According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, nearly 60% of all churches in the United States have fewer than 100 in attendance at their weekly services. That's 177,000 congregations accounting for 9 million people. Of those congregations, a large number of them fall into the category of the truly small church, which has 40 or fewer members.
Through the years, I have known about and come to appreciate a good number of small congregations of the Churches of Christ. After going back through some notes and reflecting on my experiences, here's a bit of advice I'd share with anyone who's looking to work with a small church:
1. Arrive as a chaplain, not as a successful businessman.
Small churches don't require someone who's good at administration. There just isn't much to administrate. And, what little there is probably already has someone taking care of it. But there's never too much kindness, care, and love. So give them that. Especially if you go to a rural area--the scene for many small churches--you'll want to roll up your sleeves and do some work with your hands. To farm and ranch people, sitting at a desk isn't work. I know, anyone who has studied hard knows better. But people who have always worked with their hands need to see that you aren't afraid to get some dirt on your clothes and break a sweat. If you really work with them, they will listen to you as they never would have otherwise.
2. Remind them of their identity in Christ and of their mission in the world.
Sometimes a church just needs to be reminded that belonging to the Lord and living for Him is what life is all about. Like individuals, churches can get depressed and disoriented. A few years ago, a congregation that had been through a bad time welcomed a new minister. About two years later, one of the members of the congregation remarked, "He didn't try to set us on fire. I think he realized that it had been a long time since we had felt really good about being Christians. So he preached about Jesus and how great it is to know and serve Him. That did a lot to restore our spirit. Now we're a happier, more effective congregation."
3. Discover the very best aspects of the congregation and emphasize them.
In his letters to the seven churches of Asia (Revelation chapters 2-3), Jesus had at least one positive thing to say about each congregation. Every small church has something about it that's good. Identify that, and then tell the people what you've noticed. Build on that strength.
4. Encourage the congregation to do one or two things very well.
Unlike medium-sized and large congregations, the small church can't do many things at once. There simply aren't enough people or resources. However, a small church can and should carry on one or maybe two specific ministries. Help them to do something at which they can really excel. Meals on Wheels, Bible correspondence courses, special care for a missionary family. The possibilities are endless. What the congregation chooses will obviously be related to the previous point.
Just a few thoughts. What would you add or change?
Showing posts with label preacher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preacher. Show all posts
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, January 21, 2008
Looking for a Preacher
The San Jacinto Church of Christ here in Amarillo, TX (my church family) is looking for its next preacher. The vacancy was created several weeks ago when Leonard Harper took over the prison ministry sponsored by congregations in this area. We wish Leonard well. But we also wish that he was still at San Jacinto.
In the meantime, Dale Dennis, a former missionary to Tanzania, has been preaching for us. Dale is a good man and a clear, organized communicator. We're fortunate to have him serving as our interim.
Anyway, our elders asked the deacons and me to serve as the preacher-search committee. We're the ones publishing the ads, reading the resumes, listening to the sermons, etc. I've never been on this side of this process before. It can be a lot of work. And it's an eye-opener. About the preacher-search-and-selection process, I have more questions than I could possibly write down. But here are three:
1. For those of you who've been where I am, what are some of your experiences, lessons learned, etc.?
2. What do you think are the best, most important questions a church should ask a preacher candidate?
3. On a related note, among Churches of Christ in the U.S., what would you say are the biggest differences between expectations for preachers today compared to thirty years ago?
In the meantime, Dale Dennis, a former missionary to Tanzania, has been preaching for us. Dale is a good man and a clear, organized communicator. We're fortunate to have him serving as our interim.
Anyway, our elders asked the deacons and me to serve as the preacher-search committee. We're the ones publishing the ads, reading the resumes, listening to the sermons, etc. I've never been on this side of this process before. It can be a lot of work. And it's an eye-opener. About the preacher-search-and-selection process, I have more questions than I could possibly write down. But here are three:
1. For those of you who've been where I am, what are some of your experiences, lessons learned, etc.?
2. What do you think are the best, most important questions a church should ask a preacher candidate?
3. On a related note, among Churches of Christ in the U.S., what would you say are the biggest differences between expectations for preachers today compared to thirty years ago?
Monday, January 29, 2007
Joe Lemmons
Yesterday my mother emailed me: “Joe Lemmons died today . . . He was 85. We will pray for them.”
Every person has an unwritten list of names, each entry filled with significance. The name Joe Lemmons is on my list.
When I was born in 1963, my parents were relatively-new Christians. They had come to New Jersey in 1961 when the U. S. Air Force transferred my father there from Alaska.
Soon after they moved to the Garden State, my parents became members of the Church of Christ at New Egypt, New Jersey. I made it to my first Lord’s Day service all of five days old. Joe Lemmons was my first preacher.
Joe and his wife, Lois, were about ten years older than my parents. My father had one older sister, but never any brothers. My mother had no sisters or brothers. So in certain ways, I think, Joe and Lois became some of those older siblings my folks never had before.
Joe was a southerner and a graduate of Harding College. He had come to New Jersey back in the day when places like the Northeast were still seen by a lot of people in the Churches of Christ as a domestic mission field. He prayed to God and nurtured others. He preached sermons, taught classes, conducted personal studies and, of course, an annual Vacation Bible School. (My older sister always thought it was cool that, whenever we sang “Booster, Booster” at VBS, her otherwise-dignified preacher would be transformed into a grouchy rooster). In the field behind our new church house, he played softball with the rest of the congregation.
I was in the second grade when my father was transferred to Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma. When we moved, we said our good-byes to the Lemmons Family and to the church that my family had been a part of for ten years. Joe and Lois stayed in that part of the country for many more years, praying to God, strengthening others, telling the story.
Today I’m praying for Lois Lemmons, for the couple's children, and for all of their extended family. I pray that all of them will be given comfort and peace. I’m also thanking the Lord today; thanking Him for the life of Joe Lemmons.
“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.’” Revelation 14:13
Every person has an unwritten list of names, each entry filled with significance. The name Joe Lemmons is on my list.
When I was born in 1963, my parents were relatively-new Christians. They had come to New Jersey in 1961 when the U. S. Air Force transferred my father there from Alaska.
Soon after they moved to the Garden State, my parents became members of the Church of Christ at New Egypt, New Jersey. I made it to my first Lord’s Day service all of five days old. Joe Lemmons was my first preacher.
Joe and his wife, Lois, were about ten years older than my parents. My father had one older sister, but never any brothers. My mother had no sisters or brothers. So in certain ways, I think, Joe and Lois became some of those older siblings my folks never had before.
Joe was a southerner and a graduate of Harding College. He had come to New Jersey back in the day when places like the Northeast were still seen by a lot of people in the Churches of Christ as a domestic mission field. He prayed to God and nurtured others. He preached sermons, taught classes, conducted personal studies and, of course, an annual Vacation Bible School. (My older sister always thought it was cool that, whenever we sang “Booster, Booster” at VBS, her otherwise-dignified preacher would be transformed into a grouchy rooster). In the field behind our new church house, he played softball with the rest of the congregation.
I was in the second grade when my father was transferred to Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma. When we moved, we said our good-byes to the Lemmons Family and to the church that my family had been a part of for ten years. Joe and Lois stayed in that part of the country for many more years, praying to God, strengthening others, telling the story.
Today I’m praying for Lois Lemmons, for the couple's children, and for all of their extended family. I pray that all of them will be given comfort and peace. I’m also thanking the Lord today; thanking Him for the life of Joe Lemmons.
“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.’” Revelation 14:13
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
