Dear Small Church: A Word of Encouragement
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- Опубликовано: 2 фев 2023
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Recently became the 9th member of a small Presbyterian church down in South Carolina. The pastor is a former RTS professor named Reverend Douglas Kelly, I'd recommend that you guys check out his sermons online.
This was helpful brother as I have been called to Pastor a church in Kansas with about 25-30 people. We are moving there from North Carolina the First week in August. Thanks again brother !
Thank you for this. I've been struggling to value "small church" work.
Just became a pastor of a church of 20 members. Thank you for the refreshing thoughts
Do you remember the day God sealed you with His Spirit?
@@CryoftheProphet troll alert
@@CryoftheProphet do you remember the day you were born?
@@mrhartley85 who can forget the day they were born again?
Thank you giving encouragement to those whom pastor what is considered a small church. What you share is so insightful. The advice you give will greatly benefit those whom choose to apply it. .I will ask my husband to watch this viideo with me. We do not pastor a church but he is an ordained minister, and we have a singning ministry together. We appreciated being invited to minister in Word and song regardless of the size of the chruch. Blessings, Anne-Marfie from, New Brusnwick, Canada
I love my small church. I recognize every regular face, know at least half the names, and we can all fit in one modest fellowship hall.
I am a pastor of a small rural church. We averaged 30 people on Sundays last year. I love it!
I perceive great wisdom in the reminder that God is going to hold us all accountable to that responsibility he has granted us and those he put under us. 16:27
I fear many pastors I have sat under have sought to speak Love at the cost of truth for fear of men and the reactions of men. When what was needed was truth in love (which can come across as harsh to so many soft ears) but leads us to repentance. Fearing men and our responses, rather than fearing God and how he will hold us to account.
My former congregation was the definition of a 'small church'. I say former as I left it due to a falling out with the elders, as they wouldn't accept help and advice to help revitalise the dying congregation... they even instigated a whispering campaign against the person that the presbytery sent to help them. 😥
On a different note, I once attended a service of the Liberal Catholic Church (nothing to do with the RC) and there was only me and the two priests! 🙂
We love our small church!
Jesus has Wonmen pastor as well
Good advice
Good word!
Timely encouragement brother. Thank you!
As someone who serves a church with a 'small' evening service this was really encouraging. We get about 15 - 20, with some online participation via zoom. I regularly preach at this service. I particularly found the Acts 2 reference helpful. The exhortation to prepare and preach no matter the size is pointed and a solid word. We western Christians do focus on numbers so much as a sign of success. But as Jesus says...'I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.' Matt 16.
Im currently going through my accrediation process to become a pastor in my Baptist denom in Australia...it is possible i may have to be bi-vocational...But wherever the Lord leads this was helpful. Thank you pastor Matt.
Thank you, brother, this is so helpful.
I really needed to hear this , great wisdom here brother
amen, bro.
you had been a blessing to me since the time i was ordained.
by the way, you influenced me to write miscelanies- jonathan edward's style. it helped me greatly. I'm on my 4th year.
"Wind-baggery!" 😂😂 That's awesome! I am actually a big fan of the small church. Multiple services on Sunday is not a condition to aspire to, it is a (hopefully temporary) concession until a unified congregation can be managed again. The over-concern about numbers I find to be a downfall of the mega non-denoms because they take it as a confirmation of God's blessing on their ministry. In truth, drawing a crowd is easy. The true gospel divides because it calls for holiness, so of course the person who wants a "concert and a Ted talk" is going to fall away. And yes, I know there are a few good big churches out there but they are the exception rather than the rule. With too many people you start to lose community and purity. And yes I know MacArthur's church has thousands of people and it is a good church, but I still don't think that is the best way to do it.
Very well said!
A dear friend of mine who is an incredible bible teacher (even though a layman) believes that when a home church begins to outgrow the home...rather than meeting in a larger space like a school building...the cells split and someone who is maturing in Christ leads the new cell. Kind of the way the cells in your body divide. My friend who was an elder at a church of 200 members was grieved by how much $$ goes to building maintenance that could otherwise go to needy members of our congregation. Example: the struggling single mom, the guy who just lost his job and needs a little 'extra' to pay the rent, the low income person whose car broke down. etc. Instead, we suppose gov't programs are meeting those needs. We don't attempt to counsel, lend a hand, serve one another. Churches are seldom aware of needs and most people are too intimidated or perhaps too independent to approach the pastor or elder to ask for help. But the church always has $ for non-believers who may approach the church for help...or offer to repair, re-paint or fix the home of a non-believer as a gospel outreach. But what about our own members????? THIS is the witness--the world looks in and says "wow! Look how they love one another!"
Leaving aside any wrong motives of wanting a big church for money or prestige, the reason church growth has always been emphasized in any church I've been is because it means more people are getting saved and are growing in Christ. I've been fortunate that this has always been the motivation I've seen.
That said, I would prefer a small church. It's my parents' very small church that has helped us the past few years of illness/suffering, by bringing food, calling, sending cards, stopping by, praying for & with us. My big church didn't do a whole lot. They were there when the illness situation began. But I've been handling it pretty much alone for years.
I was in the multiple campus format for decades. You just can't get to know as many people. I don't know where to fall on this issue. It's a hard thing. We're not supposed to be selfishly inward focused. We're supposed to be reaching new people. But I tell you, I've never been as alone as I've felt in a roomful of hundreds of strangers. Sure, there's small groups. But a lot of times they are on a schedule. You meet for months, then oftentimes stop during summer. You may or may not have the same group next time. How can you build real relationships that way? But... I don't know anything else. Again, we can't be selfish and have "out little group" of 100-200 in a church, where most people know each other. A church is supposed to grow - both spiritually and in numbers. If not, then we are not reaching our area with the gospel.
