At our luncheon in January I was asked about the churches, mainly the size, that Bo and I have served in before coming to First Presbyterian Church in Punta Gorda. We served on staff at three previous churches. We began at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, which was about 3500, then Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian in St. Louis, which was about 2000, and then Wildwood Presbyterian Church, which was about 1000. “So why would you come to a church of about 100?”

The simple answer is we sensed a call from God, but there was also the power of the smaller church that attracted us. The power? Yes! Some statistics suggest that about a billion Christians attend church with membership over 350, and about a billion Christians attend church with less than 350 attendees. Basically, half of the Christians in the world are choosing to Worship and unite with smaller churches. God is using the small church in His plan of evangelism. In all those churches we served, we would spend time in staff meetings, and even retreats, dedicated to how to make our church feel smaller. How to make the mega-church feel smaller! They had every conceivable program imaginable to meet people where they live. I’m not bashing the large church, they provide things that are very needed. Yet, they were missing something vital – smallness.

Community — When you come into this church there is a sense of friendliness, of warmth, of community, of caring that you are there. That is not something to take for granted. While Bo and I were waiting on God to provide the next call, we took advantage of the time and visited quite a few churches. (That is not something that a pastor normally gets to do.) Some churches were welcoming, but many were not, we just slipped in and worshiped and slipped out. As I watch the greeting time in our service, the fellowship after the service, there is a real sense of caring for one another in this congregation. That is to be celebrated.

Relationships — I will have to admit that the ‘seasonal’ resident is a dynamic that I need to learn about. But even so, the relationships when these members started coming back, felt like a family reunion. Even when spread apart geographically, there are real relationships in this body that continue. It is a family.  That is also to be celebrated.

So, I get asked, “What is the vision?” “What are the changes that are coming?” “Where do we go from here?” We are a good church, with a long history of ministry in this community. We have a body of believers that are unified and excited about the future. So, how do we capitalize on our past and become a better church? A great church? And a great church has nothing to do with numbers. It has nothing to do with trying to look like a smaller version of a big church. It has to do with understanding its unique role in the Kingdom. We want to ask questions like, “Why did God put First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Taylor and Airport Roads?”, “If we ceased to exist, would our community notice?”, “What are the gifts, talents, dreams of the members of our church?”

Our first year here we are getting to know one another, trying to figure out the answers to these questions, (or maybe just letting me catch up to the rest of y’all). But, I want us to pray, dream, and expect that God is going to do great things through First Presbyterian Church for His glory in the years to come.

Let’s start dreaming…..