Piperton UMC is my new church home. I was appointed here in June. The past few months have been the usual exercises in unpacking boxes, replacing lost or broken items from the move, and getting to know my new church family.
One of the reasons I was sent here is because of the demographic explosion that Piperton, TN is facing. We have a ripe opportunity to reach a large segment of the population of Fayette county over the next few years as the western edge of the county experiences growth of over 50% in the next two years.
Rather than just diving in, I’ve taken a few months to press and prod the folks at Piperton UMC. I have found that they are not the usual mix of church folks. Many small churches have an overwhelming majority of people who don’t want anything to change. The vast majority of folks at Piperton are ready to find new ways to do the old things.
The key for success, in my opinion, is to nail down those old things in terms that are clear and unmistakeable. In traditional terms, most small churches want “revival” and long for the days when people would rush the altar at the end of a service. Truth be told, most would admit that the crowded chancel rail was never all that crowded.
In more contemporary terms, we will be aiming for authentic evangelism. Put simply, we’re going to be making friends with folks, then introducing our new friends to the “friend we have in Jesus.” Since a physical introduction to the historical Jesus is impractical, we’ll be doing that by studying his teachings and sharing stories of his impact on our lives.
That’s not so new, is it?
Foundational to our efforts are the strategies that have been outlined in several other churches, including the early Christians in the Acts account.
- Meaningful Worship
- Authentic Evangelism
- Challenging Service
- Accountable Discipleship
- Christian Fellowship
Part of what I’ll be journaling about will be our successes and failures in these areas. If we do these well, I’m convinced that we’ll meet need, make disciples, and increase the Kingdom. If we fail to implement these strategies, then there won’t be much to write about.
Recent Comments