Well, here we are at the end of Summer. At least school has started back. It's still hot. This means that my family's ministry in the Chestnut Grove area of Buckingham County, Virginia has been officially going on for around 14 months. I use this blog very intermittently as a way of putting some of my deepest issues out there so that I do not mislead myself. That being said I would like to share with you about our time here at Chestnut Grove so that you can pray for the church, my family, and me.
I have learned quite a few things over the course of this year and thought I might share them with everyone so that those looking into certain kinds of ministry can get a well rounded picture. Understand, we are a rural church if there ever was one. A friend who came out here to sing during our revival put it this way; He said, " Brother, if you wanted to get away from it all you have succeeded." This community is unlike any that I have known and it is one of the reasons I want to share my experiences of the first year.
It has been a year of firsts.
I officiated my first funeral. (and my second)
I received my first new member into the church. (As well as 5 others)
This Sunday will mark my first baptism.
I preached my first revival.
I officiated my first communion.
I have felt the feeling of shepherding a flock for the first time.
These things are common firsts for a new preacher, but they are sometimes solemn and sometimes exhilarating parts of ministry that really have to be experienced to be appreciated. The firsts I won't tell you too much about are the ones that I hope are lasts like the fact that I forgot to pray a bunch of times in different services. Or the fact that I almost did not seat the audience at a wedding before I started the ceremony. I assure you mistakes have been made, but our context of ministry is such that people do not typically sweat the small stuff and we can smile and move on to do better next time.
The most important thing that I have learned this year is that I LOVE TO PREACH. I am not just saying it because it is part of my job description. I would rather preach than eat, and that is saying something if you have ever laid eyes on me. The preached Word of God has been a force in my life and He is now allowing me to be used to bring that force to bear in the lives of others.
Now, let me get off of me and onto my hobby horse. I want to be an advocate for rural and small town ministry to young men going into ministry. There is a generation of guys that are missing out on the wonder of this type of ministry. I have written about this several times , but time has shown me more and more that there is such a need out in the small communities of this country for preachers with guts enough to let the Word of God out of the box and let it have its way in a church and a community. There are many reasons that people do not come to places like where we live, but none of them are the right reasons.
In the Southern Baptist Convention something like 85% of our churches are under 100 members and a majority of those are in rural areas, small towns, and county seat sized towns. The truth is that if our rolls were properly purged it would probably be more like 95%. What does that mean? I means that the mega church is not the driving force of evangelicalism. At least it shouldn't be. It means that small churches in small places need big leaders to make God famous in the highways and byways of the world. It means that we have to stop limiting ourselves in ministry geographically, ethnically, and in any other way.
Why the Rural/ Small Town Church?
Here are some superficial reason
People stop by your house with everything from vegetables to babecue chicken on a regular basis.
You might come home to your grass being mowed while you were gone.
There is at least 5 different types of macaroni and cheese at every church function.
Here are some better ones.
The love and camaraderie amongst a small church that is headed int the right direction is palpable.
You can effect real, community wide change in a relatively short period of time.
People in the country still live like everyone talks about living in the old days. (They help and take care of one another)
There is a lot of family connections, which some equate to trouble. I do not. There is a deeper connectedness amongst the people because they are practically all related or best friends from way back.
These communities, like most, have lost people all over the place that need the message of the Gospel.
My prayer is that people are fulfilling their call no matter what it is. I simply do not believe that God has left so many churches in the lurch when it comes to leadership. Some people are walking away from a ministry that could be a blessing to both them and the community they serve because of matters of convenience and preference.
The subtitle of this post is The Birth of a Country Preacher. As much as I wanted to be I was not a Country Preacher when I came to my ministry in Buckingham. God used the skills he gave me, and allowed this place and His Word mold me into a country preacher. What am I saying? If you think you cannot come to the country because you are not a country preacher think again. Billy Graham wasn't an evangelist until he followed God onto the field as an evangelist. Joe Montana wasn't a quarterback until he strapped on the pads and threw the ball. God will make you into what you need to be, just be willing to go where he says to go for the purpose he has called you to and it will amaze you what you can become.
