如果說，前面七篇文章主要是在回顧浸信會的歷史與神學，那麼從這一篇開始，我更希望把目光慢慢帶回今天的教會現場。當我們重新理解浸信會所珍惜的信念之後，一個十分實際的問題便自然浮現：今天的教會，又可以如何活出這些信念？而我想，第一個值得重新思想的問題，也許十分簡單，卻也是這個時代最不容易回答的問題：為什麼重要的事情，需要慢下來？
對生活在現代社會的人來說，這似乎是一個有些奇怪的問題。因為我們從小所接受的訓練，大多是如何更有效率、更快速地解決問題。我們習慣以速度來衡量能力，以成果來衡量價值。企業如此，社會如此，甚至很多時候，教會也不知不覺採用了同樣的思維。因此，當教會面對問題時，我們很自然會問：「最快的方法是什麼？」「怎樣才能盡快形成共識？」「怎樣才能減少阻力？」「怎樣才能更有效率地推動事情？」這些問題本身並沒有錯。事實上，好的管理、清晰的制度和有效的行政，本來就是神所賜予教會的恩典。然而，回顧教會歷史，我愈來愈發現，一些真正重要的事情，往往不能只用效率來衡量。
因為有些事情，本身就需要時間。人與人的信任需要時間，跨代關係需要時間，門徒生命的形成需要時間，領袖的培育需要時間，而群體形成共識、學習一起聆聽神，更需要時間。或許正因如此，聖經裡許多重要的工作，似乎都比我們想像中慢得多。亞伯拉罕等候應許，摩西在曠野四十年，大衛經歷漫長的逃亡歲月，耶穌在公開服事之前用了三十年預備自己，然後又花了三年的時間與十二位門徒同行。初代教會在面對外邦信徒的爭議時，也沒有急於用權威壓下不同聲音，而是在辯論、見證、禱告和聆聽之中，慢慢形成共識，最後才說出：「聖靈和我們定意。」（徒十五28）¹
其實，《使徒行傳》第十五章並沒有留給我們一套快速解決衝突的方法。相反，它所描繪的，是一群人在張力之中學習等待，在差異之中學習聆聽，在不確定之中學習相信神仍然帶領祂的教會。因此，共同辨識本身，其實是一種十分緩慢的工作。這也意味著，成熟並不一定等於速度。很多時候，我們以為成熟的領袖，就是能夠快速作出決定的人；成熟的教會，就是能夠有效推動事情的教會。然而，浸信會的歷史似乎提醒我們，真正成熟的群體，不一定是最快形成共識的群體，而是一個願意花時間一起尋求神的群體。
這也讓我想起 Stephen Covey 在《First Things First》裡的一個提醒。他指出，真正重要的事情，往往不是最緊急的事情，而最緊急的事情，也不一定是最重要的事情。² 有趣的是，這個現象在教會裡也經常出現。我們花很多時間處理冷氣故障、聚餐安排、活動流程、財政細節、場地問題和行政工作，因為這些事情十分緊急，也需要被處理。然而，真正影響教會未來的事情，例如下一代承接、家庭牧養、跨代關係、領袖培育、門徒形成和群體文化，卻往往屬於「重要但不緊急」的事情。正因為它們不會立刻演變成危機，所以也最容易被忽略。
可惜的是，今天許多教會最大的危險，或許並不是走得太慢，而是太容易用處理急事的方法，去處理重要的事。我們很容易在還沒有真正一起禱告之前，便急於形成方案；在還沒有一起查考聖經之前，便急於作出決定；在還沒有真正聆聽不同聲音之前，便急於追求一致。久而久之，我們可能愈來愈擅長管理事情，卻愈來愈不懂得等待；愈來愈熟悉如何推動事工，卻愈來愈不熟悉如何一起尋求神。
當然，這並不表示所有事情都需要放慢。有些事情屬於管理層面，需要效率。例如危機處理、日常行政和各種例行運作，很多時候都需要快速回應。然而，有些事情則屬於方向層面，需要辨識。前者可以快速決定，後者卻需要共同尋求。若把兩者混為一談，很容易讓教會在效率之中失去深度。
因此，慢下來並不只是抽象的屬靈原則，它其實也可以有一些十分具體的實踐。例如，在涉及教會未來方向、架構改革、事工文化和下一代承接等重大議題時，也許不需要在同一次會議中完成所有討論，而是容許群體經歷探索、聆聽、禱告和形成共識的過程；也許在重大決策之前，可以先有查經和禱告，而不只是報告、討論和投票；也許當面對不同聲音時，不急於立即得到答案，而是給群體留下一段共同尋求神的時間。
甚至，在一些執事會或領袖會議裡，第一次討論某些重要議題時，也許不需要立即形成方案，而是先一起閱讀相關經文，分享彼此所看見的重點，並且為教會禱告；真正的討論，則留待下一次會議。從管理學的角度來看，這樣做似乎缺乏效率；然而，從共同辨識的角度來看，這或許正是在為群體留下空間，讓神的話語先塑造人，然後才塑造決定。
這種做法其實並不容易。因為等待會令人焦慮，慢下來也可能被誤解為缺乏果斷。Eugene Peterson 在《The Contemplative Pastor》裡提醒牧者，忙碌不一定代表忠心，速度也不一定代表成熟。³ 而在《A Long Obedience in the Same Direction》裡，他更提醒我們，真正的屬靈生命，往往是一條漫長而持久的道路，而不是一連串快速完成的成果。⁴
同樣地，John Kotter 在研究組織轉型時也發現，真正能夠帶來深層改變的，往往不是少數人快速推動，而是整個群體慢慢建立共同的理解、信任和方向。⁵ 對教會而言，這一點尤其重要。因為教會的更新，不只是結構的改變，更是人的改變；不只是方案的更新，更是群體文化的形成。而這些事情，本來就無法被加速。
或許正因如此，我愈來愈覺得，今天教會真正需要思考的問題，未必是如何走得更快，而是如何走得更深。因為深度，本身便需要時間；而許多真正重要的事情，也只有在時間裡，才能慢慢成熟。
因此，在一個愈來愈急速的時代，「慢下來」或許並不是落後，相反，它可能是一種十分罕有的信心表現。因為當我們願意慢下來時，我們其實是在承認：教會真正的主人不是我們，而是基督；教會真正的方向，也不只是靠人的智慧和經驗形成，而是在群體共同尋求之中，慢慢被看見。
因此，或許最值得帶回自己處境的，不是一個現成的答案，而是一個值得長久思想的問題：
在我們的教會裡，有哪些真正重要的事情，其實值得我們慢下來，一起尋求神？
Antony傳道
註腳
- 《使徒行傳》15:1–29。
- Stephen R. Covey, First Things First (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), 29–55.
- Eugene H. Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 1–17.
- Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Downers Grove: IVP, 2000).
- John P. Kotter, Leading Change (Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), 3–19.
Rethinking the Church through Baptist Tradition, History, and Theology (Practical Reflections)
Part 8 - Why Do Important Things Need to Slow Down?
When Efficiency Meets Communal Discernment
