A Reformed Evangelical Presbyterian Church
A "One Another" Church
Thirty-five years ago, in April of 1989, my parents became Christians. They were in their late 20s, and I was only two years old (I turned three that December). They were led to the Lord by a team of door-to-door evangelists from a tiny local church in our hometown. After my parents were saved, that door-to-door team invited them to church and made sure they had a place to belong. Mom and dad made great friends and built relationships that have lasted to this day, all these years later. Once mom and dad found their place in the church, they had the opportunity to help others find a place. That small, country church in the tiny town of Denton, NC, felt like a genuine family. People loved each other, spent time with each other during the week, raised their families together, worshiped the Lord passionately, prayed fervently, were hungry for God’s word, shared their faith, and continued doing what they did best—being the warmest, kindest, most welcoming congregation in town. By the time I was in high school, the church had built a new facility, launched two Sunday services, and at its height reached 500 members. Not bad for a town of twelve hundred!
There is no magic formula for growing a big church, and there is no guarantee that every church that does what my old home church did will see the same results. God is in charge of the growth of our church. The numbers are up to him, but obedience is up to us. Being a “one another” church like my old home church is not a magic formula; it is the normal expectation of every local church, regardless of its size. If we are the body of Christ, if we are brothers and sisters in the Lord, if we are truly members together in the family of God—then our Christian lives ought to reflect that reality outside of Sunday and outside the walls of our building. We are called to be a genuine family that cares for one another and shows up to support the church. If we all strive more and more to be a congregation that worships passionately, prays fervently, studies the Scriptures deeply, and loves each other selflessly, we will truly be the kind of church that is situated perfectly to receive the outpouring of God’s blessings. We will absolutely grow spiritually, and, God willing, we will be ripe to grow numerically as well.
I will never forget one time as a teenager something the pastor of my old home church said. He and I, along with some others from the church, went to lunch at a local restaurant. As we were eating, a man came up to the table who knew someone in our group named Rick. Rick said, “Hey, I would like to introduce you to my minister. This is Charles.” Pastor Charles then said to the guy, “Hey, I would like you to meet Rick; he’s my minister.” Charles wanted the whole church to have that mindset: he was the pastor, but every member is a minister. In Ephesians 4:12, Paul teaches that every church member should be equipped to do the work of ministry and build up the body of Christ. I might be the pastor, but all of us are ministers. We are called to be a “one another” church. I challenge you to give serious thought to how you can join us in this biblical vision for the Forks. Let us walk in obedience to the Lord and watch how he blesses.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Wesley
The Pastor's Pen
Glorifying Christ in Joyful Community through Worship, Fellowship, and Witness
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