Dear Readers,
I have been pondering this matter for quite some time. I would like to entitle this " Small Church Mentality." When I say "small" I'm not saying small in size but rather in vision. The name might mislead one into believing that this mentality is possessed solely by those in a small church (not every small church though) , but quite a few "large" church members maintain this mindset. So, what is Small Church Mentality? This begins with People. If you have ever been to church you have probably seen some of those people who are satisfied with "us four and no more." Visitation is a foreign thing to them. They want to complain about not having friends and church finances, but don't want to put forth an effort to reach others outside their little circle.
They are situated in their pews. A pastor in Ohio tells the story of an old Indian woman who came in late to church one Sunday morning. Upon finding another member in her seat, she stood in the middle aisle while the message was being preached. The pastor had to stop and ask the other woman to move so that the Indian lady might cease from being a distraction. Should the Lord ever bless a church with visitors, they ought to feel welcome to come in and have a seat without fear of being rebuked. A church will never grow unless it is friendly. So what!? if you lose your spot on the pew your grandma paid for the plate on, for one service! GET OVER IT!
A third "people aspect" is that a small church thinker find themselves inferior or second to the "Mega-church." God doesn't always bless each called out assemble to run a thousand people. While that would be really nice, God uses smaller churches to do things that large churches can't do. This doesn't mean that we don't try and grow. A church that is truly alive should put forth a large effort into the expansion of their membership. Not by stealing other church members or bribing the world, but by WITNESSING!
The second aspect to the Small Church Mentality is Punctuality. It's not just the lay people that are showing up late to God's house anymore. It's the people in positions. "You just don't know what I go through at home..." Well you wouldn't be going through that if you would leave on time for church!, "I need coffee..." Leave early so you can stop on the way or it won't kill you to drink the coffee the church provides in the fellowship hall., " I had a headache..." SUCK IT UP NANCY!!! Paul had a thorn in the flesh too. , " My kids...." Get them in the habit of getting up on time and leaving on time. Practice makes permanent. They way you treat God's house will be the way your children will treat their future employer. So what should I do?
Be IN TIME! "For what?" >>> EVERYTHING You expect the pastor to be there to shake your hand as you enter. Go early and try to help him out greeting people.
Be ON TIME! What does that mean? If you aren't there at least 10 minutes early.....you're late! If You're on time >>> you're late! PLan ahead. Be ahead. "What does this have to do with Small Church Mentality?" If you were part of some large church you would expect everything to run smoothly. The service always starts on time. Why? Because there are tons of other people beside you. So don't get in the habit of being late because you know the pastor will wait on you. THAT'S NOT RIGHT! Pastor, you be there early to prepare for the message. Song-leader, you be there early to actually pray over what songs GOD would have you sing and give the list to the musicians ON TIME!!!!! Musicians, you be there extra early as well. When I was real little and I heard the piano start to play before the service I knew that it was almost time to start. Now everyone just stands in the back and talks as the piano plays because the piano player is always late too.
Be in time, on time, EVERY TIME! Why every time? Can't I slack off/ live in the flesh and be late once in a while? NO!!! For one, God never was, isn't, and never will be late for anything. So neither should you. This is a matter of testimony folks. Your consistency may be what brings some soul to Christ. I heard a preacher mention how he won his neighbor to the Lord because the neighbor noticed that the preacher's family left the house at the same time every sunday service. Awkward set backs in the service to wait on the bus, song-leader, musicians, pastor, or other worker cause people to turn their ears off because we give a sloppy appearance.
The third aspect of Small Church Mentality is Preparation or Practice. This is a Requirement not a Request. When pastor says, "Choir, be here at 4:30 to start practice." BE THERE! God must have laid that time on his heart for a reason so don't disrespect GOD. Even if the pastor just likes things done early HE'S YOUR PASTOR! Practice enables smooth transitions in the service and God to be glorified with the best of our abilities. Church is not the time to "wing it." The phrase: "Y'all pray for spit whilst the choir practices on you this morning" is such a turnoff to the gospel. That lost person expects to receive something that has been prepared for GOD. It is extremely disrespectful to the Lord. If we're gonna grow, we have to be prepared. It is a necessity not to be viewed as a nuisance.
The final aspect of Small Church Mentality is the misappropriation of power. I've been around pastors long enough to see the people who think they control the church and the pastor. The ultimate power belongs to Christ. But, Christ has placed a Candlestick in each church. HE HAS THE SAY! ( and yes....it's a "HE") The power doesn't belong to the Committee. When we have the Small Church Mentality we tend to think that since 82% of the church is related to us, we can outdo the pastor. That's not the way it goes in large congregations.....It's not going to go that way in smaller churches either. Follow your candlestick. Don't live with Small Church Mentality. God always wants to bless us with more. Job 42:12
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