letter to the "stayer"

To those in the small church:

A truly heartfelt thank you! It is people like yourselves who have advanced the Church in years past, and you are my greatest hope for the future of the Church. There are a great many situations that you are in and have come from, but you all deserve much gratitude.

To those who are in a(n) (older) church that is struggling, and yet continue to be there in an attempt to turn things around, and to see things different. I do not envy your position because there are a great number of churches struggling for relevancy in our society and it is a very tough decision to make on where to go, what advances to make, and how true to stay to prior examples. It is amazingly tough, and we are grateful to you!

To those of you who are in a church plant- a smaller, younger church dedicated to being vibrant and cutting edge- thank you. You are in a church with huge potential- often times untapped. Your vigilance and support have made the church grow to where it is, and will continue to grow with more people such as yourselves! Your love and caring have created families for many unchurched people, or for many post-churched adults who grew up in church and have since left. Your loving and giving spirits have made it possible to make a lasting impact and difference in peoples lives. Thanks- it is truly appreciated!

Instead of going to other churches that may have more to offer you, or may have more to keep you interested, you have given up your desire to be served and serve instead. It has always been God’s intention that believers move from being ministered to into being the ministers! You are wonderful examples of that!

To those of you who left a larger church in search of a true community, thank you! I understand that church changing is not a good thing, however, tapping into God’s heartbeat to connect directly and personally with people rather than being a face in a myriad of faces, a number instead of a person, is a great challenge, and one that many should take up. It is not easy to leave behind what you once knew, but the change could be the most significant thing in your life as a smaller church often times encourages greater growth, and true growth in many areas that you will not in a larger church.

Those of you who stayed, those of you who are in the small church- thanks! It is true to the biblical example what you’ve done! God works in many ways, but one of the ways the early church was used was to have many smaller house churches rather than one big church for a big meeting and lots of pastors! Thank you for recognizing that God’s work isn’t always measured in quantity, but is often measured in the quality of the change in people! Your faithfulness to Christ, and to your shepherds is exemplary, and I applaud those of you who have helped to grow these ministries!

You have not traded the hard for the convenient, you have not traded family for ease, and you have not traded fellowship for security! It is an amazing thing to find people who are faithful to God’s heart, and I say thanks! It is a blessing to serve in a small church, and it’s a blessing to be grouped in with people such as yourselves who have been so wonderful.

Thanks cannot say enough of the true appreciation I, as a pastor, feel for those of you who are committed! You have not counted yourselves as the most important, but often have laid down your lives, laid down your desires and offered of yourselves to see the kingdom of God furthered! There is no higher calling than to be a minister of reconciliation between God and men! There is no greater task than to be faithful to God’s calling in your lives to make a difference, and an impact on others!

Blessings on you!