One of the unique opportunities I have enjoyed over the past three months as I have served the Hephzibah and Kilpatrick Baptist Associations is the opportunity to be in different congregations week after week. One thing that I am learning to appreciate is the uniqueness of each congregation. Just as every person is created by God and is unique, so also it seems that each church has a wonderful uniqueness about it. We are all quite aware that sometimes we, as humans, do not always appreciate our uniqueness. Sometimes we’d much rather have someone else’s looks or talents and abilities rather than our own. We also know that we can never maximize our potential as individuals until we learn to accept ourselves as God has created us and use the gifts and abilities that He has given to us to His glory. I believe the same thing is true of the local church.
Each church is unique in its temperament, gifts and specific mission. The small church and the large church are alike created by God and are called to use their God given gifts and abilities in His kingdom work. Through the years I have observed far too many churches that are more focused on what they do not have and what they cannot do than on the gifts that God has given them and what He can do through them. They have looked down on themselves because of the relative smallness of their congregation or their apparent lack of gifts or resources. Such a church fails to recognize the gifts of God has given them and thereby squanders the stewardship entrusted to it and will never accomplish its kingdom mission. As I have the opportunity to observe both large and small churches in our association I have seen that many are faithfully using the gifts and abilities that God has given to them. It is my hope is that every church will use its unique abilities and gifts to accomplish the specific kingdom mission that God has given it to His glory!
Tim Batchelor