If the first seven articles primarily looked back at Baptist history and theology, then from this point onward I hope to bring our attention gradually back to the life of the church today. Once we have rediscovered the convictions that Baptists have long cherished, a very practical question naturally emerges: How can churches today embody these convictions in their own contexts? And perhaps the first question worth reconsidering is both simple and surprisingly difficult for our age to answer:
Why do important things need to slow down?
To those of us living in the modern world, this may seem like a rather strange question. From an early age, most of us have been trained to solve problems more efficiently and more quickly. We are accustomed to measuring competence by speed and value by results. Businesses operate this way. Society operates this way. And many churches, often without realizing it, have adopted the same mindset. As a result, when difficulties arise, we instinctively ask: What is the fastest solution? How can we reach consensus as quickly as possible? How can resistance be minimized? How can things move more efficiently? None of these questions are inherently wrong. Good management, clear structures, and effective administration are all gifts from God. Yet as I look back over church history, I have become increasingly convinced that some of the most important things cannot be measured by efficiency alone.
For some things simply require time. Trust between people requires time. Intergenerational relationships require time. The formation of disciples requires time. The development of leaders requires time. And a community learning to seek God together and arrive at shared discernment requires even more time. Perhaps this is why so many of God’s important works in Scripture unfold far more slowly than we might expect. Abraham waited for the promise. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness. David endured years of exile and uncertainty. Jesus spent thirty years preparing before beginning His public ministry, and then devoted another three years to walking alongside twelve disciples. Likewise, when the early church faced controversy regarding Gentile believers, it did not rush to silence opposing voices through authority. Rather, through debate, testimony, prayer, and listening, the community slowly reached a common understanding and was finally able to declare, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28).¹
In fact, Acts 15 does not leave us with a technique for resolving conflict quickly. Instead, it portrays a community learning to wait in the midst of tension, learning to listen amid differences, and learning to trust that God still leads His church even in uncertainty. Communal discernment itself is therefore a slow work. And this means that maturity is not necessarily the same thing as speed. We often assume that mature leaders are those who make decisions quickly, and that mature churches are those that move things along efficiently. Yet Baptist history seems to suggest otherwise. A mature community is not necessarily the one that reaches agreement the fastest, but the one that is willing to spend time seeking God together.
