3有些人会争辩说,牧养不是每个弟兄或姊妹都有的恩赐。然而,……无论智愚,每个作父母的都有养育孩子的才能。养育孩子不是特别的才能,乃是与生俱来的才能。同样的,借着我们属灵的出生,每个在召会里的肢体都有牧养的恩赐。……有些人以为,因为他们太年幼,又不是牧师、长老或老练的基督徒,所以他们无法牧养别人。这是错误的领会和观念。……有人也许不知道如何养育孩子,但孩子来了,他们就被迫去学。……甚至得救只有几天的人,也能学习牧养(李文集一九七三至一九七四年第二册,八二一页)。
3Some may argue that shepherding is a gift that not every brother or sister has. However,…every parent, regardless of how smart or foolish he is, has a talent for raising children. Child raising is not a special talent; it is a talent given by birth. In the same way, by our spiritual birth every member in the church has the gift of shepherding…Some think that because they are too young and are not pastors, elders, or experienced Christians, they cannot shepherd others. This is a wrong understanding and concept…Someone may not know how to raise children, but when the children come, they are forced to learn…Even someone who has been saved for only a few days can learn to shepherd. (CWWL, 1973-1974, vol. 2, “The Normal Way of Fruit-bearing and Shepherding for the Building Up of the Church,” p. 609)