Category: Churches I have learned from

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Church Growth as Stewardship

Providence Church was honored to bring in 46 new members yesterday. We don’t treat these new members like a badge of honor for meeting our annual quota. Quotas be damned! There are blessings for growth to which any congregation must steward well.

We can’t live in the romantic era wishing things remained neat and tidy because romanticism is a subtle form of deception. The parents with five children who long for the good ol’ days of one child are likely failing to handle the present by longing for the past.

Growth can be a sign of health, but if not carefully shepherded, it can be the first real feature of compromise. Like all our members, these new members are aware that to be a formal member means that they are formal representatives of a body. This means that they must take Paul’s words seriously to avoid a quarrelsome spirit, seek the unity of the body, commit to the church’s doctrine and life, and avoid the all-encompassing expressive individualism of our day.

We are also quite aware that there will always be growth areas for parishioners and pastors, but these areas of sanctification occur within an established paradigm of commonality, which does not mean “precise agreement” but general and charitable agreement on the trajectory of our congregation as a local body, and a body within the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches.

Pray for us because we pray for many of you (within and outside the CREC) in Escambia County and around the globe.

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Brotherhood, Community, and Doxology

brown wooden church bench near white painted wall

Communities are composed of people trying awkwardly to understand the extent of our responsibility for those around us. It does not flow as neatly as we often expect. Communities are filled with sinful people whose aim is often between glorifying God and themselves. Pride and doxology are conflicting visions within, but the true community works through these conflicting visions, seeking the Triune God’s glory above all.

Community life is the life lived out throughout the week; the response of God’s people to one another. It’s not our response to self, but to one another pursuing one another in the ordinary life of the Church.

This theme was abundantly illustrated in the temple in the Old Testament, which was considered a place of feasting. In I Kings 9, when Solomon’s temple was completed, the people rejoiced. They dedicated the temple to God by feasting for several days.

After Sabbath worship, the people went out and gave thanks to God together as a body. They celebrated with one another with feasts, hospitality, and charity. Then, they went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things Yahweh had done for Israel (I Kings 8:66).

The life of community was summarized by feasting. They worked together and then they rejoiced together. It was all covered under the virtue of love expressed in Leviticus 19 and we may even argue that the dominion mandate was a mandate of love as well. The laws of love in the community are not a New Testament invention; they were established long ago.

The language Paul uses to describe community in I Corinthians refers to the Church as a community of brothers and sisters. He uses “adelphos” which appears 28 times; a term used for blood relatives in the first century. Paul puts us in one house together.

He goes on to command us to “edify” one another. To edify is an architectural term. It comes from “edifice.” Everything goes back to God’s building work on earth. God is building his temple/house, so you build/edify one another.

Communities are formed in the working and loving, and living together. It is often fractured amid the work, but faithfulness pursues the glory of God above earthly disputes and differences. It sees brotherhood as more central in the building of the edifice than the differences in the building strategies of the edifice.

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Why the Communion of Reformed and Evangelical Churches?

Our congregation is hosting Athanasius Presbytery here in Pensacola, Fl. for the next two days, so it seems appropriate to speak of our happy communion and what basic principles hold us together.

I have been shepherding a congregation in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches for over 14 years. It is the only world I have known as an ordained minister. And while my pastoral life engages folks from various Reformational and non-Reformational worlds, the CREC is the place I call home.

My mentor, John Frame, speaks of the necessary nature of denominations. While he demurs the idea, he understands that it is inescapable since the question of denominations is preceded by the question, “Where should I go to church?”

The matter of attending church is not disputed in the New Testament. In fact, to be in a church is to be in a denomination. As Frame rightly notes, ” Even ‘nondenominational’ churches are actually denominations of one.”

He poses a series of questions to consider as you seek to join a church/denomination. I want to offer my answers to his questions, which have only aided my affection for my present tribe. These reflect, of course, the body of believers in Pensacola and are not meant as exhaustive but can be broadly applied to the denomination.

~~

Does the church uphold the basic teachings of Christianity (as in the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds)?

Answer: Without a doubt. We are committed to the Creeds of the Church and dare not stray from its premise. To be disconnected from the Creeds is to be disconnected from Church history and to spurn the faith once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

Is the church committed to the authority and inerrancy of Scripture?

Answer: Without a doubt. We affirm the centrality of the Scriptures to shape our liturgy and life, our history and holiness, and our politics and polity. The Word of God cannot be broken (John 10:35).

Does the preaching of the church fairly represent the teachings of Scripture (as you understand them, of course!) and apply them to the lives of its people?

Answer: Without a doubt. The preaching of the Word of God is made plain and applicable to the people of God, offering them a framework to interpret the world around them.

Does it administer the sacraments in a biblical way?

Answer: Without a doubt. In our tradition, the Lord’s Supper is administered weekly, and baptisms occur as often as the needs arise:

“Baptism with water in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is a sign and seal of the covenant of grace or his engrafting into Christ to walk in newness of life. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Christ and His death through the sacred use of bread and wine and is to be observed by the Church until the end of the world.”

-From our Statement of Faith at Providence Church.

