克服障碍：对堂会领袖灵修的实践神学省思

Overcoming Obstacles: A Practical Theological Reflection on Daily Devotion of Congregation Leaders

SHEA Chi Fung

This article is an exploration of a palpable but rarely discussed discrepancy between belief and practice. Most Chinese evangelicals recognize the importance of daily devotion, but probably not many establish this habit successfully. This phenomenon could easily be looked upon as personal failure, ranging from poor spiritual health to slothfulness. If this happens to congregation leaders, it would be even more difficult for them to talk about it. This study is an attempt to break this silence. The experiences of daily devotion of Chinese evangelical congregation leaders are explored through the approach of practical theological interpretation. There are three significant findings. Firstly, the action research study confirmed that the subjects did encounter multiple obstacles in their practices of daily devotion, but they were not necessarily trapped. The key lies in how they dealt with these obstacles. By merely blaming oneself while keeping silent about the predicament, one would easily fall into helplessness. Alternatively, by seeking help and receiving appropriate support, such as spiritual companioning, one would be more likely to be empowered to overcome the obstacles with courage. Secondly, their choices might have been shaped on the one hand by the conception of sanctification they inherited from evangelicalism and, on the other hand, by the contemporary culture of busyness. Thirdly, to resist the false image of holiness permeated by the culture of busyness, the author recommends congregations undertake an in-depth restoration of the ministry of spiritual formation. This includes developing a concept of sanctification with Christian perfection as its end, a theory of spiritual growth rooted in Christian tradition, and knowledge of spiritual discernment that is able to inform the ministry of spiritual companioning.