Lamenting Pluto's Demotion

For all of you, who like me, pull for the small guy, this is truly a sad day. Pluto has lost planet status. For everyone who cheered Charlie Brown on to victory, lamented Beetle Bailey's eternal consignment to PFC, or even attended at UTC football game in hopes of a victory; this is just another burden we must bear. Bigger is not always better. Better is better. How can you strip a planet of it's status after all these years. How will Pluto face the other planets now as their paths draw within light years of one another in their eliptical orbits around the sun. I may be able to relate more than most with this recently "de-frocked" planet.

I was once the pastor of the smallest church in Chattanooga. There were weeks where my family and one or two others were the only people present at Wednesday night Bible study. There were Sundays when our entire attendance was smaller than the average adult Sunday School class in the church down the street. But we were a group of believers that knew God could use us for His purposes no matter what our size. Bigger is not better. Better is better. We challenged each other to reach our community in positive ways, place Biblical authority over tradition, establish and live by an overall vision satement "we exist to be a beacon of hope." And slowly but surely, we began to grow. It seemed God was all over this place called Dallas Bay. After a couple of years we were still small, but we weren't the smallest. Some of the same pastors that I had turned to when I was discouraged were now coming to me to ask the secret of our expanding ministry. My answer then is the same answer I give today; A church is a living thing. Living things need to be healthy to grow, so don't emphasize growth, nurture the health of your church and growth will come.

I met with some pastors just yesterday. I suppose if we used the same criteria that "all-knowing" scientists used to strip Pluto of planet status we would have to assign another name to their small churches as well. Maybe "near-churches" or "want-to-be" churches or "mini" churches would be appropriate. These guys have a burning desire to reach this culture for Christ and they're willing to start small. Small churches aren't bad, only small dreams. So hang in there Plutonians, we will rise again. And someday Charlie Brown will kick that football, and Beetle will rise in the ranks, and the Mocs will prevail, someday. Until then, keep dreaming big, because we serve a big God.
In His Shadow,
Pastor Ken