Yesterday I participated in the 185th anniversary of a nearby church. I had been asked to share a few remarks, and when it became my turn I mentioned the impact this church had made on countless lives through the years. This is a church that will average about 125 people, but there is no way to know how many lives it has touched. How many children from unchurched homes attended a Vacation Bible School or Sunday School class and heard something that ended up changing their lives? How were their families eventually impacted by what those children learned? As these children grew up, started their own families, and moved throughout the world what impact did they make on the lives of people they met? A small church in a small community can literally impact the world if it remains faithful to its purpose.
The same can be said of your church. It doesn't matter if you serve a church of 3,000 people or 30 people. The faithfulness of your church can have an impact far beyond the number of people who attend your worship services each week. The legacy of your church is not dependent on the numbers but on your faithfulness to plant seeds into the lives of people that are touched by your church. A small church is giving away free water at the local country fair this week. They are planting seeds. Another small church recently put a new roof on a home owned by a widow. They planted seeds in the life of every person who drove by or heard what they were doing. Another small church provides small packages of Kleenex in local funeral homes planting seeds in the lives of the family members who use the funeral home in a time of great distress in their lives. Not until we are all gathered in heaven will any of us really understand the impact our churches made in the world.
Mondays can be a rough day for pastors and other church leaders. I just want to encourage you today to remember that the true impact of your church isn't always what is seen on Sunday mornings. Let God keep score. He has a much truer understanding of the difference your church is making than any of us does.
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