Praise for Small Churches
Judges 7:1-8 & 16-22
By Dave Redick
Hwy 20 Church of Christ, Sweet Home, OR
"Niagara falls is it a tremendous sight! Thousands of tons of water gushing over the rocky ledge and free falling some 150 feet to crash into the white water below. No wonder people come from all over the world to see it! Do you know though, if the U.S. and Canada were dependent on Niagara alone to meet their water needs, we'd all be in drought. It is the thousands of little streams running throughout the land that are quietly providing the life giving water."
Introduction
What a fantastic story! If we were to read on through chapter 8 we would learn that the number of Amalekites and Midianites that fell that day by Gideon's little army of 300 was 120,000 swordsmen.(1) Talk about a victory by the underdog! This is an exciting story to tell to your Bible School class, especially if you teach young people. I wonder what else is in this story for us, though. Is this account only good for a Bible school lesson, or does it have something to say beyond that?
I believe there is a lesson in this story for the church. It points us to several universal truths that are valid in any age - truths that can give us courage and make us rejoice when we feel insignificant and outnumbered - truths that tend to get lost in today's world.
Have you ever stopped to notice that in our day it is usually big people and big things that get the majority of attention and little people and little things get put down?
Consider sports. Except for horse racing jockeys, midget wrestlers, and gymnasts, small athletes just don't last long - much less attain star status. Unless your name is Spud Webb, you'd better not figure on a career in the NBA unless you are crowding seven feet tall. In the NFL, you'd better be ready to beef up on steroids if you want to compete.
Consider novels and movies. Who is usually the hero? The tall, handsome guy! The little guy with the glasses is the object of all the jokes.
Researcher Ralph Keys has concluded that in our culture the mere possession of a towering physique means money in the bank. Large people receive higher salaries, occupy more important positions, and wield greater influence. (2) Do you suppose Ronald Reagan, George Bush, or Bill Clinton would have been elected if they had weighed 94 pounds and worn thick glasses?
Look at advertising. In the U.S. there are 11 different sizes of olives. The smallest is "jumbo." The best way to travel is with The nation's largest airline with the world's biggest fleet of widebodies."
Why is it that the two most popular hamburgers today are the Big Mac and the Whopper? Today is the day of the Super Tanker soft drink and the Big Gulp. King sized and extra large is in. If you stop by Ronald McDonald's you can't walk out of the order line without being asked, "Would you like us to super size that?" We want it and we want it big. We measure all kinds of things by their relative size, success being one of the biggest (if you'll forgive my continued use of the word.)
Of course, it would be nice if we left that mega-mindset home when we come to church on Sunday. The fact is, we don't. Neither do our neighbors around us. "Bigger is Better" we are told in this society, so it must be that way in the church, too. Consequently, the church with the most people in the pews on Sunday morning is considered the best and the most influential. In the mind of one with the "colossus complex," if the church is small for some reason (and it matters not what the reason!) there simply must be something wrong.
I feel it every time I get with a group of preachers. After the intros, what do you think is the most frequently asked question? It is usually "How are things going there in the church," which usually means, "What is your head-count on Sunday morning?"
Of course, the size of a group can be one factor when determining relative effectiveness, but it is one factor among many. My purpose here is not to challenge or put down large churches who are faithful to God. I wish every church were a large church and every church were consistently faithful to God. I think most of us would like to begin to see standing room only in our church buildings.
I am concerned, though, with the prevalent idea that small is wrong when it comes to the church. Clearly, this story of Gideon points out that God can and does use small groups of people to do great things. There may be times when the only show in town that is going the places God wants is that place where the numbers are thin.
It is very easy today to become discouraged when a local church continues to be small in numbers. Our culture's value system says that small is backward, insignificant, hokey. Consequently, many view the small congregation as an embarrassment. Out of step.
Just the other day a good brother from a large city visited our congregation on Sunday morning. I had been feeling pretty good about the way things were going. As he was going out after the service, he called me to the side and said, "Dave, you've got to do something about your building! Why the ___________ church across the street is three times as large as yours! If I were looking for a church home, I would have gone to the _________ church, not the Church of Christ!" Then he proceeded to tell me about an organization that finances church building projects and will loan up to a million dollars for expansion.
I'm sure he meant well, but at least for the rest of the day (until I had a chance to evaluate what he had said) the wind was completely gone out of my sails. I found myself asking, "Is it really that bad?" Of course, afterward, I found myself wishing I had thought to say a few things to him like:
"Did you know that church across the street has gone through several serious splits recently?"
"Did you know that they just ran off another preacher?"
"Did you know that they don't teach correctly on what it takes to become a Christian? Do such things even count anymore?"
You know, I rejoice when I hear of fast growing, large churches. I'm sure you like to hear of that happening, too, But I'm here to tell you that God still can and still does do great things through small groups of people who are truly dedicated to Him. As a matter of fact, I'll show you in just a few moments that, if it were not for small groups of people, Christianity might not even be with us today!
