The Power of Church Friendships
This month, The Timothy Project team was able to attend the 189th Mississippi Baptist Pastors Conference. We’re so thankful for all the work the State Convention is doing and that we could play some small part in it. One of the most beautiful things displayed, in my opinion, was seeing such a range of churches present – it’s a rare and good thing to be in a room where the pastor with 30 members has as much as a vote as the pastor with a church of 1,000.
I’m grateful for the local convention organizing events like this, as without it, when else would we interact with other pastors in this way? Without intentionality, it’s so easy for churches to drift into a “silo” mindset — we may see each other at the yearly convention, but outside of that, there’s often just cold silence. The thing is, though, is that silence gradually begins to disciple our church members to believe they’re the “true” worshippers who value truth, Scripture, music, or whatever else, more than the local church down the road…or else why aren’t they seeing more of that church’s fruit? And so, in a generation or so, that struggling church from down the road has died out, and we ask, “What happened to all those churches that existed when I was younger?” We’ve all seen this happen, and for me, almost every street in my native country (the UK) has a church that is now a carpet warehouse or Zumba studio. Bleak, I know, but stay with me.
My question is, is this inevitable? Is it merely the slow wheel of time turning, just “a sign of the times we’re living in”? I don’t think so, and I’m convinced from history that when churches have partnered together, it’s always resulted in an exponential Kingdom impact.
From my experience, I’ve seen a few churches (including my home church, Colonial Heights) make some very deliberate efforts to partner with local churches and be a blessing. Here are some of the steps I’ve observed:
- Pray for other local churches from your pulpit regularly. Public prayer for a sister church breaks the isolation mindset of your people, makes them aware of real needs locally that they may have the opportunity to meet, and at the very least, is a weekly reminder that we’re all on the same side. I can’t count the times I’ve bumped into a pastor friend and been able to tell them “we prayed for you last week and for x that’s going on!” Can you imagine how encouraging that would be to receive in your ministry from a member of another local church in the city? If you know that a church down the road is installing elders for the first time, or voting on their first church constitution, why not highlight to your people that it’s a good thing to pray for that. The world is watching, especially how Christians treat each other. What better way to reflect the gospel, than to openly partner with local churches in prayer every week?
- Share the gifts God has given your church. Has the Lord blessed your church in a unique way? Maybe you’ve got an exemplary board of finance, a worship minister blessed with the ability to write great songs, or a couple with profound wisdom for newly married couples. Instead of keeping those proverbial candles under the proverbial bushel, why not use them to bless other churches as well? Would you be able to invite another local church to your next marriage conference, or include the men from that new and tiny church plant to your next men’s retreat? How about sharing that great graphic that your communications director has made, with a pastor across town who’s mentioned he’s about to start the same series? Have you seen when a beam of light hits a prism, and that one beam of light is multiplied and scattered? Well, part of the way we can magnify God’s own generosity with us, is by refracting those unique giftings in our own church to bless those local churches who you instinctively know would benefit if they also had that.
- Read Christian biographies, and encourage your members to as well. Christians from history like Andrew Fuller, John Newton, or Hudson Taylor practically worked themselves to death bandying local churches together for Kingdom purposes. One of my favorite books is Newton’s “Wise Counsel”, which is a collection of decades of mail Newton corresponding with a younger pastor. Men like Newton understood that their ministry is finite, and their church might only survive for a short time, but investing in the next generation will always yield dividends. If you look at each of the lives of whatever “great men and women of the faith” you have in your mind, you’ll see a myriad of unknowns who helped make them who they were. You may not ever see the next Charles Spurgeon in your lifetime, but think of the immeasurable blessings on another church by taking their young pastor out to lunch, or offering your church’s childcare while they hold a funeral for a cornerstone member? Who loses in that situation? Nobody. Who wins in that situation? God’s Entire Kingdom.
- Come to The Timothy Project Conference! Ok, this is a bit of indulgent self-promotion, but if you’ve made it this far, please indulge me. Every year, The Timothy Project hosts a conference aimed solely at encouraging and equipping pastors and ministry leaders within Mississippi and the South. We bring in the best preachers we can find, and through the Lord’s kindness, we’re able to do the whole thing for free. It’s perhaps the only time in a year you’ll meet that local pastor from the church across the street – a pastor who you could connect with your mission sending agency, or with another pastor friend of yours who’s experienced the same struggles as them. We sing, fellowship and listen to fantastic teaching, with main sessions and breakout topics covering anything from marriage to caring for those with special needs within the church. I can promise you that you’d be encouraged by coming, and you could also be an encouragement too.
Of course, there’s a lot more to add to the list above, but I believe when we’re faithful in the small things, the Lord will take care of the rest. Can you imagine how different the churches would look across your town or city, if pastors began with these small actions? How different would your church look?
Tim Jack is the director of The Timothy Project, and a member of Colonial Heights Baptist Church.
