The Impact of Being Small
Damian McCrink is a friend of mine and a church planter in Chicago who called me today. He shared a crazy story of coincidence and divine intervention that encouraged me quite a bit...
A man (heretofore called "Jeff" because I can't write a whole blog post with just pronouns for the guy) contacted Damian through their church website (therivercitychurch.org) saying that he wanted to get involved in what they are doing. He told Damian that his family was looking for a new church in the area and had started Google searching for a place to connect. Jeff found River City Church and liked everything he saw until he realized that River City hadn't even started yet. Damian is still currently building support and meeting/developing a launch team for the church. Their launch date is still months away. Realizing this, Jeff quickly put the church out of his mind as a non-viable option.
A little while later he visited his brother for the weekend and went to his brother's church. Jeff's brother went to church at a startup Saturday service that had only been around for four months and met in a space designed for a much larger congregation. He helped his brother set up curtains, stage sections, chairs and tables because the Saturday service needed to retrofit their space to make it work for a much smaller group. He hung out with the setup team after their work was done, chatted with some new people and sat through the rest of the service. Afterwards, he helped his brother tear everything down and re-set the building for the next day's Sunday service.
Upon returning to Chicago, Jeff reached out to Damian to get plugged in. After experiencing the vibrancy, energy and community of the startup that his brother attended, he decided that he wanted to be a part of something just like it. Whether the church had launched services or not, whether it had a building or not, whether it required effort or not, Jeff was in.
The divine coincidence part of the story is that Jeff's brother goes to Compass, our hungry little startup. He didn't see the work it took to make Saturday nights happen or the mismatched space to people ratios. He didn't see the hodgepodge of folks from different generations and backgrounds or the fact that there are almost no full time pastors doing any of the work. He saw potential.
The best part of this story is that it highlights something even better than a growing church - it highlights a growing person. The kingdom of God is alive and active in Jeff. That's why he chose River City instead of a church with a congregation in the thousands that could handily meet all his family's ministry needs. He heard and was sensitive to God's leading in his life and followed where God led. At the end of the day God wants to grow Jeff and others like him. River City will grow as a result of how God cultivates and grows his kingdom in the lives of those who call it home.
Are you a Jeff? Willing to take a risk even when it is counter to what you think your best interests are? Are you willing to do something crazy to see the kingdom of God grow into something huge in your life? You might find that it impacts people in places you never could have expected.
A man (heretofore called "Jeff" because I can't write a whole blog post with just pronouns for the guy) contacted Damian through their church website (therivercitychurch.org) saying that he wanted to get involved in what they are doing. He told Damian that his family was looking for a new church in the area and had started Google searching for a place to connect. Jeff found River City Church and liked everything he saw until he realized that River City hadn't even started yet. Damian is still currently building support and meeting/developing a launch team for the church. Their launch date is still months away. Realizing this, Jeff quickly put the church out of his mind as a non-viable option.
A little while later he visited his brother for the weekend and went to his brother's church. Jeff's brother went to church at a startup Saturday service that had only been around for four months and met in a space designed for a much larger congregation. He helped his brother set up curtains, stage sections, chairs and tables because the Saturday service needed to retrofit their space to make it work for a much smaller group. He hung out with the setup team after their work was done, chatted with some new people and sat through the rest of the service. Afterwards, he helped his brother tear everything down and re-set the building for the next day's Sunday service.
Upon returning to Chicago, Jeff reached out to Damian to get plugged in. After experiencing the vibrancy, energy and community of the startup that his brother attended, he decided that he wanted to be a part of something just like it. Whether the church had launched services or not, whether it had a building or not, whether it required effort or not, Jeff was in.
The divine coincidence part of the story is that Jeff's brother goes to Compass, our hungry little startup. He didn't see the work it took to make Saturday nights happen or the mismatched space to people ratios. He didn't see the hodgepodge of folks from different generations and backgrounds or the fact that there are almost no full time pastors doing any of the work. He saw potential.
Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”God is all about small things because small things grow. A mustard seed doesn't start it's life offering shade and nesting space. It's just a tiny seed, but it has the potential to be a billion times greater than what it appears to be. The beauty of Compass and River City Church is that they will grow - we may be united in humble beginnings, but the kingdom of God is designed to grow.
Matthew 13:31-32
The best part of this story is that it highlights something even better than a growing church - it highlights a growing person. The kingdom of God is alive and active in Jeff. That's why he chose River City instead of a church with a congregation in the thousands that could handily meet all his family's ministry needs. He heard and was sensitive to God's leading in his life and followed where God led. At the end of the day God wants to grow Jeff and others like him. River City will grow as a result of how God cultivates and grows his kingdom in the lives of those who call it home.
Are you a Jeff? Willing to take a risk even when it is counter to what you think your best interests are? Are you willing to do something crazy to see the kingdom of God grow into something huge in your life? You might find that it impacts people in places you never could have expected.
posted by Chris at
5:48 PM
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