Small churches make up about 70 % of the COG and it is these churches that I am most interested in. How can they have a rich church family experience? How can they feel like they are whole and complete just as they are? How can the pastor and the lay leaders keep them from turning against each other? At the same time what can they do to feel that they are accomplishing what God wants them to in their particular situation?
If you are a member of one of these congregations; what can you do to strengthen and bring a sense of contentment and yet find a way to grow? So often the preacher to these churches fuss at them for not being spiritual enough and the group often turns negative to the larger churches accusing them of becoming modern and of losing their first love. This breeds an attitude of spiritual pride all the while casting the blame somewhere else.
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If each member would speak in tongues at the appropriate time of the worship service and then the pastor would scripturallly manage the Spirit’s distribution of gifts. Speaking in tongues is the effective way to do a Pentecostal church.
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Charles, I don’t always know when you are being sarcastic but if you are serious I would say that tongues would be the least of the gifts needed if they all know each other and speak the same language. Why not a conversation to build understanding about the journey they are on and words from the pulpit to edify, to build hope and to show purpose? Tongues and prophecy in a setting like that tend to lead to a spiritual contest.
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The current church growth movement focuses on small neighborhood churches rather than mega churches. People want a place like the bar in Cheers where everyone knows your name. You lose the family experience if churches are too large. Church growth in the smaller church is based upon connecting locally with friends and family. A problem does occur if the culture of the local church is totally foreign to the surrounding neighborhood or community. This has been a major problem for the COG. Pastors of local churches will have to work other jobs but this can create new friendships and connections which can lead new persons to come to church. New converts often bring in additional family and friends. Of course nothing beats the presence of God when people gather together.
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