Best that I make my points from the Scriptures, though, so lets look at this story of Gideon. The first thing I want you to see in this story Is it that
I. Small Numbers Are Not Insignificant To God.
You don't have to use much math to figure out that Gideon's little camp of 300 men must have looked pretty "hokey" when compared to the crowd that God sent home that day. As for the odds of the enemy they faced, they were outnumbered 400 to one! Not only that, but there they were, out there holding, not weapons, but pitchers and trumpets! What a joke! At least that's how it must have looked like through human eyes. But that's the lesson! God isn't dependent upon human strength or numbers to accomplish His ends. Working through this small group of people in this case was his preferred means! It gave Him the opportunity to show His strength in a way that couldn't be confused with human strength. That's why He sent all those soldiers home.
(Read v. 2)
Pride. It's a subtle sin and there is a lot of it around today in religious circles. For many people, status has much more to do with church choice than doctrinal soundness or mission outreach. Many have the idea that attending a small church makes them small people.
I wonder what the conversation must have been like among the 31, 700 people returning home that day before Gideon's little squad hit the field? Can you imagine?
"Humph! Those guys don't stand a chance against that army!"
"Yeah, they'll be dead before they start. There won't be enough left to feed the buzzards. Only fools would go up against odds like that! What a dinky little bunch of idiots!"
Really, whether there was any intimidation like that I don't know. I do know it goes on today. The devil would have us believe that a small church is it no more significant than a box kite on a radar screen! But I'm here to tell you this morning that the view that God's word gives us is quite different. If that box kite has His name on it, it's as important as an F-16!
Throughout history, God has worked through individuals and small groups to fulfill His purposes. That doesn't mean that He ignores large groups or doesn't work through them also. He does. It Is it just that He works with what He has - with what is truly His. Through history it hasn't often been large groups who were faithful to Him.
Only eight people listened to God when He blew the whistle to board the ark for the last time. It was only Abraham that God was working with when the rest of the world was miles away from Him after the flood. Jacob and his clan 70 people must have looked pretty ragged and insignificant when they first moved to Egypt from famine ravished Canaan. Yet through them God blessed the world!
And don't forget that it was the faithful "remnant" who carried the ball when Israel was down during the inter-testament period.
In the New Testament we are prone to look at the exciting things that happened in the Jerusalem church as our standard of success. The 3000. The 5000. The multitudes. But after Acts 8 it became illegal to be a Christian in that city. The church was fragmented and scattered to the four winds. From there onward we find many small groups. We don't know just how small they were, but we do know that many were so small that all of the Christians in a given city met in an individual home. Yet it was through those groups that the gospel spread to that generation.
Through the dark ages, those who did not bow to the corruption of the Roman church were called heretics and had to meet in small groups in secret.
Does all this mean that small is it desirable and large is it undesirable? Not at all! What I want you to see is it that size does not always determine effectiveness or faithfulness. There are churches large and small who are both faithful and unfaithful to God -effective and ineffective. Size is not the sole measuring rod. We make a serious mistake when we view the "super church" as blessed by God and the small church as though it were on the sick list.
I was greatly enlightened recently to learn something about churches through history. The following quote comes from a Sociologist who teaches anthropology and missions at a theological seminary in Kansas City:
"Is it your congregation a small one? Join the club! Most congregations are. In fact, throughout history...and in countries around the world, the majority of congregations have been fewer than 100 members. Recently, perhaps because we have entered the "superchurch" era, the small congregation has been derided as inferior. The stereotype of a small church is one that is backward, boring, and somehow a failure. This may not be so at all. Actually, there may be several reasons why a congregation is small..."
He goes on to list reasons other than ineffectiveness.
Niagara falls is it a tremendous sight! Thousands of tons of water gushing over the rocky ledge and free falling some 150 feet to crash into the white water below. No wonder people come from all over the world to see it! Do you know though, if the U.S. and Canada were dependent on Niagara alone to meet their water needs, we'd all be in drought. It is the thousands of little streams running throughout the land that are quietly providing the life giving water.
In no way diminishing the role of the large church, if we were to remove it from our land ,or consider it useless, our country would dry up for lack of living water!
God used a little band of Israelites to get the job done in Gideon's day. He can use a small church to get the Job done today as well. What happens in the smaller congregations across our land is not hokey! Small numbers are not insignificant by God's reckoning!
II. Small Numbers Can Sometimes Be More Effective.
I think every small church shares the dream of someday being large, having a weighty effect on the community around it, seeing great numbers of people praising Christ. I think to lose that dream would render us much less effective, spiritually lazy. God has not entrusted us with His precious gospel to hide under the bushel of our exclusiveness or narrow mindedness.
But neither must we feel that if, after the best of our efforts, we have not yet arrived at that place we have been shooting for, we are somehow useless.
