Pastor Mike's Corner

Rough draft on a excerpt from a book I'm working on

....Furthermore, a society that is based on consumerism, as our society is, weeds out those businesses that are sloppily ran and/or presented to the public and rewards those that reflect a sense of excellence in the way that they run and the way that they are seen. My favorite pizza place is clean, the food is very good, the service is excellent, and the cost is very reasonable. I will continue to go there as long as they keep up this level of service. Had they not provide this service from the start, I may have never gone back; if they cut back, I will, and many others I would expect, will frequent the place a lot less, or even stop going.

Do people bring this demand for excellence into the church? Are some churches rejected flat out, even before they taste the Truth being offered, because they present their building, their ministries, their sermons, or their worship services sloppily? Yes. I know several locals who drive 30 to 40 minutes each and every Sunday because the churches in the larger communities are offering the Truth (and even less then Truth) in a professional and in a most excellent way. In addition to that, the more these churches draw, the more ministries they are able to offer (which makes them even more attractive) and the more they are able to reflect this sense of excellence that our culture demands.

The smaller churches, who may or may not be offering up some of the purest Truth, cant compete and do everything that they can just to survive. Updates are not made. The only ministries offered are those that maintain the status quo. As visitors come in they see a “Salt shaker” that hasn't been updated in 40 years plus and wonders if this church can even relate to where their at. One local professional confided in me that when they first came to the area they looked for a local church first. They visited the church that I serve at now and was less then impressed. Her kids looked up at her and said, “Not this one mom.” And now this profession is worshiping and serving far away.

“This is not fair!” our small church members shout. We're not talking about fairness; we're talking about the way it is.

To be honest with you, I would say why not just let the smaller churches die and let the more relevant churches survive. What matters is that there are some churches that are presenting the truth. Darwinism, which I reject on a biological level, may work in regards to churches in America. The effective ones live; the ineffective ones die. But I cant say that. The church is not just a place to worship or fellowship or consume (though this is what many have become), but it is a local mission to a dying people. Much smarter people then myself I have pointed out that the church is the only organization that exists for it's non-members. The church exist to Glorify God and to serve Him in the greatest rescue mission ever conceived.

In smaller communities the local churches need to do what they can to survive because they are the ones called to minister to the community in which they exist. They must be viable. They must be available to minister to the people who cant or wont travel 30 minutes to go to a church to hear Truth. The Gospel must come to them. And, it means that the smaller churches in smaller communities must have workers.