Vision & Transformation Committee

(Vision and Transformation: Rev. Wendy MacLean:)

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The Blessings and Challenges of Small Churches

Sizism...sizism...sizism...hmmmm
Before David went to fight Goliath, Saul equipped him with his armor:
a helmet of bronze on his head and a coat of mail to protect his body.
But it was too big, and too awkward.
“Then David said to Saul: ‘I cannot go with these,
for I am not used to them.’ And David put them off.
Then he took his staff in his hand,
and chose five smooth stones from the brook...” 1 Samuel 17:38-40

In scripture we read about God’s bias for the small and insignificant:
·         mangers and gardens
·         beggars and lepers
·         the table of blessing

Small Churches
·         need to work ecumenically with neighbours
·          fill a niche in the community (hall, Christmas baskets, counselling)
·         a community not an institution
·         “walls have memories” so there is a call to live up to tradition
·         precedent can pave the way for contemporary action (“We can do this—we’ve done it before,
        just a bit differently”)
·         barely enough money for regular expenses, always enough money for special needs
·         can organize quickly to meet the need to help in an immediate emergency (ice storm, house fires)
·         “big fish in a small pond” –people recognize and affirm gifts and lift them up to create leaders
·         all great political and social movements started with conversations among a few people

True community is not human design but God’s gift.

Rather than asking if a church is big enough, ask:
1.    Does this church still have a God-given reason for being? (Theological question)
2.    Does the church or a significant number of its members still have the will to live and the faith to live into this will? (Spiritual question)
3.    Can our ‘social capital’ fund our mission to serve God with thanksgiving and joy?(practical/social)

When church size is measured by human relationships
the small church is the largest expression of the Christian faith.
Carl Dudley

drawn from the work of David R Ray: The Indispensible Guide For Small Churches. Pilgrim Press. 2003

Where do you want to go today?