"You can tell how popular the pastor is by how many people show up on Sunday morning.
You can tell how popular the church is by how many people show up on Sunday night.
You can tell how popular Jesus is by how many people show up at prayer meeting."
This is an old adage from church leadership from a while back. Someone should be due this quote and usually it holds true...BUT...not at Bay West last Sunday. Why? Because we experienced our largest total in the worship service for 2010, but there was one thing missing...the campus pastor, ME!
Some guys might be a little sad and while I guess I was disappointed that I couldn't experience it with you, the first thing for me was to let out a "YES!"...on the inside, because Matt texted me the total while I was in church in Arlington, TX. (and yes, I checked the text message...couldn't wait so I did it during the "welcome" time at the Church on Rush Creek, where Katye and I attended on Sunday). That's exactly what I want to see in our campus and church, a body that comes because of a love for Christ and not a love for a particular leader or anything.
Some accepted thoughts that I've enjoyed seeing fall so far as well...
"You can't grow a church in Palm Bay, for some reason." - God's proving that wrong.
"You can't grow a church without the cherry location." - While we love our school, we are out on the outskirts of east buddha..as we say in Bama)
"You need a lot of experience to get it done." campus pastor - 1st timer, worship leader - 1st timer, children's leader - 1st timer and MANY of our leaders are taking on their first shot at both their responsibilities AND being a portable church. God has brought the wisdom.
"People over a certain age won't attend a portable church..." - WRONG
"People over a certain age won't attend if you don't ________ {insert church tradition here}" - God proves that wrong every Sunday.
What I've enjoyed seeing is that our services at Bay West are LARGELY ageless...one of the most diverse churches generationally I've been around.
Some popular stereotypes about church I'd like to continue to see broken...
"Americans are too lazy and self-absorbed to give and serve sacrificially."
"Churches only care more about what goes on inside their walls than what goes on outside their walls."
Please don't see this as "pride", because our people only go as far as our God moves us and sustains us and guides us. If we give in to God and His leading, all these things and many more restrictions can be broken because God is limitless...He does whatever He wishes.
That's the lesson here...if you submit to God, the limits that you thought were there, probably won't be and you'll live a life that is bound only by the limits that God, not man, puts on it.
Please pray for us as we continue to try to submit to God's leading and be the church in Palm Bay for Christ that He wants at Bay West Church.
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