Small Church Summit: Some More Thoughts
The Nehemiah Project
The ideas planted in my previous post are starting to come together.
It’s starting to get exciting.
For a year or so, I’ve been following an online preacher/teacher, Jon Swanson. He has been preaching, off and on, about the book of Nehemiah. In fact, he is publishing a kindle book on the topic.
If ever a preacher could take a dry, rarely referenced Old Testament book and bring it to life, Jon Swanson can.
He read the book with us slowly — not skipping all the long lists of names, but savoring each one. His attention to detail brings the book to life.
God-fearing Nehemiah, living in exile, serving a distant king, hears about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. He is upset—devastated. The king notices that his servant is not his usual happy self. He inquires, “Why the long face?”
Nehemiah feared angering the king. Surprise! The king grants Nehemiah time off to look into this temple problem far away.
Understand that the temple has been in ruins for decades. No one nearby was lifting a finger to help. They accepted things. They must have been thinking, “It’s time for the temple to die.”
The temple was to them just a pile of rubble occupying a desirable location—just like all those failing or abandoned churches dotting our region.
The book of Nehemiah gives painstaking detail not only of the stones being laid and doors being hung but also of the intrigue of those who would have his efforts fail.
Small churches face the same challenges today. Church leaders allow small churches to fail. Their failure means there will be spoils to divide. They convince themselves and everyone else that it’s the only way. It is the easy road. Widespread failure is encouraged. Phrases like “It’s time to die” pave their rock-ridden consciences.
Most small churches aren’t nearly as bad off as the pillaged temple that so moved Nehemiah.
There are ways to rebuild ministry. The time is now. It will take the joint efforts of others. Some may be like the distant king who facilitated efforts simply because he had compassion and perhaps admiration for Nehemiah. Some might be the logistics experts who ordered, shipped and delivered supplies. Some might be the craftspeople and physical laborers. Some might be the warriors who took turns guarding the work from those plotting Nehemiah’s demise. Some might be the worship leaders who were summoned when the temple wall was complete. They would lead the celebration.
This kind of collaboration could revive small church ministry.
Leadership is likely to come from within the small churches. That’s OK. It’s biblical.
Some will be jealous of any grassroots initiative, especially if new unforeseen possibilities become evident.
Read yesterday’s post along with this one and we will start to form The Nehemiah Project.
Add your ideas. Let’s see if small pockets (chapters) of small churches can start to help one another in mission and rebuild neighborhood ministry.
If Nehemiah could do it, so can we!
We’ll keep pondering the concept and see where it takes us.
The Nehemiah Project. Hmmmm!
If the Nehemiah project interests you, let us know. Who knows what might result?!