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Wait....You're Average too?




"You're called to labor in the infinite abyss of human misery" - Peter Leithart (The Theopolitan vision 77.)

I'm the pastor of a small church of 50 people in South Portland, Maine. Prior to moving, I was the associate pastor and youth pastor of a small church (by southern standards) of 150 people in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama.


I'm not a church growth guru or disciple-making guru. As a matter of fact, I am exceptionally average. However, I have a passion for local churches. I believe the local church, regardless of how 'small' it might be, or a better way to word that would be how 'average' a church might be, it is the means by which salvation is offered and cities, towns and villages are renewed for the glory of God.


I prefer the word average over small, because 57% of churches in America are under 100 people.


The world needs exceptionally average churches doing exceptionally mundane things.


By that, I mean that the world needs average churches fulfilling God's mission for the church. The life of the church is filled with seemingly mundane things. Sermons. Music. Communion. Discipleship. Engaging people far from God. The reality is, these things aren't sexy. They are better. They are God ordained means to bring about God's kingdom in our world.


Now, I'm not against church growth. I long and pray for my church to grow. This is not a blog that decries mega churches or practical principles for church growth. I've been accused of being overly pragmatic and love to implement practical things to help our church reach people and grow.


This is a blog for pastors, elders, deacons, and lay members of churches who are restless... restless to see God move in their average midst and do things. BIG. THINGS. Things like seeing people, far from God, come to know, love and follow Jesus. Things like seeing broken marriages restored and wayward kids come home. Things like seeing hurting people find genuine comfort from a God who loves them. Things like seeing churches care for the spiritually curious and enter into life-giving, life-changing dialogue with all those searching for answers.


I plan to write about topics pertaining to church health, church growth, discipleship, engaging in a post-Christian context, and leading a small church. I pray you find this blog helpful, a place of refuge, a place to be reminded that even though we are average, and will never be on the New York Times best sellers list or pastor a mega church...heck most of us will probably never pastor a medium sized church, our work is not futile, because it's not really our work: it's God's work.


As members of the body of Christ and members of our respective local bodies, we labor in the infinite abyss of human misery. We may be average, but we serve a God who created and sustains the universe with his word. We serve a God who stepped into our reality and embraced suffering on our behalf. We serve a God, as displayed in the book of Acts, who uses regular, average, broken people to bring about God's kingdom on earth by the power of the Holy Spirit.


So really, we are more than average, because we are what God says we are.


"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)


l invite you to subscribe and go on a journey to help your small church be everything God has called it to be.


Cheers.

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