CHCH...what's missing? UR

I have come to realize that their are two existing realities in North America in regards to the church. The first reality is the church plant and the second reality is the small town church. I am choosing to ignore the stereotypes of both of these groups in this blog so that I might be able to connect the two in a healthy way.

When approaching a church planter we will find someone who is a risk taker. Someone who loves people and someone who sees a need in a certain city or town for Jesus to become renewed and relived out. We find the church planters work in teams so that they will be encouraged through the tough process. Often we have church planters who plant in towns where you could easily turn around and spit and hit another church. Church planters use technology and marketing to reach people.

When approaching a small town church we will often find earnest, seeking people who long for their friends, neighbors, and loved ones to get the big picture. We find the pastor who is a scripture teacher, a hospital visitor, and a lone ranger. Often the pastor is lonely and doesn't connect well with the congregation in regards to his own spiritual accountability. Small town churches have history with every church in the town and usually that history is not positive. The small town church is almost always behind the times in regards to technology and marketing.

So, how do we combine these two movements?

I think the reality is that church planting needs to look different in small towns. I think it is necessary and I truly believe if the church in small towns needs church planting or it will shrivel up and die. I also truly believe that the church planting world needs the small town churches or they will lose the humanity behind their movement.

I think we combine these movements by the church planting world recognizing it needs to transform into something different to meet the needs of the small church.

This needs to look like directed and intentional small groups. Small churches attract people from different towns and the church planter needs to capitalize these people and to train them to reproduce small groups in their own towns.

Through this small church have the potential to grow and church planting has the potential to attack a new challenge, and God has a chance to move.