Bigger and Better
Recently a young man whom I have known since he was a boy was (in his words) “dismissed” from a congregation where he was preaching. As I was reading some of the comments on Facebook about this, I noticed that some of his friends were hoping for bigger and better things for him. What you will read below are some of the things I said to him via Facebook. I have changed some of the details and reworded some of it, but the words below still share the essence of what I said. I am presenting them here because I believe–or at least I hope–that others might benefit somewhat from them.
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I had already told the young man that I was sorry to hear his news. Then I posted at least a version of the following:
I’ve seen a comment or two about hoping for bigger and better things for you. I’d like to weigh in on that.
As you know, I left a church that had over 400 worshiping together on a typical Sunday morning for a job that looked at the time like it was bigger and better. It was my privilege to work for Freed-Hardeman University for 4 1/2 years and to wear an impressive title: Director of Off-Campus Advancement. It didn’t take all that long for me to realize that I needed to be preaching full time again. So…14+ years ago, my wife and I began working with a church whose members were overjoyed if there were 60-70 people worshiping on a Sunday morning. I am told that, at one point, the number was more like 35-40.
I could have viewed this as a “dead end job” or a “stepping stone to something better.” I chose neither one of those courses. I determined to do as much as I could for as long as I could right here. Without any doubt, I can honestly say that the Lord has blessed our work and our lives.
We are not perfect and we have, indeed, had our challenges, but in my (admittedly prejudiced) opinion, there is nothing better. “Bigger”–bigger memberships, bigger salaries, bigger buildings, bigger houses, bigger names in the brotherhood–may not always be better.
In my opinion, what is better is to find a group of people who love the Lord and love each other and who will let you work with them (not for them) to bring glory to God and bring the lost to our Savior. THAT is my prayer for you, your wife, and your kids.
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