早期华人教会的运作——1851年6月之汉会

The routine of a native church——The Chinese Union in June 1851

本文以新近发见的《汉会众兄弟宣道行为》为中心,利用这批函件考察汉会的日常运作,探讨传道员的派遗周期、传教地点、宣讲方法、防伪制度、传道员生计等。函件具细无遗地记载了汉会于1851年6月的营运,显示汉会已有健全的机制,包括粗放集约并用的宣教手段,以及利用见证函和盖章防止传教员作假,从中也可了解早期华人的教会生活。从这批函件可见,不能单以"吃教"理解华人加入教会的动机,当中情由还需更深入的探讨。

This article builds on the newly released material, Register of members of the missionary goes in China, June 1851 ＇. This collection of preachers＇letters of the Chinese Union reveals many facts about the rou- tine of the Chinese church. They include the preaching cycle, preaching place, persuasion tactics, as well as the daily life of the Chinese preachers. The letters can adequately prove that the Chinese Union had a reasonably sound mode of operation in the initial period. And the notion of rice Christian is far from enough to understand the Chinese response of Western Missionaries stationed in treaty port.