Church Culture Makes a Difference
Over the past week, my family and I had the privilege of taking the teens to Pensacola Christian College for Teen Extreme. Going to and coming from camp I had many hours to think and reflect on the goodness of God towards Calvary Baptist Church.
Teens at Pensacola Christian College Teen Camp
It was a little over four years ago I stood before a grieving congregation and preached my first message to a group of 40 people. My dad, who pastored faithfully for 20 years, had to retire due to the effects of cancer. Our church faced uncertainty in those days: a retiring long-term pastor to whom the church owed $20,000 in back salary, an outstanding debt of $60,000 on two modular buildings, and income barely enough to cover day-to-day expenses. Because of this, we were unable to afford to have a full-time pastor.
So the church got the best that ‘free' could afford - Me.
Seriously, those 40 people took a tremendous leap of faith to have me step in as their interim pastor. I felt completely unworthy and humbled the first day I stood to preach. And really, those feelings of unworthiness overwhelm me every Sunday morning as I ascend the stairs of the platform. (I hope that feeling never goes away).
Since that time, we paid off outstanding bills and renovated nearly every room on the property! I love that our facilities are up-to-date and we’re using current technology to communicate those Ancient Words.
In addition, the Lord has added to the church. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see a great crowd on Sunday morning! This past Sunday we had a record number of people in our auditorium - 139 with 180 on campus. Had our fireworks ministry workers been on site we would have had over 200! To me, that is awe-inspiring.
I give God all the glory, but I believe He blesses churches in different ways. One of the ways
Calvary is blessed is with a unique and godly culture. I define culture as the vibe you get from the church as they interact with one another. It’s a general impression that can not be contrived or dictated and manifests itself through thousands of unspoken micro-behaviors. That may sound overly complicated, but a healthy culture is observed more than documented!
With that, I’d like to give you three observations on the culture of Calvary and what I believe makes our church so special.
WILLINGNESS NOT PERFECTION.
It’s not to say we’re perfect. In fact, the very reality of having blemishes is in itself a manifestation of our culture! You won’t find a perfect pastor, musician, teacher, greeter, or nursery worker anywhere; but we’re all growing and becoming better.
I can guarantee that if you come back next year the same people will be better than they were the previous year. You see, God matures Christians better when they step out of their comfort zone in service to Him.
RISK-TAKING NOT STATUS QUO.
Risk-taking speaks to the entrepreneurship of our church. One of the things I love about our church is that so many people think creatively and outside of the box! It’s hard to keep up with all the ideas sometimes!
We’re always up for trying something different that could fulfill the mission of the church to see people saved and growing in the Lord! Of course, this has nothing to do with compromising doctrine or appealing to man’s sinful nature (1 John 2:16), but it does mean we should look to be more effective in fulfilling the mission of the church.
Unfortunately, many interpret “occupy until I come” as a directive to hunker safely in a cave until the culture returns to the 1950’s. But, if you look at the context of the passage (Luke 19), the nobleman expected these 10 servants to take a risk with what was given to them! That means they could have made a mistake and had nothing to return to the nobleman. They could have made a MISTAKE. What if we try something and it doesn’t work out? Well, you admit it didn’t work and recalibrate. Sometimes that means you’ll come in on a Sunday morning and the entire order of service will be changed up, or instead of occupying a chair on a Wednesday night you’ll be canvassing a neighborhood.
PARTICIPANTS NOT SPECTATORS.
If the church’s success was determined by my ability to market needs and do all the work, we would be in big trouble! What I have found is that our church attracts those who want to participate rather than spectate.
Church isn’t like attending a restaurant where you’re served and where a tip reflects on the performance of those who served you. No, church is a catalyst for eternal rewards! Think of it: there’s no place in this world where cleaning a toilet or shaking someone’s hand could lead to eternal results!
Last week I was encouraged to know the work of the church continued on through the people of the church organically. While our teens were being ministered to in Pensacola, Robert Lanning was delivering an amazing Wednesday night message. While Norm Smith and Bryan Van Pelt made visits to homes, others manned the fireworks shop giving out invitations to church. Still others took care of another members yard, while a family canvassed neighborhoods with invitations to Vacation Bible School.
Fireworks stand. Everyone got an invitation to church with the Gospel.
There is much to be thankful for at Calvary, and as the pastor, I’m completely humbled to see how God is using our small church in so many ways. My prayer is that we will continue to foster a god-honoring culture and that He will bless our efforts as we share the wonderful news of the Gospel of Christ to our community.
It’s time for you to participate. In the comments below, tag someone in our church who has been a blessing to you. It’s a great way to encourage them!
