The Journey is a big church. Many of us have grown up in smaller churches. I’ve been in both. But what are the differences between big church and small church?

Do the benefits of being in a smaller church have to be eliminated by growth?

I loved The Journey when it was small. When we were between 40-100 people, it felt close and intimate. You knew others and you were known, celebrated others and were celebrated, cared for others and were cared for. It was a missional community living life together. On Sundays we worshiped God, felt God’s affirmation of what we were trying to do, and welcomed new people into the community.

As more people came, the entry points into community seemed to fade away. New people found meeting people difficult. The community felt as if it was getting wider but not necessarily deeper. And the church’s leadership keenly felt the burden. The strain was like a rubber band being stretched beyond its elasticity.

As I’ve reflected on the ways I built relationships and became a part of The Journey, I realize the opportunities for community never actually disappeared. Consider this analogy. The fundamentals of baseball are essentially the same whether you’re in little league or the big leagues. A curveball is still a curveball. Situations can get a little more complicated in the “bigs,” but the essence of the game remains the same.

I remember the ways I got into this community, ways that still exist. I introduced myself to people. I remember some of our elders’ and deacons’ first Sundays. I remember meeting Pastor Joel Lindsey and going out to CJ Muggs when he first started coming. We didn’t know each other from Adam. I remember serving in worship and set up and tear down, serving alongside others Sunday-in and Sunday-out. We helped one another move, made hospital visits when someone was hurt or a child was born.

We built trust and loyalty through a shared purpose. We all labored together for the sake of the gospel and we saw the fruit of our labor. We invited new people. We confessed sin. We continued to grow in the gospel. And we did it together.

Well guess what. All of that is still happening, and if it’s not happening for you, that doesn’t mean the opportunities aren’t there. In the early days of our young church, it happened through community groups, though there were only few. It happened through serving, though the work was fierce.

Friends, those opportunities are still before you. If anything has changed, it’s that the opportunities have increased! The opportunity is still there for you to get plugged into serving, meet others and get into a community group where you can know and be known, celebrate and be celebrated, serve and be served.

So what if the room you gather in is bigger. So what if the sermon’s on video. So what if the worship band doesn’t play your style of music. So what. Church isn’t a place you go or an event you attend. The church is who Christians are! You are the church. Don’t forget that.

I’ll leave you with these challenges.

Get in a community group or small group. See yourself as part of the fabric of the body, knitted together with others in love, growing together as part of the body. See yourself as part something bigger than yourself and get skin in the game.

Then invite others in. Meet new people. Start new groups. Don’t be a holy huddle. Experience what has not changed since the church was small—living a gospel-centered, missional life in community.

jd
Read more of Pastor Josh Dix’s blog here