I read an article the other day (I believe it was from Seth Muse but I cannot find the link. When I do I’ll update this post) and it made sense to me, in fact, it was somtihng I was tihnking for a while and did not know the best way to articulate. So after reading I felt the need to write something more. Not that my words are any better or more eloquent than Mr. Muse, I just wanted to put in my two-cents of agreement.
The article basically discuss a “keep up with the Jones'” but for the church. Not every church is a mega-church. Not every church is in a rual area with only thirty members. Neither is better than the other, they’re just different. I feel the same way about the differences on living in Ghana vs. America. I get this question qutie frequently and answer it the same way; it’s not that one is better than the other, they are just different. That is the beautiy of God’s world and the diversity of the world we live in. I felt the same for churches. One is not better than the other, they are just different.
Now you may be saying to yourself, “Well, Mike, theologically…” I don’t really care. I know there are bad theologies and teachings out there. We all do and we all generally know who they are. I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about your run-of-the-mill mega church or rural church and everything in between. I’ve found myself in Ghana with our church feeling over the last 5 years or so that I needed to keep up with the American churches. The truth is that I don’t need to. We’re a different culutral context, envoritnoment and situation. While we’re an international church the majority of our congregants are Ghanian and cultrually that is who we are reaching.
Thankfully, our church is growing year to year so we’ve found ourselves having to blow out some walls, literally, to expand the main hall and compeltely re-organize our wiring systems for AV. It’s a task and a half but doable. That aside, when it comes to our social media, we’ve not been too consistent. I personally take that fault and own it. I know it. However, we have tired to hire people to handle this, it never went well and would always fall back to me. I’m not complaining, these are just facts. Then it occured to me one weekend that we dont ahve the be the best at social media. We dont‘ ahve to have all the bells and whistles. It’s OK. Really.
In that moment I felt relieved, and free to be whatever we needed on social when we needed it. I think a lot of the pressure is that I am currently stateside but looking to return this year full time again (a tall order with a wife and three kids in tow). So, to you, the small rural church, BE YOU. Feel free to be you on social. If your graphics are not the best, who cares, be you. Find stories and use them. Or don’t. Or don’t use social at all…sometimes I say crazy things. For real though, be you. God has designed every church unique just as He has designed every person unique. One size strategy does not fit all. Nor should it. There is no end all, be all, formula for social. It’s ever evolving and changing (which I find maddening but a good challege at the same time). Be you. Love God. Love Others. Preach the Gospel.
