Churches Large and Small: Both/And – not - Either/Or

The scripture makes it clear that God created the church to be a body with diverse members each contributing to the life and work of the church according to God’s design.  This is true in the life of the local church and it is also true in the church at large.  Considering the network of churches and ministers we have in the Rocky Mountain District of the AG it is apparent we have great variety.  I believe this is necessary to the success of the church fulfilling the great commission.

We have churches that are tuned into a variety of cultures such as rural, mountain, biker, suburban, cowboy, inner city, blue collar, white collar, generational, etc.  Churches grow depending on the size of the demographic they reach in their area, the unique abilities of the pastor and congregation, and the providence of God.  Experience tells me that God gifts pastors to lead churches of different sizes.  Some are highly gifted to shepherd God’s people on a personal level and they tend to develop smaller to medium size churches.  These churches develop a family like atmosphere that effectively sustains believers.   Others are highly gifted to develop churches that become very large.  These pastors and churches are dynamic in evangelism and provide a wide open door of entry into the Kingdom of God for lost souls.  Achieving the great commission is a collective effort and every healthy church should be celebrated and appreciated.

A few years ago a Pastor of a mega church in Colorado Springs was leading his church in a relocation of their church facilities.  A church near their new location objected.  The Pastor of the mega church told the concerned Pastor if their new location caused a loss of people in his church then the mega church would pay off the debt on their building.  He made this commitment because he believed the growth of his church would actually feed the nearby church with new people.  Time has proven his theory correct.  The concerned church is now building a larger sanctuary having grown through recent years.  Randy Popineau planted Church at Briargate and purchased a church property located in the same area.  He verified that being in the shadow of a mega church helped them rather than hurt them. 

This isn’t an exact science but generally as a fast growing church wins many souls to Christ some of those new people do not connect well with the highly evangelistic church long term and move to more of a family style church.  The rising tide of new souls won into the kingdom of God through an evangelistic church will help raise other healthy churches in the area. 

I realize churches grow through evangelism and transfer growth.  Transfer growth works both ways; in and out of most churches.  The answer to transfer growth is not to resist other churches, but rather to provide effective ministry that will retain people who should stay, and an attitude of releasing people when they want to leave.

In our church growth culture we tend to think a church can reach its community by itself.  If the community is small, then perhaps it can.  However, in larger communities it is going to take multiple churches to get the job done.  If we think of our district as a body with different members designed to achieve unique goals, it helps us see the importance of releasing and celebrating the multiplication of churches through those who are gifted and positioned to do so.  I have observed that many pastors have a desire to plant new churches and sometimes I think it is the Holy Spirit prompting a pastor to help others plant a new church.

The vision God gave me for building the church always exceeded my realizations.  Over time I learned that God placed a vision in my heart that extended beyond what He would do through me directly and included what He would do through others I could help.  So, we worked hard to grow Radiant Church, we planted churches out of Radiant, helped others plant churches that were not directly associated with Radiant, and helped ministers develop who would be used by God in the building of His kingdom.

When it comes to the fulfillment of the Great Commission it does not matter who gets the credit.  What matters is that the work is accomplished.  The development of the Parent Affiliated Church model releases highly growth oriented churches to spread their wings and reach out far beyond the growth capabilities they have when confined to one location.  These churches together with other healthy churches in the area provide effective ministry; reaching and retaining believers.  The world needs every healthy church we have and many more. 

As a Pastor applies himself or herself diligently to the ministry, over time they discover God’s gifting in their lives.  If we are not careful, we can labor under a burden of unhealthy expectation that is superficially imposed by our church culture and our American culture (i.e. you have to achieve big things to be successful).  I believe every minister should ardently pursue effectiveness in ministry but ultimately rest in the unique purpose God has for them.  For some it is to work in smaller settings for others it is to work in larger settings.  Every member of a Super Bowl winning team receives the same ring whether they played quarterback or guard; whether they were celebrated or obscure in their contribution.  The church is a body or a team.  God wants every member contributing according to His will.  That is how we will reach the world and that is how He will reward each of us at the judgment seat of Christ.

Keep an open heart and an open hand.  Don’t fear how kingdom development may affect your ministry and church.  God is using you and will use you as you faithfully serve Him.  Take what God has placed in your hands and use it to achieve His purpose through you and others.

May the church flourish to the glory of God, for the sake of His children, and for the sake of lost souls.

Recent Weekend Connections:

May 27^th I had the honor of speaking at Living Hope Church in Colorado Springs, CO in the morning service.  It was a joy to speak on the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer on Pentecost Sunday.

That evening I chaired the business meeting at Church at Briargate in Colorado Springs, CO in which Scott Bottoms was elected to serve as the new Lead Pastor.  Congratulations Scott and Linda!

Scott is serving as Presbyter of the Denver Metro North Section and will be moving to the Pikes Peak Section.  Consequently, we will be conducting an election for ministers and churches of the Denver Metro North Section June 21^st at 10:00 a.m. at Broomfield AG to select a new Presbyter to take Scott’s place going forward.

June 2^nd and 3^rd Loretta and I had the joyous privilege of participating in the 80^th anniversary celebration of Chapel of the Plains in Stoneham, CO.  This is an excellent church with a great history.  Some of the fine pastors who have served over the years include Jasper Weaver, Jim Maley, Jay Littlefield, Gordon Anderson, Gary Meadows, and Marshall Frasier who came about one year ago.   Several of the previous pastors were present for the celebration.  God bless you Marshall and Rebecca as you lead this church forward.

On Friday, June 8^th Loretta and I witnessed the wedding of Courtney Allen to Mike Howie at Living Hope Church.  Courtney is the daughter of Missionaries Larry and Rhonda Allen.  Congratulations and God bless you Mike and Courtney!

This week I travel to Salem, OR for a Church Extension Plan board meeting.  This is an excellent organization that provides funding for several of our church buildings throughout the RMD and around the nation.