Faces on Faith: Sanibel Island has a new Baptist Church
I’ve not visited the new Baptist church on Sanibel yet, (there is a bit of a scheduling conflict to do so), but I hope to soon.
Years ago I was involved in a new church start in a community in Missouri. It is very rewarding and excitingbut also very challenging.
Here is the response we often got when we told folks we were starting a new church: “Why does this town need another church?”
Great question, but I think it equally has some great answers. The church in America has been in decline for several years now. There are fewer churches per capita in America right now than any time in our history. There is definitely room to grow.
New churches attract folks that established churches will not. Because they are new, sometimes folks will come just out of curiosity. We saw that a lot. The cool thing isthey came out of curiosity and discovered something wonderfula loving community of faith.
New churches typically are more welcoming. We always knew when we had a visitor, and we were attentive to those among us who were new. Established churches can easily become ingrownand even cliquish if not careful.
New churches typically are more intentional to reach out to the unchurched. We weren’t interested in moving sheep from one barn to another barn. We wanted to see the lost sheep find a way home. That generally is at the heart of a new church start.
According to the Journal for Scientific Study of Religion, on any given weekend, 17.7 percent of Americans are participating in worship. I’m not a whiz at math, but I think that says that typically 82.3 percent, then, are doing something else.
New churches enrich our diversity, but affirm our unity as we share in a common work. Just as Israel in the Old Testament was “one people” yet had 12 distinct tribes, with differing characteristics (even different flags), so the Christian church today is many tribesyet One Lord Jesus Christ.
If a new restaurant comes to Sanibel, it is in competition with the other restaurants, and someone might aptly say, “Does Sanibel really need a new restaurant?” But when a new church comes to Sanibel, the other churches celebrate the expansion of opportunity for people to connect not only with the living God, but with the loving community of His followers.
-Dr. Daryl G. Donovan, Sr. Pastor, Sanibel Community Church