A few years ago I had to do a little plumbing in our house, and I was working under the kitchen sink. There was some copper tubing that needed to be cut, so I got a cutter and went to work. But the tool was too big for that job! I had to go out and get a smaller one, one that fit in the space.
The large tool was effective as long as the space was big enough. It couldn't do what the small one could, though. I needed both.
In this story of Gideon, God had a job to do that could only be done by the smaller group of people. He wanted to show His power apart from any hint of human strength. So He reached for Gideon's little band of men. They were just the right size for the job.
There are strengths and weaknesses inherent in both small and large churches. The wise church will give up its envy and comparing and concentrate on its strengths, seeking out those areas of service where it is uniquely qualified.
For instance, in a large church there is usually a multiple staff of paid workers, people who can be available full time for specific ministries. There is usually a larger cash flow so that things that cost money aren't as formidable. Since those who are active in leading the worship services are skimmed from a much greater talent base, often the appeal of the worship services to visitors is greater. Many large churches have to chose their music leaders from among a number of professional musicians. In a smaller church there may not be any professionals. The morale in the congregation is perhaps a little easier to maintain when there are 1000 people than when there are 50. (If 25 people move away from the larger congregation, it may not even be noticed. To the smaller congregation of 100 people, it is a major loss.)
Should we conclude, that since a smaller church cannot do all these things as well, there is no place for it? Not at all! Here are some of the strengths of the smaller group of people: The degree of closeness and family atmosphere is usually better in the small church (It's easier to get to know 75 than 750!) There is usually a greater accountability in a smaller congregation. When somebody gets off course, people know it and can help. In the larger church, it is much easier to overlook that sort of thing. Also, it is probably true that more leaders per capita come out of smaller churches, since people in the larger circumstances might never come forward to serve, thinking that they are outclassed or that there are no places of service. There are usually more people involved in the work per capita in the smaller church (it has to be that way or you accomplish nothing). It is much easier to make quick decisions in the smaller group. Sometimes, since smaller churches may be located in smaller communities, their leaders enjoy a greater proportionate degree of influence on moral issues.
You see, the foot cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you." The larger church cannot say to the smaller, "I have no need of you." Wherever people are gathered in the name of Jesus and striving to do His will, they are significant.
III. Numbers Don't Tell The Whole Story.
Notice verse 4a: "I will test them for you there."
In this story, God sent the ones home who didn't really mean business. "All that glitters is not gold," goes the old saying. It reminds me of the passage in I Corinthians that says nearly the same thing.
(Read I Cor. 3:10-15)
The bottom line is not height or width of our "building," nor is it the volume of materials. It is what remains after the bad times have burned over us and real faith has been tested.
Jesus once had great multitudes who followed Him. But when He quit feeding them and spelled out the cost of discipleship, do you know how many kept following? Twelve.
I'm not saying here that we indulge in the old excuse, "We want quality, that's why we don't reach out." Small is not necessarily holy. But my point in this lesson is that neither is large!
Something to note as you consider these things is the difference between growing and swelling. Some churches are large only because of people moving from other congregations to either take jobs in the larger city or get in on the apparent "action" of the larger church. That may feed egos but it doesn't feed the true growth of the kingdom Of God.
Again, I don't mean this message to be a put down of larger churches. We all want to see the Lord's church grow, and I rejoice wherever it has and that growth had resulted in big numbers. I'm merely trying to get the point across that God doesn't look at things with the same mega-mindset, colossal complex as our present generation. People still must be won to Him one at a time. There are no shortcuts. What counts in church growth is what is going on out there on the cutting edge where the church meets the unsaved world, not the rearrangement of the body.
Conclusion
When we read about the church in the Bible, it is encouraging to read about the church in Jerusalem. The 3000 on Pentecost. The 5000. The multitude. But after Acts 8, when the Christians moved out of that pool of highly prepared people, we begin to read about churches that were so small they met in individual homes. When we read about those churches, there is not a hint of God's disapproval. The Apostles made no excuses for them. They were just as valid as anything else going on in the Kingdom. Just like these 300 men in Gideon's day. There should be no flinching and no apology needed. We are all a part of God's work as long as we remain faithful to Him. We will continue to add to His kingdom whether it is visible to human eyes or not. That is our calling. That is our goal.
There is a tree that grows on the extreme edge of the timberline on the side of a steep mountain. Its roots go deep and spread out widely over a large area. It should be tall, perhaps a hundred feet, but it is only nine feet tall. The reason is found in the place where God has caused it to grow. Far above the area of heavy topsoil that supports the 100 footers in the valley below, it must struggle daily for existence. Beneath its lean and twisted branches, a whole community of life is gathered. It's roots hold just enough topsoil to sustain their growth and prevent erosion from eliminating their existence.
No. The logging companies will never compete for its wood. Few will ever even realize that it is there. But it plays a significant part in the overall ecosystem of its world. The humus that develops beneath its branches washes into the valley below to add to the life sustaining forests of the world.
Praise God for the hundred footers! But praise Him too, for the nine footers on the hillside!
