山道期刊

编者的话

黄福光

如上期一样，本期探讨的也是全球教会普遍面对的现象：「去堂会化」（dechurching）。尽管各个作者从不同的专业角度切入，对「去堂会化」的定义也略有不同，但所有专题文章对这个现象却有一个共同的观点：这是反思、变革及调整的契机，而非仅仅是个难题。

首篇专文是陈耀明的〈神圣集体的侵蚀：旧约视角下对教会背离社群认同的重估〉。作者综览全球基督教主要区域的现况，数据指出「去堂会化」的趋势将持续演变，导致年轻信徒减少，聚会出席率下滑，以及传统实体社群结构被削弱。深入剖析可发现，「去堂会化」的现象涉及许多复杂因素，包括身分认同危机、生活方式选择、价值观转变、替代品涌现、互信程度下降等问题。教会面临的挑战不仅限于内部的结构及信徒的灵性成长，也关乎如何适应外部社会的变迁及动荡，须提出多元的解决方案。作者运用旧约里的「圣约」及「社群」概念，为这场有关「去堂会化」的持续讨论，提供新的视角。

笔者拙作〈社会认同、五经与「去堂会化/ 离堂」：一场对话〉聚焦于「社会认同」与美国「去堂会化」的现象，通过社会认同的视角，解读五经中的三个「起源」，指出经文中社会认同所带来的正反两面影响。专文指出，虽然相当数量的基督徒并不认为参与地方教会是基督徒身分的一部分，然而个人归属群体本是神起初创世时的设计。再者，基督徒是门徒，而非仅是消费者。因此，参与地方教会的生活及事奉，是作为信徒的基本要求。

梁俊豪的〈保罗群体与「去堂会化」的想像〉指出，线上技术使信徒得以突破传统教会的时空限制，于是许多人开始质疑「聚合」、「同步」、「牧者主导」的教会模式是否必要。作者援引社会学家韦伯「魅力的常规化」理论，剖析保罗的个人魅力权威如何逐渐演变成制度化的架构。现今「去堂会化」的群体则反过来要逆转制度化的进程，好恢复教会的活力、灵活性、信徒紧密的关系，以及信仰的真实性。作者认为，「去堂会化」并非呼吁现今的教会走向「无政府状态」，而是邀请大家重新想像基督徒群体可以怎样突破制度化、官僚化架构的限制。

邓绍光的〈教会群体是什么？以「去教会化」为切入点的神学反思〉从神学视角审视教会群体的概念，回应当代「去堂会化」、「去宗派教会化」及「无教会主义」等新兴趋势。文章把「去教会化」分成三种形态：（1）「去堂会化」：摆脱地方堂会的束缚；（2）「去宗派教会化」：挑战宗派的界线；（3）「无教会主义」：强调个人的信仰，脱离制度的枷锁。作者援引潘霍华、巴特、韦伯斯特等神学家的观点，从神学角度剖析这些议题。这些神学家强调教会乃神设立的群体，植根于三一神「创造—堕落—拯救」的工作。作者主张，尽管存在「去教会化」的呼声，教会──透过宣讲和施行圣礼──依然是神施行恩典的重要器皿。

第五篇专文是梁国全的〈离堂情况对香港教会的挑战〉。作者指出近年兴起一些信仰群体的新形态，大致可归纳为四类：扩堂、植群、牧养离堂信徒、营商宣教。离堂者日益增多，这不仅促使教会重新审视其本质和使命，还带来新的契机，例如有信徒成为「斜杠牧者」，专门服侍离堂者。作者强调「离堂」者与「留堂」者不一定对立；香港教会作为基督的身体，应当追求合一，彼此协作，互相补足，并按需要调整牧养方式和领导模式。

最后一篇专文〈在离开潮中，什么让年轻人仍然选择留在教会？ 〉，作者蓝志扬不是从负面的角度探究为何青年离堂，转而从正面的角度探讨他们持续地留在同一堂会的原因。该研究采用「解释现象学分析」（Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis），对七位年龄介乎19至25岁、在本地华人教会聚会超过五年的年轻信徒进行半结构化访谈，从中归纳出六大核心主题：（1）群体归属与支持；（2）灵命与价值观的建立；（3）事奉投入与恩赐发挥；（4）牧养关系与属灵榜样；（5）个人成长的机会；以及（6）与神建立亲密的关系。作者根据该研究的结果，以基督教教育的四大取向（信仰教导、信仰群体、灵命建立、社会转化）为框架，提出实践建议。

