This past weekend saw my church’s first services in our new building. All five services, because the larger new auditorium isn’t actually enough larger to let us cut a service. Of course, the leadership thought it would be when we started building it. We knew that we’d be looking at multiple services, but we thought we’d be reducing the number. Instead the only change was shifting the two Saturday services to what we hope will be more attractive times so that we can move more people from Sunday to Saturday. After all, since we bought the land, average weekend attendance has grown by at least 50%, and it’s something like 5 times what it was just 5 years ago.

Reflecting on our growth and on the sermon from the weekend, which had to do with who God uses and being willing to answer the call, led me to thinking about why us. There are a lot churches in our area, so why are we the ones growing quite so dramatically and bringing the unchurched. I think there are a lot of reasons, and I know that trying to copy the how from one ministry to the next can be unproductive and even just unwise, but I do think there are a few things to be taken from what is working at Vale that could be applied in other churches and in our individual lives.

Of course, a key for any church is who the pastor is and what he does. I believe that’s certainly true for us. Our pastor is someone with a past that he has repented of and is not proud of, but one that he is open about. He tells his story without concern for sensibilities, but with great concern for sharing the love and power of Christ. He is also open about his current flaws and struggles and what God is doing in his life. Thus, he becomes a great picture of a real human being walking more and more closely with God, a picture that can only attract those seeking truth.

Our pastor also grounds all that he says deeply in scripture, and preaches expository sermons in an accessible way. I think many churches (and individual Christians) miss the mark on one of those two things. Sometimes we are so concerned about being attractive and accessible that we bury the message in so much fluff that the message itself gets lost or watered down even to falsehood. I think churches that do this find themselves pulling people in the front door, but eventually leaving through the back, their thirst for truth and God ultimately unsatisfied. And people too often find themselves lost because they begin to mistake the packaging for the message.

Of course, some churches and people go too far the other way. They may speak the truth, but they don’t worry at all about whether others can understand it. They lose track of the love God has for sinners and the importance of living a life that draws others to him. I once was talking to an elderly acquaintance about her church’s services, and I asked about a new person who might not know what to do and might be put off by that, and her response was that the person should go somewhere else. It broke my heart.

There are other elements that help Vale be what it is. Our music is contemporary but not overly edgy and not so loud as to be painful for this 50-something. Our church welcomes and uses its older members, encouraging us to be as much a part of the church as the 30-somethings that our music is more designed for. We have great children’s programming, and the new building has significantly improved our children’s facilities.

All things considered, though, I believe the key to Vale’s success, and to any church or Christian’s success in reaching others for Christ is really quite simple: share the truth of Christ, both personal and biblical, authentically and understandably. That may not be blessed with huge numbers, but it will blessed.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

 

Photo thanks to Amy Max