Written By: Lambert Lee；文：李卓豪長老

這是我們為教會所定下的2025年標。可能你會對此題目作為教會的年標，感覺上有點奇怪，因這不像那傳統的標題如「往下扎根，向上結果。」 其實我們的標題仍然是與我們信徒成長有關的，並非常切合中信堂的現況。希望這個分享能為大家解開疑團。

This is the 2025 yearly theme we set for CACC. You may feel this is a little odd as it is not a common one like: “Rooted and be fruitful in Christ”. Indeed, our yearly theme does relate to our spiritual growth and where we are at. I hope the sharing below could answer your questions.

我們每一個人在我們的生命中都會面對形形色色的改變，例如結婚、生育、搬屋、轉工、移民等等。其實我們的教會生活也在不斷改變中，因為我們的周遭都在改變。10年、20年前你所認識的弟兄姊妹，今天可能不再與你在同一教會一起聚會或事奉；10年、20年前對你關愛有加的牧者，今天可能已經不再和你有密切聯繫。很多時候我們都愐懷那些美好甜蜜的時光，然而改變對我們帶來的衝擊，我們可能不想去面對。

Every one of us would experience changes in our lives, whether it’s getting married, starting a family, moving to a new house, starting a new job or immigrating…etc. Our church life is also continually evolving, as is our circumstances. The brothers and sisters you came across 10 or 20 years ago, may not be attending the same church or serving with you together. The pastor who cared about you 10 or 20 years ago may not be close to you anymore. We sometimes long for those happy times and not wanting to face changes or challenges.

中信堂在過去30多年，亦有着不同的改變。而在2024年最大的改變，莫過於牧者們的離開，又經過相當時間的等候，新牧者還未來到， 這是一時三刻不能改變的事實 。對於我們大部份人，習慣了有牧者的牧養和帶領，現在可能會有失去方向的感覺， 這是人之常情。不過，懇請大家認定主耶穌基督才是我們永恆不變的大牧人，我們是祂的羊，我們每位得救的基督徒都有聖靈作我們的保惠師，也有聖經幫助我們認識神的旨意，我們要更緊緊地抓住主的應許。

CACC in the past 30+ years has had many changes and in 2024, the most significant change was that our pastors were gone and for this critical period, the new pastors are yet to come and there is no quick fix. Some of us might feel lost which is natural as we are used to be led by our pastors. However, please be reminded that our Lord Jesus Christ is the everlasting great Shepherd, and we are His sheep, all saved Christians have the Holy Spirit as their counsellor and we have the Bible to help us understand God’s will, we need to trust in His promises.

那麽，教會整體牧養工作由誰來帶領執行呢 ？這正是我們需要面對的改變。 2024 年週年會友大會選舉了第四位長老，促成了長議會的成立。這是一個很重要的里程碑， 因為這代表教會牧養的工作將由長議會帶領，這也是符合中信堂的附則。其實在過去的十多年，也有不同的牧者嘗試籌備長議會的成立，只是當時時機還未成熟。（注：全職牧者是長議會的必然成員，即是現時或未來的牧者都會是長議會的成員。）

But then who is going to pastor the church, you may then ask, well this is the change we are going through. It is a great milestone when the Board of Elders is finally formed after the fourth elder was elected in the 2024 AGM, which means it becomes the governing body of the church and this also fulfils our Bylaw as there had been different pastors trying to set this up in the past 10 years, just that CACC wasn’t ready yet. (Note that all full-time pastors, present or future, will automatically be members of the Board of Elders).

由長議會帶領教會，跟以前有什麼改變？最主要的改變便是教會不再是倚仗個別牧者帶領，而是由牧者及長老們一起以團隊形式來帶領 。 首先是訂立牧養方向，再以分工形式為個别牧養項目訂立目標和時間表，建立事奉團隊，推動事奉團隊執行和定期作檢討，互相支援，有規可循和多些信徒参與，不因長老更替或牧者離開而使牧養停滞不前或方向改變。

So, what’s next after the Board of Elders is formed? This means the church is no longer led by pastors alone, but by a team made up of pastors and elders. Firstly, as a team, we set the pastoral direction, then the pastoral tasks will be distributed among team members to set its own goals and timelines. Next, ministry teams will be formed by inviting brothers and sisters to help execute the task. These ministry teams will receive mutual support and regular reviews which will ensure we are not diverging from our goals. With clear guidelines and greater involvement of all believers, this will prevent the stagnation of pastoral care or change in the pastoral direction when any elders step down or pastors resign.

要補充一點 ，我們當然希望這樣的架構能延續下去，所以我們需要培養未來長老的人選。我們每一位都是中信堂的一份子，一起以基督為首，在祂帶領下，建立祂的身體，在這地區為祂作見證，使更多人能認識基督信仰和扎根成長，這是教會存在的目的。當然，我們「以基督為中心、使命為日常、跨代、跨文化的教會大家庭」的願景，仍然是要去實踐的目標。盼望大家能一起向着這目標，攜手前行。

We would like to add that we hope this structure will be maintained and lasting. So we need to equip brothers and sisters as future elders. Everyone is part of the CACC family led by Jesus Christ, we are building a body led by Him and be the witnesses in our community so that others may learn about and grow in the Christian faith. This is the purpose of a church as we aim to become a “Christ Centred, Missional, Intergenerational, Cross-cultural, Church Family.” Let’s hope we all participate to achieve this goal.