I doubt you ever heard of the church, but I still will not use its name. It was a church plant that received a lot of statewide publicity when it began about 40 years ago. The new work seemed to have everything going for it. It was an intentional church plant, not the result of a church split like so many new Baptist churches. State and associational leaders worked with the First Baptist Church of that community to start the new church “the right way.”
Land was purchased close to several rapidly growing subdivisions. The new work began in a house but within a year had an attractive, modern building. By this time the core group numbered more than 60 people. A seminary-trained pastor had been called to serve full time. Many of the lay leaders were strong, experienced church workers. Everyone expected the new church to become a large membership church and a leader in the association and state convention.
It never did.
These several years later the church remains about the size it was 30 years ago. It averages between 125 and 150 each week. About 15 years after the church began, another church plant was started about a mile away. Now the second church is considered a megachurch drawing thousands to worship every Sunday.
For years some Baptist leaders asked themselves why the first church did not grow like the second church did. Over time they realized why. The first church was possessed by a vision described by one of its early members as “never being larger than 60 people.”
The church is living proof that the vision of the congregation — not the vision of the pastor — is an important factor in determining the experience of any church.
Visions vary. Some churches want to grow as large as possible numerically. This is the vision commonly promoted among Baptists. It emphasizes evangelism and tying people to that congregation. Size is sometimes equated with the blessing of God.
There are different visions. Some churches emphasize fellowship. Instead of large numbers, the church attempts to develop caring relationships among the members. Other churches react to what they sometimes call “superficialism.” These churches seem to focus on theological understanding and, frequently, social engagement. Some churches want to be more like chapels than churches. They want members to have a good experience during the Sunday morning worship time and place little emphasis on the rest of the week.
Vision can be inward-focused or outward-focused. It can be about the church serving the members or about the church serving the community. Vision can be about serving age groups or music styles or the role of the pastor in the community. There is almost no limit to what the vision of a church may be, but a church must know what its vision is.
Just like every pastor is expected to be of outstanding moral character, every church is expected to have some common characteristics. Among these are Bible-teaching, Christ-
honoring worship, ministry to others, missions and evangelism.
And just like no pastor can be “all things to all people,” no church can either. One may have more satisfying music. Another may have a preferable preaching style. Still another may have a better children’s program. One may emphasize evangelism, another Christian discipleship and still another social ministries. One may be more pastor-led. One may be more committee-led.
That is why it is important to know what you are looking for in a church. Does the church reflect the theological commitments that are important to you? Are the values that you cherish reflected in the values demonstrated by the church and its activities? Can your needs and the needs of your family be adequately addressed in this particular congregation? Are you willing to invest yourself to achieve the vision and advance the values of the church?
Church members have to know what they are getting into when they join a church because church members have to work to accomplish the vision of the church. Just like the pastor, church members have to give themselves to pursuing the vision of their church. Tasks for church members may be different than the pastor’s but their commitment must be the same.
Members have to help leaders stay focused on the vision of the church. Members have to provide needed resources where leadership might not be as gifted as needed for a particular task. Members provide the substance for advancing the vision while leaders provide motivation and direction. Members keep people’s private agendas from derailing the church’s common vision.
At the church mentioned above, various pastors tried to emphasize growth. What they found was that key lay leaders responded mostly to fellowship, ministry and discipleship. That meant pastors spent a lot of time and energy trying to advance a vision the people did not embrace. The result was untold frustration.
This is not an indictment. The church made a difference in the Christian walk of a large number of people through the years and continues to do so. Not all Baptist churches have shared the same vision. Not all have to be alike. In fact, they should not be alike because people are not all alike. In order to make Christian disciples of all kinds of people, all kinds of churches are necessary.
That truth points again to the importance of understanding a church’s vision before planting one’s life in a congregation. Identifying with a church is a prayerful decision. It is not based on glitz or on charisma. It is based on the work of God’s Holy Spirit helping you realize the kind of church that is right for you.
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