Being church

The last month or so, I’ve hung out with a small congregation in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. After a difficult year and the painful loss of its pastor, this little community is struggling. My brief has been to fill the pulpit for a while, to be a sensitive presence. While I’m not entirely sure just what help I’ve been, I depart each Sunday encouraged, my own faith prodded into life.

When I meet with communities like this one, it strikes me afresh just how much is good about the local church. Here in this little wooden building sitting ingloriously on a bland suburban corner, Sunday by Sunday there gathers a community of people committed to each other and to God. They meet to worship, to pray, to confess their faith and dependence, to receive and offer encouragement along the way. They like each other—that’s easy to tell—but they’re weary and not especially self-confident. Still, they keep believing, they keep longing, they keep working at following Jesus… together.

There is no end of reasons why a little church like this one is ‘failing’. There’s a veritable library of books written every year documenting all that it’s getting wrong and all that it’s missing. There’s no end of conferences and experts to help these weary ones arrest their misfortunes and ‘emerge’ into something new and improved.

No doubt there is truth in all of this. But as I drive away from that little wooden building, I cannot help but feel grateful for all that is good about this place and its people. I can’t help but feel God’s delight in who they are, not just in who they might become someday. I cannot help but sense God’s pleasure in a community of faith and mission that plods along, sometimes skipping, sometimes missing a step and falling ungraciously, but then dusting itself off and continuing on regardless. The local church really is an incredible thing, not for all that it gets right, but for its extraordinary persistence as a community of faith in an ordinary place.

Comments

[Geoff Broughton]

Great post Simon.

If only more people who write the kind of books and speak at the kind of conferences you allude to shared your insights!!! Wouldn't it be nice if every pastor of every little church (75 people and under) received your post in their inbox?? Heaven knows they need the encouragement.

Pastoring the pastors.... now, that's what we Anglicans call a bishop...

[David Wilson]

Well, we say "family matters", and families are often dysfunctional. Why doesn't "church matter" then, regardless of what size it is, as long as people love Jesus and each other?

Doing the relational work in the extended family size church is draining at times so maybe that explains a certain part of the weariness you wrote about. But was "bear each others burdens" supposed to be without cost?

Appreciating your heart for small places where people serve a great big God.

David
Florida, USA

[Paul Fromont]

Nice thoughts Simon. As a standalone statement your last paragraph in particular reminds me to be more appreciative, even if it's mostly a struggle with respect to local churches.

As you say "The local church really is an incredible thing, not for all that it gets right [and it certainly doesn't], but for its extraordinary persistence as a community of faith in an ordinary place."

[hamo]

Yes - just a beautiful story of ordinary people battling on in better or worse. Thanks mate

[Joanna]

Absolutely - after a long period of feeling exhausted and drained by a large 'successful' church, I found encouragement and nurture in precisely the kind of congregation you describe. Maybe unsuccessful from the outside, but that's not how God reckons things.

[Simon]

Joanna,

Thanks for dropping by. It's been great to see you back on line again. I tried just a few days back to leave a comment for you, but I've mislaid my blogger/google account info. It's been so long since I've used it.

I think you might find that these days you can make more options available to those who wish to comment (somewhere in your preferences). The other options make it easier for non-google people to add their two-cents worth. Just a thought. Glad to hear things are going well for you.

[Carolyn Francis]

Simon - thank you for this beautiful post and for your encouragement of all of us who are struggling/delighting/growing/failing/hoping/praying and generally committed to the local church. The life you brought to the church you spent time with over the past month must have been a great gift (and it was just as great a gift to have you back "home" last Sunday! love Carolyn

[Erin]

Yeah. Thanks for this post. Its excellent.
You speak of the God I believe in. Not one that is so obsessed with academia and ideologies and theology. But one that is relational. A God of plain, old, simple love for His people.
Thanks.

[joanna]

Thanks, Simon! And I appreciate the suggestion - will have to check out the options!