Remember the prophets

This post is from the defunct blog “Dying Church”

I just started reading Reclaiming God's Original Intent for the Church. Some good thoughts in the first chapter, which compares Haggai and Jeremiah. People listened to Haggai; his ministry was well-received; things got done. In contrast, Jeremiah was rejected and opposed, and had little to show for his ministry. The authors ask, "Can Jeremiah's ministry be a model of success?"

Is something wrong with smaller churches remaining small? Is something incorrect if budgets don't significantly increase from year to year? Is something improper if we're content with the facilities we currently own?

They continue:

If we're honest, we'll admit that much of the motivation that drives us to be "bigger and better" is what the Bible calls selfish ambition… God called both Haggai and Jeremiah. Both remained faithful to God's calling, and both served the same Lord. Whether your ministry is more like Haggai's or Jeremiah's is really the choice of God. It's his calling.