I know, I know… if you’re a youth pastor or a pastor at one of the vast majority of churches in America that serve less than a couple hundred people on a weekend… you’re already tired of reading and hearing about it. Every conference you go to and all the books you read feature the rock star pastors from churches so much different than yours… you find yourself saying, Bah, I don’t have the budget… the volunteers… the staff… the space… the equipment… the resources… the time… to do ministry like they do. And you’re probably right.
So when Outreach Magazine recently published its lists of the 100 largest churches in America, and the 100 fastest growing churches in America, I didn’t pick it up either… at first.
And then… curiosity got the best of me. And in a quick flip through the magazine, I began to realize that these are not just megachurches… they are somebody’s home churches. And they are churches a lot like ours, with youth groups and budget problems too. They are trying to do ministry in their own contexts—just like we are. But they’re bigger. A lot bigger.
But maybe, just maybe, instead of just standing wide-eyed at their enormity, we should ask ourselves, What could I learn from them?
Over the past couple of years, I’ve gotten to know a handful of people who serve as pastors and youth pastors at some of these churches, and have been able to partner with them during some of our retreats here… and during those moments, here’s what I’ve learned from them:
Passion matters.
These men and women are passionate about the ministries God has given them, the people they serve, and the staff and volunteers who work shoulder-to-shoulder with them every day. They are passionate about doing ministry with excellence, about seeing lives changed, and about serving people in their communities (outside the church walls). They are passionate about their families, their children, and their personal health and well-being.
And they are passionate about God… not last, but first. And that passion drives all the rest.
You can be deep and wide.
One of the most common “concerns” I hear about large(r) churches is that they are a thousand miles wide and an inch deep. I’ve found this to not be true. It may be true of the experience of outsiders, but some of the godliest people I know worship and serve at the heart of some of the largest churches there are.
I see it like a lake: shallow on the shore where the water meets the sand and everyone comes to dip their toes and take pictures of the sunset, but deep in the middle where only the most committed dare to swim. These churches are ok with the shore, because they know that in order to swim in the deep water, you’ve got to enter from somewhere.
Pastors are people too.
Even pastors of very large churches.