Sunday, January 29, 2023

We don’t need another inferior imitation

Some churches do things exceptionally well.

Music. Youth ministry. Preaching. Online presence. Ministry with families. Outreach to the poor. Social justice. 

Against a sole marker of quality, in general, large churches do most things very well.

They have crisp production. They have a plethora of skilled volunteers. They are led by the premium ministry agents. They have an abundant budget.

But, smaller churches also contain admirable strengths.

What Christendom doesn’t need are small church poorly imitating their larger cousins.

Far too often, neighbourhood churches will struggle to reproduce what is effective down the road, on Twitter or in the “glory days.” Of course, the results can resemble a struggle to launch and a battle - both of human and physical resources - to keep the ministry viable and functional.

There must be a better way.

Of course, God can and does work in smaller churches.

He can bless and grow ministries of churches of all sizes.

This includes any ministry which may imitate something done elsewhere.

But, again, there can be a better way.

Do. Something. Different.

Use your own strengths.

Leverage what your church is known for.

Still, reach the same people.

Still, seek to impact your community.

Still, strive to grow the Kingdom of God.

But, avoid doing it the way someone else does.

Trust me, they’ve got that “market” covered.

You don’t need to be their direct “opposition.”

Instead, use your size as an excuse to experiment.

Use your size as an excuse to be different.

Who knows, if you do something that doesn’t look and feel like what everyone is doing, you may be able to tap into a group who doesn’t connect with the traditional forms of ministry.’

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