We Don’t Have to Be the Biggest Church in Town

I want Lake Lynn Baptist Church to grow.

I want to see people come to know Jesus. I want families to find a church home. I want children and teenagers to grow up knowing God’s Word and learning what it means to follow Christ.

And I’d love to see more people worshiping and serving together.

But I said something during Sunday’s sermon that I think is important for us to remember.

“We don’t have to be the biggest church in town.”

Our goal isn’t to become the biggest church in Fayetteville.

Our goal is to be faithful to Jesus.

Bigger Isn’t Always Better

We live in a world that measures success by numbers.

How many people attended? How much money came in? How many followers do we have? How many people watched the video?

Numbers can tell us useful things.

Church attendance matters because people matter. Giving matters because ministry requires resources. We should pay attention to whether we’re reaching people and helping them grow.

But numbers don’t tell the whole story.

A church can have a large attendance and still neglect discipleship.

A church can offer an impressive number of programs without helping people grow in their relationship with Jesus.

And a smaller congregation can have a meaningful impact on its community through faithful ministry.

The question isn’t simply how many people we can get into a building.

It’s whether we’re doing what Jesus has called us to do.

We’ve Been Given a Mission

In 2 Corinthians 5:18–21, Paul explains that God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and entrusted us with the message of reconciliation.

That’s an incredible responsibility.

God has made a way for sinners to be forgiven through the death and resurrection of His Son.

And now He calls His people to share that good news with others.

At Lake Lynn, we express our mission this way:

Love Jesus. Love people. Fulfill the Great Commission.

That’s not just a slogan for our church.

It should shape the way we live.

Loving Jesus means growing in our relationship with Him and obeying His Word.

Loving people means treating them with compassion, dignity, and respect while caring about their real needs.

Fulfilling the Great Commission means sharing the gospel and helping people become disciples of Jesus.

None of those responsibilities requires us to be the biggest church in town.

They require us to be faithful.

Faithfulness Happens in Ordinary Places

One of the things I emphasized during Sunday’s sermon was that representing Jesus doesn’t always involve some big event or complicated ministry program.

Sometimes it happens in very ordinary ways.

It might be helping a family with groceries or formula.

It might be watching someone’s children so they can take care of something important.

It might be giving a family caring for someone with a disability an opportunity to rest.

It might be showing patience to someone who’s having a difficult day.

And sometimes it’s simply inviting someone to church.

I talked about keeping a few of our little blue invitation cards with me. They’re an easy way to invite someone to visit Lake Lynn.

You don’t have to pressure anyone.

You can tell them you love your church, invite them to come, and even offer to save them a seat.

They may come. They may not.

But you’ve opened a door.

And God can use those ordinary moments in ways we may never see.

Our Responsibility Is Faithfulness

I think sometimes churches become so focused on results that we forget what God has actually asked us to do.

We can’t save anyone.

We can’t manufacture spiritual growth.

And we can’t force someone to respond to the gospel.

But we can faithfully teach God’s Word, pray, serve our neighbors, love one another, and clearly communicate the good news of Jesus.

We can invite people into genuine Christian community.

And we can trust God with the results.

Of course, if our church grows as a result of faithfully serving God’s kingdom, that’s wonderful.

I hope it does.

But growth isn’t the ultimate goal.

Faithfulness to Christ is.

As we finish our Benchwarmers series, I hope we’ll remember that God hasn’t called us to sit on the sidelines and watch other people serve.

He’s called us to participate in His mission.

There’s work to do right here in Fayetteville and wherever God places us.

We don’t have to be the biggest church in town.

We just need to be the church Jesus has called us to be.

Originally published at lakelynn.org.