This brings to mind Stephen Covey’s observation in First Things First. He argues that what is truly important is often not what is most urgent, and what is most urgent is not always what is most important.² Interestingly, this dynamic is frequently found in churches as well. We spend countless hours dealing with broken air-conditioning systems, fellowship meal arrangements, event logistics, financial details, building concerns, and administrative tasks. These matters are urgent and certainly need attention. Yet the things that will shape the future of the church—such as intergenerational relationships, family discipleship, leadership development, the formation of disciples, and the cultivation of community—often belong to the category of “important but not urgent.” And precisely because they do not immediately become crises, they are often neglected.
Perhaps the greatest danger facing many churches today is not that they are moving too slowly, but that they are using the methods designed for urgent matters to address things that are truly important. We rush to develop plans before we have genuinely prayed together. We hurry to make decisions before we have searched the Scriptures together. We seek agreement before we have really listened to differing voices. Over time, we may become increasingly skilled at managing things, yet increasingly unfamiliar with waiting. We may become highly capable of running ministries, yet less and less accustomed to seeking God together.
Of course, this does not mean that everything should be slowed down. Some matters belong to the realm of management and require efficiency. Crisis response, daily administration, and routine operations often demand timely action. Yet other matters belong to the realm of direction and require discernment. The former may be handled quickly; the latter must be sought together. When the two are confused, churches easily sacrifice depth for efficiency.
Slowing down, therefore, is not merely an abstract spiritual principle. It can take very practical forms. When dealing with major questions concerning the future direction of the church, structural changes, ministry culture, or the passing of faith to the next generation, perhaps not every discussion needs to be completed within a single meeting. Perhaps communities need space to explore, listen, pray, and gradually arrive at consensus. Perhaps before making significant decisions, there should first be Scripture reading and prayer, rather than simply reports, discussions, and voting. And perhaps when differing voices arise, the goal should not be to obtain immediate answers, but to leave room for the community to seek God together.
In some deacons’ meetings or leadership gatherings, it may even mean that the first meeting concerning an important issue is not devoted to forming a proposal at all. Instead, the group may begin by reading relevant passages of Scripture, sharing what each person senses God may be saying, and praying for the church together. The actual deliberation can wait until the next meeting. From a managerial perspective, this may appear inefficient. Yet from the perspective of communal discernment, it may be precisely what allows God’s Word to shape people before it shapes decisions.
Such a way of proceeding is not easy. Waiting creates anxiety, and slowing down can easily be mistaken for indecisiveness. Eugene Peterson reminds pastors in The Contemplative Pastor that busyness does not necessarily equal faithfulness, and speed does not necessarily indicate maturity.³ In A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, he further reminds us that the spiritual life is usually a long and steady journey rather than a series of rapidly completed achievements.⁴
Similarly, John Kotter’s research on organizational change suggests that deep transformation rarely comes through a few individuals pushing change quickly. Rather, it emerges as an entire community gradually develops shared understanding, trust, and direction.⁵ This insight is especially important for the church. For renewal in the church is not merely about changing structures; it is about changing people. It is not merely about implementing new plans; it is about forming a new culture. And these things cannot be accelerated.
Perhaps for this reason, I have become increasingly convinced that the question churches most need to ask today is not how to move faster, but how to go deeper. For depth itself requires time, and many things that truly matter can mature only through the passing of time.
In an increasingly hurried world, slowing down may not be a sign of falling behind. On the contrary, it may be a rare expression of faith. For when we choose to slow down, we are acknowledging that the true owner of the church is not ourselves, but Christ. And we are confessing that the direction of the church is not formed merely by human wisdom and experience, but gradually revealed as God’s people seek Him together.
Therefore, perhaps the most important thing to take back into our own contexts is not a ready-made answer, but a question worthy of lifelong reflection:
In our churches, what truly important things are worth slowing down for, so that together we may seek God?
Pastor Antony
Notes
- Acts 15:1–29.
- Stephen R. Covey, First Things First (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), 29–55.
- Eugene H. Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 1–17.
- Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Downers Grove: IVP, 2000).
- John P. Kotter, Leading Change (Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), 3–19.
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