除了专题文章外，本期还收录了一篇讨论文章〈追什么本？溯哪个源？论「追本溯源」运动与基督新教神学思潮──约翰・韦伯斯特的观点〉。作者周震声探讨那对天主教和新教的神学方法论皆影响深远的「追本溯源」运动。文章透过韦伯斯特的视角，剖析此运动的独特之处。作者剖析韦伯斯特的见解，从中指出在这场「追本溯源」运动，天主教和新教采用的神学资源及对圣经的看法，存在显著分歧。韦伯斯特主张，人要追寻基督宗教共同的本源（ad fontes），就必须先对上帝观有正确理解。此外，此文还厘清了「追本溯源」（ressourcement）、「重索」（retrieval）与「复兴」（renaissance）之间的微妙差异，为日后的神学论述奠定概念基础。

一如既往，本期还有多篇书评，涉及近年出版的学术研究，涵盖圣灵论、教会论、圣经书卷、近代神学家等等。期望今期的文章给香港及海外的华人教会带来亮光，更全面了解现今的教会状况，共同应对这重大的挑战和契机。

The Erosion of the Sacred Community: An Old Testament Reassessment of the Church's Shift to Dechurching

CHAN Yew Ming

“Dechurching” is a social trend in which people gradually distance themselves from institutional churches and their communal activities. Many Christians who used to attend church regularly have stopped participating but still hold onto their faith. Churches worldwide are facing these changes and need to address the social issues they raise. Data shows this trend continues and evolves, resulting in fewer young believers, declining attendance, and weakening of traditional in-person community structures. In reality, missing church or other activities is just the surface of deeper issues. A closer look shows that “Dechurching” involves multiple factors, including identity issues, lifestyle choices, shifting values, emerging alternatives, and a decline in mutual trust. So, the church's challenges go beyond internal structure and spiritual growth; they also involve adapting to external social changes and instability and offering diverse solutions.

Social Identity, the Pentateuch, and Dechurching: A Dialogue

WONG Fook Kong

In the past few years, many believers have left their churches. It has gotten to the point where it becomes an existential threat to local churches. This paper attempts to engage Social Identity Theory, the Pentateuch, and Jim Davis and Michael Graham's The Great Dechurching in a dialogue to explore the phenomenon. Reading the Pentateuch through the lens of social identity shows that both the positive (eg, self-identity) and negative aspects (eg, in-group/out-group competition and conflict) of social identity are operational in the texts. The negative aspects become more and more prominent as we progress along the timeline of the narratives. At the same time, the requirements of being God's people also became heavier and heavier. Regardless of whether they were able or unable to keep the requirements, God continued to look after and find ways to save his people.

Similar dynamics are happening in today's society. In-group/out-group competitions and conflicts are on the rise. Unfortunately, churches are not spared either and these are some important factors driving the dechurching phenomenon. At the same time, there is also an identity problem. A significant number of Christians do not embrace participation in a local church as part of their identity as Christians. Some prefer to wander from church to church, while others prefer to join online rather than in person. This article argues that belonging to a community has been God's design from the beginning. Moreover, Christians are disciples and not merely consumers. Therefore, participating in the life and ministries of a local church is part of the requirements of being a believer. This also pre-empts perpetual spiritual wandering or online participation as a way of Christian life.

The Pauline Communities and the Imagination of “the De-Institutionalized Church”

LEUNG Chun Ho Bernard

This paper explores the contemporary phenomenon of “de-institutionalization of the church,” an emerging movement in response to the post-COVID 19 transformation of Christian communal life in Hong Kong. As online technologies have increasingly enabled believers to transcend the spatial and temporal constraints of traditional congregations, many begin to question the necessity of centralized, synchronous, and pastorally controlled church models. Instead, new forms of Christian practice—characterized by dispersion, autonomy, and decentralized participation—are gaining traction. The study distinguishes “de-institutionalization” from mere “dechurching,” arguing that the former is not a deliberate rejection of church institutions but a natural response to their declining adaptability and authority. Drawing parallels with such movements as the “emerging church” and “liquid church” among evangelicals in Western society, the paper highlights shared emphases on relational networks, participatory structures, and decentralized spiritual leadership.

To provide theoretical grounding, the discussion applies Max Weber's concept of the “routinization of charisma” and the contemporary political-scientific framework of “decentralization” to analyze Pauline churches in the first century. Weber's theory elucidates the transformation from charismatic to traditional or legal authority within early Christian communities, particularly showing how Paul's personal charisma gradually gave way to institutional structures. In contrast, “de-institutionalized” groups today seek to reverse this process by reclaiming vitality, flexibility, personal relationship, and authenticity. The study further investigates the degree of decentralization in Paul's congregations, with special attention to the Corinthian Lord's Supper (1 Cor 11:17-34) and its socio-economic organization. By comparing Pauline communities to Graeco-Roman voluntary associations, the paper identifies egalitarian and participatory patterns (“flat hierarchy”) that reflect both political and fiscal decentralization. These features may stimulate the imagination toward models of shared leadership and financial sustainability within the “de-institutionalized” groups.

