Are Small Churches a Good Place to Spend Your Life?
I believe God likes it when we take big risks.
I believe God wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us.
I believe that third servant wishes He'd risked more and worried less.
I believe God doesn’t want me to waste my money on the lottery.
But I do believe He wants me to pour my life into small churches with little hope of a turn a round?
It doesn't add up, but...
If I don't then who is going to serve these lifelong disciples?
Is the kingdom of God a capitalist enterprise? Are we to measure the value of a church in its ability to grow and impact the world in a measurable way, or do we rather value churches by the inestimable worth of the souls inside?
What if that third servant had put all that time and money into caring for a church that was unlikely to ever grow? What would the Master say? Would it be a life buried in the ground or life wisely invested?
Could the answer be both? Could God absolutely love these people even as He expects far more effectiveness in ministry? Would Jesus admire the faith of the American small church on the country road with the steeple or would he criticize it? I think he might just do both.
-Aaron
I believe God wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us.
I believe that third servant wishes He'd risked more and worried less.
I believe God doesn’t want me to waste my money on the lottery.
But I do believe He wants me to pour my life into small churches with little hope of a turn a round?
It doesn't add up, but...
If I don't then who is going to serve these lifelong disciples?
Is the kingdom of God a capitalist enterprise? Are we to measure the value of a church in its ability to grow and impact the world in a measurable way, or do we rather value churches by the inestimable worth of the souls inside?
What if that third servant had put all that time and money into caring for a church that was unlikely to ever grow? What would the Master say? Would it be a life buried in the ground or life wisely invested?
Could the answer be both? Could God absolutely love these people even as He expects far more effectiveness in ministry? Would Jesus admire the faith of the American small church on the country road with the steeple or would he criticize it? I think he might just do both.
-Aaron
posted by Aaron McMillan at 10:06 AM
3 Comments:
Okay, maybe I should have responded when your angst was focused toward Cordova, TN. (See "Hope Pres Angst" post) But I did have a few thoughts on small churches. Specifically 2 small churches that both of us are very familiar with --- East Side CP and Highland Heights CP.
You know how dynamic East Side was and it had everything to do with your dad (and his excellent staff!!!!) It was a church that never quite successfully broke the 200 barrier but we thought, and ministered like we were a much bigger church. Yes, a small church can take risks and do great things for the kingdom. East Side's time has come and gone but it's impact is still growing --- Your ministry --- Your sister's & Louis' ministry ---- Laurie's ministry at Multi-National Ministries ---- Jim Kenney's Ministry --- Kathy Flake, Becky Lloyd, and me out that that angst producing church in Cordova!!! And those are just the "full time" ministry folks that I can think of. The diaspora of members is still touching lives for Christ.
It is not all about numbers, it is about faithfulness, but numbers do play a part when the bills come.
Case in point is Highland Heights. I attended the final service of Highland a few weeks ago. Sad, but inevitable. Sad but it was a celebration of years of faithful kingdom work. Pastor Larry had done all he could to revive and lead Highland to thrive --- he sought to reach out to the community -- he brought in an African American church and a Hispanic church to share the space --- he sought denominational support and support from Hope. But it was time for that small church to pass on.
I love small churches and there are days that I wish I was still walking across the gravel driveway to minister at East Side. I think the issue with small churches is to shepherd those in your care and to stretch them toward a greater impact in your community and the world. Maintenance ministry is not an option in my mind. We all need to be externally focused. Being exclusively internally focused is unhealthy and means death to the large, middle sized or small church.
The only difference is how long it takes to die.
Aaron:
The issue is faithfullness, not quantifiable growth. Plant the seeds and water them. A holy God produces the growth in his timing, which is often inscrutible.
Wait on the Lord for divine effects, don't try to produce your own. The latter is the mark of hyper-modernity: make things happen acording to a formula. Now! But as Peter Berger said, "If you are going to dine with the devil, be sure to use a long spoon." That is, the "tools of modernity" are not neutral. They must be employed very cautiously, if at all.
The prayer meeting, the prayer and fasting, the seeking of God individually and in groups is far more important than the marketing campaign. The underground church in China has no props, no formula, no celebrities, no hype; yet it grows in godliness and in new disciples. Read "The Heavenly Man" by Brother Yun.
All heaven rejoices when ONE soul is saved, when ONE pastor preaches a biblically faithful and prayer-soaked sermon, when ONE church member takes up her cross and follows a resurrected Lord into a risky situation.
My roots are the small churches. I think that a church should always have a vision and have a desire to move to the next step. The status que is not the place where God wants the church and I even think it is the turning point for the church that leads to the end. Small churches do have a strong ministry... the community. Enon is the gatekeeper for Ackerman, we serve the town and county. Our focus is not international missions and not even national missions.(not saying that we are opposed to it) It is the children at the school who do not have the proper coats for winter. It is the mother of three who cannot pay the electricity bill this month, or the father in jail who does not have the resources to pay for a decent Christmas for his children and wife. To meet the needs of the community and share God’s love to them by service is our call and vision. This is the call of the small church. When that is gone and all that is left is a big bank account and the faithful few then they become like the third servant.
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