Welcome to the second article in a series designed to enhance the use of the Small Membership Church Guideline. Ideally, this Guideline will be shared among your church leaders, read, discussed, and utilized to strengthen ministry.
Here is some added material to get the most out of this resource in your small membership church.
Reading the Bible and discussing it with others is one of the ways to find the significant center of your church's ministry. There are many specific passages in Scripture that encourage any size church, especially the smallest. Study these passages with other leaders in your church and discern faithful responses that can bring continued vitality to your church.
The Great Commandment
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)
This passage reminds us of the importance of loving God with our whole self. The measure of a church is whom it worships, not the size of the worshiping group. A vital small church worships a living God more than its past, a revered leader, or itself. Attending worship, studying Scripture, receiving the sacraments, singing hymns, praying, participating in small groups, fasting, and engaging in acts of vital piety help the congregation grow in discipleship and disciple others in the name of Jesus Christ. A healthy small church worships God, first and foremost, in spirit and in truth with a whole heart. This love extends into how we define and care for neighbor.
The Great Commission
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)
Read this passage again slowly or even aloud. Did you get what it is truly saying? This passage cuts to the very heart of the gospel: Get out there and make disciples. God cares so much for each and every person that the desire of God is to be one with all of creation. These words of Christ are not meant to be taken as the "great suggestion"; they are the central reason why the church exists. A church that is not actively making disciples has lost its reason for being — its focus (and its future). Long before a church shrinks in membership (or ministry) and eventually closes its doors, the people in that place usually have turned their vision inward toward surviving and away from living for others to make disciples with God.
Making disciples means that we make room in the pew for a stranger and are hospitable and welcoming. It means serving others for the sake of God's kingdom. It means that we listen to one another prayerfully to hear the voice of God when discerning ministry (even in the midst of new ideas and possibilities, changing realities, or in doing familiar tasks with new faces). Making disciples is an active pursuit — it means going to others with the gospel in our hearts and hands. It means making disciples of the people all around us — even those who are different!
Even the smallest congregation is commissioned by Christ to seek out persons and help them invite God's gift of salvation into their hearts. Even the smallest church is commissioned to bring people to the church for baptism. Even the smallest congregation is commissioned to teach the life and words of Jesus. This is what makes churches of any size effective and precious in God's sight.
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
The disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:1-4)
Positive self-esteem is vital in a smaller congregation. How do you see your worth in God's kingdom? We are not told what prompted Jesus to talk about the importance of being childlike. Perhaps the disciples had questions about their worth or importance. Perhaps they had lost a sense of joy in following Jesus. Perhaps they tried to play power games and gain inappropriate authority.
Think of a ministry of your church where there is a childlike joy in following Jesus. Where is this especially seen? How do we live this joyful childlike love of God? How do we change and become like children?
The Great Reminder
Compare these two passages of Scripture carefully:
[Jesus] took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves ... ." Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:17, 19)
For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. (Romans 12:4-6)
When we break bread with one another we remember how Christ poured out his life for us. When we break bread together in Communion, we remember our own brokenness. We recall how dependent we are on God and on one another. During Communion, we proclaim that not only are we part of the body of Christ, but also that we humbly rely on the rest of the body in order to be whole.
What do you proclaim as a congregation when you break bread? How do you honor the gifts God has given you in each other? Through our communion in Christ how do we break down walls caused by past hurts? How do we welcome and respect one another?
The Great Promise
I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You have heard me say to you, "I am going away, and I am coming to you." If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. (John 14:25-29)
What a comfort to know that we are not alone! God is constantly present to guide, comfort, nudge, support, and establish ministry. God is active. Sometimes God does this through the people around us who bring energy, ideas, passion, questions, resources, and the kind, quiet words that nurture the soul. These individuals may be long-term or newer members.
Because God is ever present, we do not have to rely on ourselves. In the church, leaders should never try to do ministry all by themselves. As a faith family we have one another. Often, the answer to the question "What would Jesus do?" is wrapped in the heartbeat or commitment of others around you. Who are your partners in ministry? How do you celebrate the sharing of gifts and resources for ministry as God with you?
These scripture references remind people in small congregations that not only are we to worship God constantly and to grow in faith, but we are also to exhibit that faith in the very way we care for one other (including those we do not know as well). We are called to make disciples, not members. In the midst of this service, God is not only present but glorified!
Reflection
Reflect on your congregation as it is today.
- Which Bible story, verse, or character would you say your church is living out of right now?
- What does your selection tell you?
Thank you for visiting our website and for giving us the opportunity to serve you. Comments and questions can be directed to Julia Wallace, jwallace@gbod.org.
Julia K. Wallace is former Director of Small Membership Church and Shared Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship.
Diana L. Hynson, editor of this series of articles, is Director of Learning and Teaching Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship.
Copyright © 2004 The General Board of Discipleship. Permission is granted for use in local church training or study groups. No portion of this article may be reprinted or republished in any form for any other reason without written consent.
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