In sum, “de-institutionalization” is not a call for “anarchy” in the established church today but an invitation to reimagine Christian community beyond bureaucratic and hierarchical limits. Insights from the organizational structures of early Pauline communities and Graeco-Roman voluntary associations offer valuable analogies for revitalizing Christian life today.

What is the Church Community? A Theological Reflection from the Perspective of “De-Churching”

Andres S. TANG

This article examines the concept of church community through a theological lens in the light of the emerging trends of “de-congregationalization,” “de-denominationalization,” and “non-churchism” within Chinese churches, particularly in Hong Kong. These movements, reflecting dissatisfaction with traditional church structures, vary in meaning and lack comprehensive empirical support. Rather than offering statistical analysis, the author uses these phenomena as a springboard to rethink the theological essence of the church community.

The discussion categorizes “de-churching” into three forms: (1) “de-congregationalization,” rejecting the constraints of local congregations; (2) “de-denominationalization,” challenging denominational boundaries; and (3) “non-churchism,” advocating personal faith without institutional ties. These trends are linked to the rise of “multi-community Christians” who move freely between churches, signaling a desire to liberate faith from rigid ecclesial structures. The author examines these critiques theologically, drawing on theologians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth, and John Webster, who emphasize the church as a divinely instituted community rooted in the Trinity's work of creation, fall, and redemption. This perspective rejects the notion of purely individualistic faith and affirms the church as an essential mediator for knowing God.

The article also considers whether believers can freely navigate different denominational traditions, arguing that while traditions are diverse and evolving, they are indispensable for interpreting Scripture and engaging with God's revelation. Finally, it examines whether entire congregations can collectively make decisions, citing Baptist and Quaker models of believer-led governance under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, while cautioning against unstructured democracy that risks undermining divine order.

In conclusion, the author contends that despite calls for “de-churching,” the church—whether local, denominational, or universal—remains a vital instrument of God's grace through preaching and sacraments. This reflection seeks to correct malpractices and reaffirms the church's indispensable role in sustaining Christian life, balancing critique with theological renewal.

The Phenomenon of “De-Churching” and Its Challenges to Hong Kong Churches

LEUNG Kwok Chuen, Nelson

Based on the 2024 Hong Kong Church Survey and the author's personal observations, this article examines the phenomenon of Christian dropout and dechurching in Hong Kong against the backdrop of youth attrition, the emigration-driven diaspora, the shift to online worship, and the impact of social movements. In recent years, new forms of faith communities have emerged. These developments can be categorized into four types: church expansion, church planting, pastoral ministries for dechurched Christians, and business as mission. The growing number of dechurched individuals not only challenges the church to re-examine its essence and mission but also presents new opportunities, such as the emergence of “slash pastors” who serve the dechurched. Exploring new church forms fosters discussions on church transformation and revival among congregations. The dechurched and the in-churched are not necessarily in opposition; as the body of Christ, Hong Kong churches should pursue collaboration, address one another's weaknesses, and adjust pastoral approaches and leadership as needed. Ultimately, churches should prioritize cultivating mature disciples and building healthy communities to fulfill the Great Commandment and God's calling.

Why Do Young People Choose to Stay in the Church amidst the Exodus?

LAM Chi Yeung

This study examines the phenomenon of youth leaving Hong Kong Chinese churches in the post-pandemic era. Rather than investigating the reasons behind their departure, this research explores why some young people choose to stay. Employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study conducted semi-structured interviews with seven young believers aged 19 to 25, all with over five years of church involvement in various local Chinese churches. Through qualitative analysis of 251 minutes of recorded interviews, six high-level themes emerged: (1) group belonging and support, (2) spiritual life and value construction, (3) service involvement and gift utilization, (4) pastoral relationships and spiritual role models, (5) personal growth opportunities, and (6) intimate relationship with God. Drawing on these findings, the author offers practical recommendations for church leaders, aligned with four Christian education approaches: faith teaching, faith community, spiritual development, and social transformation. This research aims to offer insights for pastors and church leaders to develop strategic ministry planning that addresses youth retention, and helps churches become more supportive of nurturing youth engagement.

Is There a Protestant Ressourcement? The Perspective of John Webster on Ressourcement Movement and Protestant Theology

CHOW Chun Sing Frankie

The ressourcement movement, which emerged in the mid-twentieth century and profoundly shaped the Second Vatican Council, sought a “return to the sources” that influenced both Catholic and Protestant theological methodologies. This paper examines the distinct approaches to theological method and the concept of tradition in Catholicism and Protestantism through the lens of John B. Webster. By analyzing Webster's framework, this study argues that the theological sources and views of the Bible in that movement diverge significantly. Webster posits that a shared ad fontes of Christianity should be grounded in a proper understanding of the doctrine of God. Additionally, the paper delineates the nuanced distinctions between ressourcement, retrieval, and renaissance, providing a conceptual topography for further theological discourse.