I'm in that same spot as you. I grew up in a church of maybe 200-300 (1970s), but we always did things together...family camping at the lake, VBS, my parents were very social and routinely invited folks over to the house after church, and our friends were the people from church. As kids, we knew the other kids and the adults. But now...especially with all the large churches and Mega Churches, it's impossible to see the same faces Sunday to Sunday. I have experienced what you have in 'small groups' and Bible studies---that people meet around a specific subject. Immediately afterwards, everyone jumps up and leaves. There's no getting to know each other spiritually...sharing insights, helping each other walk with the Lord through various circumstances. No Fellowship. And "fellowship" is not coffee and cookies!
@@kristenspencer9751 Yep. I'm not sure what the solution is. I have not been able to work one out, even in my mind.
My last church probably had 5,000-10,000 people. It had multiple locations and some locations had multiple services. I haven't been back since the pandemic hit. I had been thinking about finding a house church. Last Sunday, I went to church for the first time since the virus hit and it was a small church. I intend to go again, tomorrow. Im looking for a small church and although I may not be the norm (story of my life), I don't find that phrase demeaning, just a reflection of membership or attendance.
My pastor there said when he had 50 members, he thought he would be happy when it reached 500. But, God told him, no be happy with the number you have now. I think it's more important to remove the stigma of the term "small church" than to stop saying it.
I’m in that “tall steeple” denomination. You’re right - it’s a ridiculous group to have.
I needed this brother! Thank you. Will you be at GA?
Genuine question: what is your perspective or estimation of the PCA's trajectory on issues such as Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and congruent Woke philosophies?
Could you do a review on the Mystery of Christ by Sam Renihan ? This would be extremely helpful to have as this book has much persuasion on many in the credo camp .
Good book. But what’s better than the voice of one is the whole of church history. The church needs to return to a traditional rest in scripture and stop abusing our liberty of scriptural interpretation given through the reformation
Yes-a critical pastor or any Christian criticizing other believers are insidious and instil psychological & spiritual poison (Which is a slow death of a person character & faith). The root of this problem is not accepting the various types of people and gifts. God chose the lowly and despised things of the world-most of God children are not of noble birth, lack eloquent speech, not academic, poor, suffer ill health, low social status and despised.
James 4:11
"Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge."
Some people are rightfully going to end up in hell for their sins because God didnt do something to keep them out of hell.
troll alert
@@80scottyboy This is what calvinists teach. God created people with only the ability to sin, and God is going to condemn many to hell because God refuses to do something to keep them out of hell.
Is this not what they teach?
@@CryoftheProphet nope, God doesn't condemn people because God refuses to do something. That's a ludicrous and cartoonish misrepresentation. I'm still calling troll alert, giving guff to calvinists under a video not on the topic of calvinism is textbook trollism. This video is an encouragement to faithful small churches. If you want to troll at least do it on a video that has something to do with what you're trolling about. Do you even listen to what matt says, or do you just click the link so you can start a riot? Whats the mindset here? "I'm bored, time to crack open an ice cold lime la croix, put on some smooth jazz, and frustrate people I don't agree with." What percentage of your conversations are actually productive using your approach? Do you produce any fruit in your endeavors or is it a colossal waste of time for all parties involved?
Here's a suggestion, maybe take a week to read something like "The reformed doctrine of predestination" by Loraine Boettner so that you can begin to get a grasp of what calvinism actually teaches. Or, if you want a broader understanding of calvinism just read the bible... (cue sizzle).
For real tho, go start your drama somewhere that makes sense. It's like you're trying to protest the government by demonstrating outside your local Arby's. It's weird, obnoxious, and i just want to enjoy my classic beef n' cheddar in peace.
@@80scottyboy Calvinists teach that God creates man with only the ability to sin correct?
Correct.
Calvinists then teach that God condemns man for his sins because God created men with only the ability to sin, correct?
Correct.
God then punishes man for his sins in Hell, and the only one who can do something to keep man from Hell is God.
Correct?
These are fundamental tenants of Calvinism.. Of course I think they are insane because they make God a tyrant child.
God is not a tyrant child, therefore Calvinism is false. Its that simple.
@@80scottyboy According to Calvinism, God created man, man is only capable of sin, and if God doesnt do something to keep man out of Hell, God necessarily condemns a person to hell for the sin they were only ever capable of doing.
That is literally Calvinism.
Can man do something to keep himself from Hell? No. If a man goes to hell, its because he did what God created him with only the ability to do. God refused to do something to keep him from Hell.
The reason that sounds insane is because it is. Saying "if you want to understand calvinism, read the bible" is equating a manmad systematic with Gods perfect Word.
Calvinism is the result of mans interpretation of scripture, not the truth of scripture.
Which is how false doctrines are justified the world over, using the bible. By creating a limiting systematic around a few verses and building a doctrine on that.
RUclips The Sin of calvinism. This is much recommended for any reformer/calvinist who desires truth. Choose wisely.
Some people are rightfully going to end up in hell for their sins because God didnt do something to keep them out of hell.
Insane that Calvinists believe this.. Ask a Calvinist what kind of persecution they have endured as a result of following Christ.
troll alert