Reaching Out and Gathering In
Bill Myers, Pastor
On occasion I hear from old friends and former coworkers who have known me throughout portions of the almost twenty years I served in denominational churches. They find themselves amazed, and sometimes perplexed at my decision to pastor The Glenburn Community Church (“Is that an Alliance church? is the usual question.) in the heart of the Fall River Valley (Following the question, “Where is that?” is usually some comment along the lines of “That’s kinda out-of-the-way, isn’t it?”). The predictable career-track for successful pastors usually leads to bigger churches in more populated areas with closer and closer ties to denominational committees, boards and titles. For those who know the joys of rural, small town, out-of-the-way (or whatever other phrase they may choose) ministry, however, and even among those who actually know where the Fall River Valley is, there is still an air of disbelief to their conversation.
For example, my ministry focus in the past has been in redevelopment and extension churches. What that means is that I had specialized in rebuilding churches where there had been great difficulties previously, and in helping to start churches where there had been nothing previously. As a result, I have preached and led worship in a basement, on a couple of ball-fields, a storeroom/yoga studio, an office space, a movie theater, the lobby of an office building, in two public schools, and in a variety of other “non-traditional church facilities.” A retired pastor of that denomination, learning that I was back in Northern California, said that he was familiar with the Fall River Valley. He said, “I used to take the Dana cutoff from eighty-nine. I’d get to the ‘T’ in the road where there’s that big, beautiful white church out there in the heart of the valley.” I nodded, but still he asked, “Where’s your church from there?” To be fair, it’s sometimes hard for me to look at the “big, beautiful white church” out here in the heart of the valley and not feel overwhelmed that God has called me to pastor here. As one classmate at grad school recently prayed, “And God, thank you that you’ve finally called Bill to a strong, established church.”
Over the past four years, I have regularly enlightened friends, family, coworkers and classmates (and anyone else who will listen) to the blessings of serving in an independent, non-denominational community church. First and foremost among those blessings is the reality that when it comes to making decisions about ministry in our congregation, we do not have “the manual” sitting on a shelf to tell us “how it’s done.” We have our bibles, and we have God’s answers to prayer. We look at what God says; we ask Him to lead us to accomplish it; we trust Him to get the job done through us (since there’s no hierarchy above us to whom we can defer our ministry responsibilities) with His resources (since there’s no “district budget” from which we can fund our ministries).
The unique blessings and opportunities of an independent, non-denominational community church are accompanied by equally unique challenges. It takes longer to discern God’s will through study and prayer with our board of trustees than it did to call the District Office and ask “the experts” how they wanted something done. With so many of us coming from such diverse denominational backgrounds, we have each been influenced by such “experts” in the past, resulting in sometimes contradictory expectations. As an independent church, we might sometimes be seen as a little too independent, I guess. And being non-denominational, I can see where we may confuse those used to more traditional labels (like Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic, etc.), begging the question, “What kind of church are you, then?” But is it ever possible to be “too community” a church? I can’t imagine it.
Reaching Out
Many of those who attend The Glenburn Community Church are actively involved in direct, hands-on service to Christ and others throughout the Intermountain Area in activities we readily recognize as “ministry.” Others see their workplaces, classrooms, community service organizations and other circles of influence giving them open doors into the needs of those who would not usually seek help from something they recognize as “ministry.”
Serving effectively where God has called you is one of the best hopes a pastor can have for those he serves. (See Assurance, Confidence and Joy on page two.) Please know that my continual prayer for you is that God enable you to clearly see the needs of those around you, and give you wisdom to know what He would have you do or say to bring that need into contact with His bountiful riches of mercy, grace and love, but also His healing, His power, and His provision for every need anyone could have.
The opportunities God has granted us as a truly community church also result in certain challenges that are as important for us to address in prayer as is the continual support and encouragement of what is already being done. For example, in a congregation of just over sixty families, we have agreed together (through the bylaws—currently under biannual review, so if you have questions or suggestions, let our board chairperson know) to select a board of nine individuals to serve as the leaders of our congregation. With so many of our congregation already actively involved in ministry (whether “officially” designated as such or not), it can be tempting to seek “any warm body” willing to let their name stand in nomination at the October annual meeting. The process of determining who it is that God is calling to these positions is a greater challenge precisely because our congregation is as active as it is.
So, even as we seek to support and encourage those serving out in the midst of our community, we must also prayerfully identify and engage those God is calling to serve in a “home base” ministry of worship and discipleship. Beyond merely strengthening the hands of those who serve in reaching out to our community, these “inner” functions of the body of Christ also provide the healing, growth and fulfillment needed by those we serve. As the church goes out to them, we also invite them to come into the church for even greater help and hope. At present, we are not as prepared to receive them as we need to be, especially in our discipleship ministries.
Gathering In
Throughout many years of service within denominational churches, I filed annual, quarterly and monthly reports to administrators at national, district and regional levels. The statistics measured in those reports focused a pastor’s (and with his, often the church’s) attention on the congregation’s effectiveness, narrowly defined by what was happening within the four walls of the church’s buildings. One of the greatest blessings of serving in an independent, non-denominational community church resides in our focus on the work of the church in her community, being used of God to improve the circumstances of so many (not just those fewer and fewer who know to come to the door of the church asking for help). Yet again, however, that blessing presents another challenge.
So many pastors have so often cried out to God to have anyone in their churches show a concern for the community around them, that I cannot help but count myself among those most blessed of God. Our congregation is out there on the front lines, building the trusting relationships, seeing the needs, and bringing help and hope to so many. At the risk of seeming ungrateful, however, I am asking God for more. As we reach out into our community, we recognize that each individual’s greatest need, and our greatest hope for them is that they know God through Christ, growing in Him to fully experience the love, mercy, grace, calling and fulfillment of life in Him.
As we reach out, we are also called of God to gather in. If our job can be defined as “Rescue the perishing,” then we have to have a strong, well-maintained boat with a fully functioning crew ready to do more than merely pull the drowning out of the waves. We must provide them a place of warmth, hope, healing…and perhaps even the training necessary to join in the work of the crew themselves.
