We live in an age which tells us that only what is big is significant, only what attracts mass audiences is influential, only those who can deploy vast resources of cash or people are truly powerful. It is easy for us to fall into accepting this secular propaganda. What appears pint-sized and weak is written off. We can end up hoping that whatever happens, and whatever he asks of us, God doesn’t call us to a small church.
But, of course, the Bible teaches us a very different set of guidelines from that of the secular world. It teaches us that the unseen God is actually sovereign over all we see. It teaches us that ‘nothing is impossible with God’ (Luke 1.37). If we are part of a small church we will need encouragement to grasp these truths and live by them. This can be a struggle.
If we take on helping a small church we will certainly face doubts and worries. We will be tempted, at least sometime or another, to think that we are wasting our time.
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …