Do You Serve In A Small Church? We See You, And You Matter

You may feel alone, but you're not. You're seen, loved and appreciated.

Bernie Harding

Today's article was written by Bernie Harding, the community pastor of Peel Elim Community Church, where her husband is the pastor. Peel is a town of 6,000 people on the Isle of Man. Bernie is responsible for running the community centre, kids church, some evangelism projects, bible studies … “a bit of everything, as you will know is the way in small churches.”

The Faithful Member

I see you, small church people.

I see you when you serve in a small, unnoticed church.

I see you encouraging your pastor with a smile when yet another one bites the dust.

I see you who turn up to serve week-in week-out because there isn’t a kids’ church team, you are the kids’ church team.

I see you investing in kids’ lives and discipling them in their walks with God.

I see you mums and dads who bring your babies along when there’s no crèche (nursery) so you spend the whole meeting in a room on your own with the baby, thinking “should I have just stayed home?”

I see you getting up and out of the house to be at God’s house.

The Pastor’s Family

I see you pastors who put as much time into preparing a message for 20 people as someone who is preaching to 2,000 people.

I see you putting the chairs out.

I see you pastors’ kids who are sometimes the only kids at church.

I see you carrying a weight that you didn’t choose but doing it so willingly.

I see you pastors’ spouses who carry as much of the load as the pastor, and there is nobody else around who you feel understands.

I see you, and I understand.

There For Each Other

I see you faithful people who always have your pastor’s back.

I see you trying to hide confusion with a nod when the pastor announces his latest idea.

I see you, and I am so thankful for you.

And more importantly, God sees you.

Keep going.

Copyright © 2019 by the author or Christianity Today.