The local church has always been a major part of my life. I remember those days when we filled out cards in Sunday School that asked if we read our Bible daily, studied our Sunday School lesson, witnessed to someone, invited someone to church and brought our tithe with us. In our children’s ministry, we sang songs like “I’m in the Lord’s Army,” “Deep and Wide,” and “Joy in My Heart.” As a pastor, I love to see the joy of the Lord in the hearts of His people, young and old. I love to see people excited, worshipping and celebrating the ways that God is working in and through His Church.
Unfortunately, there are churches in our SCBaptist family that are struggling to find joy, excitement and reasons to celebrate. Scattered around our state are pastors and church members who are discouraged. It has been a while since some in our family have found something to celebrate, and some are questioning will God ever move in this church again? Pastors who are discouraged could quickly point out 10 or more areas where their church could do better. The task for revitalization can seem so large that it can be hard to find a place to start. I have found that a good starting place is to build upon anything that we are doing well. Every church has areas where we can be better, but sometimes we need to take the time to celebrate the victories.
We can look on social media or at the Annual Church Profile data, and we see that some in our family of churches are knocking the numbers out of the park. There are SCBaptist churches that are healthy in all of the areas that the ACP measures. Praise God for what He is accomplishing through those churches. I hope that you will join me in celebrating with them. We are part of the same family and we have a shared mission. If some of us are honest, we would admit that it can be discouraging to see God moving through other churches while we are stagnant, struggling or perhaps dying. There are rural and small-town churches that are healthy, but when they compare themselves to other churches, what they perceive as limited growth seems insignificant.
We must all learn that God is at work in what is perceived as big flashy things and in the simple things. We must learn to celebrate all victories, even those that seem small. Actually, there are no small victories in the kingdom of God. Every kingdom victory is a huge victory and worth celebrating because God is at work.
Have you been discouraged at church? Let me offer a challenge to you. Take time to look closely and ask where God is working and then celebrate what He is doing. Was the gospel preached from the sacred desk? Was the Bible studied in a Sunday School class or small group? Was the Lord worshipped through singing? Were tithes and offerings brought to the storehouse? Were prayers prayed for spiritual and physical needs? Was there sweet fellowship? Did the church invest in our shared mission through the Cooperative Program? Was the ministry of presence offered to someone who is grieving?
We may take these areas where God is at work for granted, but each of these is a reason to celebrate. There will always be areas where we need to improve, but sometimes we need to take a moment to celebrate the local, statewide, national and global good that is taking place through our church. Every church is at its address for a reason. Only eternity will reveal the many ways that God was glorified through each church. Celebrate what God is doing where you are. Come to Taylors First Baptist Church Nov. 10-11 and celebrate what God is doing all around our SCBaptist family.