Does the worship glorify God? Does it edify the worshipers?

Answer: Without a doubt. Our liturgy exalts the Triune God to a place of prominence in our worship and warfare against principalities and powers. We believe the congregation is edified as they participate in the holy liturgy.

Does the church encourage and provide good opportunities for fellowship among the people? Does that fellowship convey the love of Christ?

Answer: Without a doubt. Our churches offer organic and prepared occasions to increase fellowship, learning, and love among the people. We believe that in the communion of God’s people, the saints find strength and a holy desire to pursue the good of the other.

Does the church reach out to bring the good news of Christ to the unchurched people of the area?

Answer: Without a doubt. We support various mission works at home and abroad, and we are committed to seeing the Great Commission fulfilled in history.

Does the church display the love of Christ to the poor and needy of the area?

Answer: Without a doubt. We have generous, benevolent funds to care for the needs of the poor and needy in our community.

Does the church stand for righteousness and against wickedness within its membership and throughout society?

Answer: Without a doubt. Providence Church reflects the general trajectory of the CREC to stand up for righteousness in the family, church, and state. This includes–but is not limited to–prayers of imprecations against the wicked, political statements against evil policies, encouragement for faithfulness in every sphere, and the fundamental call to worship, which is indispensable in the establishment of Christendom.

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Should I Consider Moving to Find a Good Church?

Dear friend,

I will take your question and join it with several other similar ones I have received. Let me try to summarize it:

You are wondering whether it would be fruitful to move away from your location to find a suitable church for you and your family.

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I addressed a similar question in the Summer 2022 magazine article for the FLF (see link in the comment section). Back then, there were geographical movements taking place a few months before Roe was overturned. When abortion laws were reverted to the states, these movements came to pass. In fact, my own state of Florida grew 1.9% between 2021-2022. It turns out people don’t like oppressive regimes, or they can tolerate it only for some time. COVID was a step too far for Newsom and company. Nevertheless, these are political movements that are inevitably tied to religious concerns.

With that in mind, I’d like to offer a half-hearted mea culpa. Some years ago, I publicly stated in a conference that I think it is unwise for a family to drive an hour to a church when they are passing so many others on the way–some of which have alignments theologically. I asserted this because I wanted families to enjoy the benefits of local community life. I can attest as a minister that it is always more challenging for families that live farther to engage in healthy community feasts. But at the time, I think I was considering only some of the facts. I stand by my assertion to a certain extent, but 10 years later, my perspective has changed dramatically. This is not because my theological convictions changed but because my sense of the times has changed.

I have met many families over the years who lived solitary lives in faraway lands and refused to move because of a sense of belonging. They did not want to consider another place to live because they had built their lives there, and that is where they would end up. Now, my localism bona fides are abundant, and I can offer some mild claps to this sentiment. But here is where my concerns arise: these families come to me years later, saddened that they did not provide a suitable environment for their kids ecclesiastically or educationally. Then, their children begin to take independent routes to different and unhealthy paths. If there is one thing that is more important than localist sentimentality, it’s familial health.

If you were a single person, I’d make haste. But as a father of a family, there are some things to contemplate, and here are at least three areas to ponder:

First, theological harmony is more important than sentimental concerns. Of course, if you lack convictions about what is happening in our day, then staying makes sense. But if you feel strongly about what trajectory you wish to inculcate in your kids, then this consideration is deeply important.

Suppose you are a good Calvinist and you have strong convictions against the woke-suited remonstrance in the public square, and further, you want to preserve the teachings of dad and mom at home, but your local Anglican parish smirks at Calvinism, flirts with Russell Moore and pride in their diverse political opinions, what do you do? If you work remotely and have found a conservative Anglican parish in the state next door, then your duty is to open the possibility of a move. Strategize with your wife about what that would look like. Call the minister. Make a trip to the town, and then plan what a move would look like in the next six months.

Second, this is not a time for passivity. Don’t be that father waiting for the right time to become comfortably numb. If you need to be in a physical office and have financial security, but your family is dying spiritually, sometimes that may mean driving an hour to another church. It may mean planning your Sundays more carefully.

I know families that drive 90 minutes to church every Sunday and plan to stay the entire day (sometimes, they make arrangements to drive Saturday). Of course, moving closer is ideal, but the ideal is only sometimes readily available. Church leaders in that community can help you find ways to make your Sundays an accommodating experience. I believe your family will benefit from these additional efforts. Don’t settle for crumbs.

Finally, remember that this is a long-term game. I can see scenarios where it may be right for you to stay put. And, wherever you go, there will be adjustments you will need to make. The only perfect church is in session right now at the throneroom of heaven. But the end goal is 20-30 years down the road. Of course, should you make a move to your preferred state and preferred community, everything could go wrong. But if you stay to endure because of a martyr-complex or sentimental reasons while your children and wife fade spiritually and communally, then there is a certainty that everything will go wrong.

These are covenantal investments. The times are such that difficult decisions need to be made, and I encourage you to contemplate them. Of course, there are exceptions and footnotes to this conversation, but I trust these help you begin to think about your question.

Many cheers,

Pastor Brito