I have learned quite a few things over the course of this year and thought I might share them with everyone so that those looking into certain kinds of ministry can get a well rounded picture. Understand, we are a rural church if there ever was one. A friend who came out here to sing during our revival put it this way; He said, " Brother, if you wanted to get away from it all you have succeeded." This community is unlike any that I have known and it is one of the reasons I want to share my experiences of the first year.
It has been a year of firsts.
I officiated my first funeral. (and my second)
I received my first new member into the church. (As well as 5 others)
This Sunday will mark my first baptism.
I preached my first revival.
I officiated my first communion.
I have felt the feeling of shepherding a flock for the first time.
These things are common firsts for a new preacher, but they are sometimes solemn and sometimes exhilarating parts of ministry that really have to be experienced to be appreciated. The firsts I won't tell you too much about are the ones that I hope are lasts like the fact that I forgot to pray a bunch of times in different services. Or the fact that I almost did not seat the audience at a wedding before I started the ceremony. I assure you mistakes have been made, but our context of ministry is such that people do not typically sweat the small stuff and we can smile and move on to do better next time.
The most important thing that I have learned this year is that I LOVE TO PREACH. I am not just saying it because it is part of my job description. I would rather preach than eat, and that is saying something if you have ever laid eyes on me. The preached Word of God has been a force in my life and He is now allowing me to be used to bring that force to bear in the lives of others.
Now, let me get off of me and onto my hobby horse. I want to be an advocate for rural and small town ministry to young men going into ministry. There is a generation of guys that are missing out on the wonder of this type of ministry. I have written about this several times , but time has shown me more and more that there is such a need out in the small communities of this country for preachers with guts enough to let the Word of God out of the box and let it have its way in a church and a community. There are many reasons that people do not come to places like where we live, but none of them are the right reasons.
In the Southern Baptist Convention something like 85% of our churches are under 100 members and a majority of those are in rural areas, small towns, and county seat sized towns. The truth is that if our rolls were properly purged it would probably be more like 95%. What does that mean? I means that the mega church is not the driving force of evangelicalism. At least it shouldn't be. It means that small churches in small places need big leaders to make God famous in the highways and byways of the world. It means that we have to stop limiting ourselves in ministry geographically, ethnically, and in any other way.
Why the Rural/ Small Town Church?
Here are some superficial reason
People stop by your house with everything from vegetables to babecue chicken on a regular basis.
You might come home to your grass being mowed while you were gone.
There is at least 5 different types of macaroni and cheese at every church function.
Here are some better ones.
The love and camaraderie amongst a small church that is headed int the right direction is palpable.
You can effect real, community wide change in a relatively short period of time.
People in the country still live like everyone talks about living in the old days. (They help and take care of one another)
There is a lot of family connections, which some equate to trouble. I do not. There is a deeper connectedness amongst the people because they are practically all related or best friends from way back.
These communities, like most, have lost people all over the place that need the message of the Gospel.
My prayer is that people are fulfilling their call no matter what it is. I simply do not believe that God has left so many churches in the lurch when it comes to leadership. Some people are walking away from a ministry that could be a blessing to both them and the community they serve because of matters of convenience and preference.
The subtitle of this post is The Birth of a Country Preacher. As much as I wanted to be I was not a Country Preacher when I came to my ministry in Buckingham. God used the skills he gave me, and allowed this place and His Word mold me into a country preacher. What am I saying? If you think you cannot come to the country because you are not a country preacher think again. Billy Graham wasn't an evangelist until he followed God onto the field as an evangelist. Joe Montana wasn't a quarterback until he strapped on the pads and threw the ball. God will make you into what you need to be, just be willing to go where he says to go for the purpose he has called you to and it will amaze you what you can become.
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