church should not to be used to manage the church but to showcase to people what a church that goes after God’s own heart is like. They address questions like, “What is God’s expectation of a church?” “What kind of God is He?” “What Godly principles guide us in dealing with issues?” Otherwise when coworkers face problems, they will grab the by-laws to find the points to seek support for attacks. Today quite many church by-laws quite lack reference to God’s attributes and His way of doing things. Moses often says in the Pentateuch, “Be Holy, for the Lord is a Holy God.” When God teaches the Israelites how to live their lives and how to deal with things, He often says, “You should … for I the Lord am…” By-laws too often lack biblical foundation and hence are not able to lead people with questions back to God himself. They also fail to teach people how to solve problems in God’s way.

By-laws sometimes act as a second scripture next to the Bible. Indeed, being shorter than the Bible and focused on church interactions, too many people first search the by-laws should problems come up in the church. Therefore, it is crucial to have experienced ministers (with at least 5-10 years of pastoring experience) to lead. It is also crucial for the churches to have the learning hearts of the church write truth. Upon transitioning from Bible study groups to churches, many coworkers spend only a month or two in drafting by-laws. By-laws birthed in such a short period of time often duplicate those from worldly organizations or other churches. Other church’s by-laws do not necessarily follow biblical teachings. Many of them copied the format of secular associations and thus caused numerous problems in the future. Moreover, even if other churches’ by-law hold to biblical truth, they may overlook your own church’s unique circumstances, such as the typical campus community in which each year many church participants will graduate each spring, and a flock of new visitors and believers arrive in the fall. Therefore, coworkers in charge need to consult the Bible while writing the by-laws. Ask, why was a by-law was written in this way? What are its goals? What are its Biblical foundations? By uniting on the Bible, coworkers can be united with other coworkers from other churches, who have other personal experiences, backgrounds, and views. After finishing the by-laws, the coworkers also need to educate the whole congregation concerning the key Biblical principles for these by-laws. After giving coworkers and brothers and sisters time to digest and ponder the draft, after discussions and consultations, a church can then finalize the by-laws. According to my personal experience of assisting many campus Bible study groups transitioning to churches, coworkers should plan one year in writing by-laws.

In summary, a church should especially pay attention to the following when writing by-laws:

1. Given that campus churches consist mainly of young believers, an experienced minister should lead the process.
2. God’s Word must be the foundation of the by-laws.
3. First teach brothers and sisters’ church concepts from the Bible, then write the by-law. .
4. By-laws should be designed to lead brothers and sisters to first go to the Lord when the difficulties come up.
5. Don’t be hasty and rush through the process when writing by-laws. Especially beware of copying others.

A church should especially note the following upon amending their by-law. Once the church has by-laws, as law-abiding persons we must comply with them. Because the by-laws are registered with government, we have legal obligation to obey them. However, when the church sees change is needed, the church may consider amending the by-laws. This is especially true for churches after they experienced major turmoil. Thoughts should be given to the relationship between the turmoil and the by-laws. Amendments of the by-laws should be taken seriously, as follows:

1. We need to be changed first before we amend the rules.
2. Pray and seek for God’s guidance.
3. Seek assistance from experienced ministers.
4. Pray often.
5. Amend the by-laws according to the process the existing by-laws established.
6. Study the Bible again. Carefully study the relevant verses and truths in the Bible.
7. Amend in accordance with biblical truths.
8. Do not amend the by-laws for personal benefits.
9. Let brothers and sisters understand the Biblical principles behind the amendments.

August and September Short Term Mission Teams

From August 18th to 27th, the forty-member short term mission teams from California and New Jersey were divided into six teams and visited the Midwest at the beginning of the semester. Where their feet stepped was full of God’s presence and as a result they experienced God’s grace and works. For example, in the team I was with, after one Gospel meeting, the team members did the personal evangelism with the nonbelievers. In less than an hour they led three students to Christ. Praise the Lord! Christians, know that many hearts already have been made ready by the Lord and they would believe in Him at any time. Know also that seeds you plant now will result in harvest later, often by others. Therefore, we should share the Gospel in an even faster speed!

The September short term mission trip will begin soon and will reach even farther. From September 8th to 17th, there will be three teams from California, Texas, and Michigan visiting the Midwest. Besides those Midwestern states such as Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, and Missouri, they will go to Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and other areas. These are places eagerly waiting for the Gospel. May the Spirit of the Lord arise and work in people’s hearts!

Two Camps in August

Praise the Lord! Approximately one hundred and forty people attended the August Bible Camp and the Disciple Training Camp. Although many people returned to China during the summer, praise the Lord, still a lot of brothers and sisters took advantage of the summer vacation to join the camps so as to equip themselves and be greatly used by the Lord in the new semester. Among the participants are brothers and sisters who have been Christians for less than a year. But after seeing the shortage of coworkers in their churches or Bible study groups and that the churches need them to serve, they came and studied hard to learn how to be the disciples of the Lord and how to serve on campuses. I believe that the Lord will surely use them in various places. May the Lord give strength to them and help them bear fruits for Him!

Prayer requests:

1. Please pray for the September short term mission teams. Their journey is much further than the August mission teams. Besides Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma states, they will also visit Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and other areas. May the Lord give them strengths of travelling and bear fruits for Him!
2. Please pray for the health of Pastor and Mrs. Ko. Please pray and give thanks for the works and lives of their two children in California.
3. Please pray for Sister Cindy Chiang’s busy administrative work during the weekdays and the preparation for the three winter meetings. May the Lord bless her ministry on various campuses on weekends and her works to equip students to be disciples of the Lord.
4. Please pray for the dining room expansion. Pray that the Lord will make it finish smoothly and that we will be able to use part of it during the December meetings. Please also pray the building fund.
5. Please pray for our maintenance coworker Daniel Long’s family. May the Lord bless the work of his hands and give him more of His wisdom and strength. Please give thanks to the Lord for the weddings of his two children both in the summer and fall. May the Lord bless them! May the Lord also bless his wife’s health.
6. Please give thanks for the past thirty years’ construction work in CWC by Pastor Harold Shull. Currently his grandson is joining the project. May the Lord bless their works!
7. Please pray for the financial needs of CWC. May the Lord raise up more brothers and sisters as well as churches and have burdens to support CWC with prayers and offerings.
8. Please pray that the Lord will raise up more brothers and sisters who have burdens for campus ministry and can lead other students to Christ and equip disciples. May the Lord raise up more brothers and sisters who work close to campuses to become “little shepherds” and be able to lead disciples and make people to become disciples.
9. Please pray for the January Bible Camp. Pray that the Lord will help brothers and sisters apply earlier and also help those who have already applied faithfully prepare and complete the home works with the Lord’s strength. Pray that the Lord will revive us to love reading the Bible and equip coworkers to effectively share the Word of God.
10. Please pray for the preparation of the Winter Conference in December. May the Lord bring nonbelievers to Himself and revive brothers and sisters’ spiritual life.
11. Please pray for the preparation and promotion of the December Disciple and Coworker Training Camp. May the Lord help more people give up the worldly pleasures and prepare their hearts to attend the camp so as to equip new generation of students to become witnesses of Christ and campus coworkers.
12. Please pray for speakers of all year-end meetings. May the Lord anoint them and give them the power of the Holy Spirit so that brothers and sisters will be built up!

May the Lord bless you!

In Him,
Pastor Ko