If you are in a small to medium sized town…this short POST is a must read by Kent Shaffer.

Kent describes (for any size church) why we should not “mimic” other churches, but seek to understand why something is “successful” in one context and try to apply that to our context.

Early on at New Hope, we learned to do this very well. We always took the PRINCIPAL, not the FINE POINTS of any idea or opportunity (though the fine points many times DID work in our ministry as well). Watching those who had GONE BEFORE us on the sometimes LONG and LONELY ROAD of both success and failure was one of the primary reasons I believe we have had IMPACT in our context.

This is why THE STICKS excites me. We are going to be talking specifically about OUR CONTEXTS in small to medium sized towns and I have heard VERY LITTLE about that in my few years of pastoral leadership.

The dialogue, networking and Lord-willing, YEAR to YEAR refinement as we gather will be an amazing voice for the rest of us who can through God’s power MAKE BIG IMPACTS in SMALL PLACES. (By the way…we only have 400 spots available…and when they are gone, they are really gone…so don’t wait.)

“Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14–esv)

blessings and peace!
pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldbeere/2331817330/