I often read and hear that small churches are not relevant to the mission of God and that they should be closed down. Well, let me tell you about the evening I went to close a church.
I served as district bishop for almost three decades. During that time I was responsible for assisting the regional administrative bishop with pastoral appointments. There was a small church of less than 20 people located about 20 miles from the nearest town. The church had been through a succession of pastors over about five years. One day I received a call from the regional bishop and he instructed me to go to this church and announce his decision to close the church. I agreed with his call. After all, we could not find a pastor willing to relocate and the church could not afford to support a pastor.
So, I contacted the church treasurer to announce that I would be coming on the next Wednesday night to make an announcement. On the designated day, I arrived and entered the building. There were seven people in attendance, all over 60 years old. From all appearances this was a dying church. As I greeted each one, I suddenly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and was moved with compassion. I decided to change plans. Instead of simply announcing the decision to close the church, I explained to them that we could not find a pastoral candidate and they didn’t have the financial resources to keep the church viable. Then I asked, “Do you see any options?”
They began to talk among themselves. The sense of sorrow among them was palpable. They knew the church they loved was terminally ill. Then one member told me of a retired Assembly of God pastor who lived in the community. Would we be willing to consider allowing him to pastor the church? I told them to have him contact me to discuss the matter. We prayed and dismissed the meeting. The next day I received a call from the AG minister. He was retired, didn’t need the church’s support, was willing to go through the process of exchanging ministerial credentials and he wanted to pastor the church. So, after conferring with the regional AB, he was appointed pastor.
About six months later I returned to that little rural church on a Sunday night. It was alive! There were about 40 people in attendance and the people were filled with the joy of the Lord. For many years the church continued to prosper.
I understand that some churches need to be relocated, replanted, and in some extreme cases they must be closed. But I’m concerned that our love affair with the mega-church has skewed our vision of the church. I’m concerned that with tight budgets regional offices view selling church properties as an easy, short-term answer to budget shortfalls. And most important, I am concerned that we are losing sight of the people – God’s people – whom we are called to shepherd. We must be careful to hear the voice of the Spirit and be open to many possibilities. Yes, some churches are dying. But may we never forget that we believe in the resurrection!
