Against All Odds...from Nashwauk, Minnesota

Several years ago I was asked to speak at a small Bible college in southern Minnesota. The professor, a friend of mine, wanted me to talk about being a pastor in a small town. He sent along a list of questions from the class to help in the preparation of my lecture. I used one of the questions to open my talk. The student had asked, "How do you view the potential of your church in a small and perhaps declining community?" I could almost picture the student...a young, upper middle class suburban kid who dreaded the thought of being "banished" to a small town.

I remember saying to the class, "Someone wanted to know how I view the potential of my church. I suppose the person wonders what kind of impact a church could have in a town so small it doesn't have a stoplight. Let me tell you the potential of my church: Every people...every nation. That's the potential of my church. And I mean that. I believe that God has called us to reach the nations. The promise of Acts 1:8 wasn't just for the first century. I believe that it is for today and applies to the church I pastor. Don't tell me there is no potential in a small and perhaps declining community...God has said otherwise."

I really believe that.

In fact, during the missions conference this year God really reaffirmed that truth in my life. I believe that God has called us to reach our friends and family members. But if that's all that happens, I think we will have missed the majority of what God wants to do through us. I long to see a time when our missions conference(s) will feature speakers from our own church each waiting to report what God is doing in the far corners of the world.

I came to realize the potential of our church colors my thinking about church life. The kids that are coming to our programs are potential missionaries. The teachers are learning skills that they could use on the mission field. The Bible studies we attend teach us the the truths we need to apply to be in the middle of God's will...and they are truths that we can pass on to believers. As we struggle to discern creative ways to reach out to the people around us we are doing "missions thinking" that will serve us well in other places. As we stretch our collective faith in our building project, we are exercising "faith muscles" that will be in demand if we are to reach the nations.

Do I know exactly how God wants to do this through us? No. I just know that he wants us to walk closely with him and he will use us. I suspect that the hows and the whens will take care of themselves as we follow him. I do know that the ride he wants to take us on is beyond our imaginations. He wants to reach the world.