Torch, Spring 1984

l I barn. The women sat on the rough boards that served as pews; the men enjoyed the comfort of the hay. Several that week were converted as the Lord added to His church. During the next five years the church met in various places including barns, meeting houses, and the old Topliff Mill. It was not until 1850 when Major Williams LaRue donated a plot of ground near the center of town that the little body of believers had a permanent location. The first building erected was a 24' x 46' one-room structure. The cost was $1,800. Twenty-seven years later the original building was tom down and a new one-room church with a small balcony was built at the then enormous cost of $6,500. This building continues to be the main sanctuary today. It is interesting to note that the church and the town started almost simuitaneously. It is sad, however, that over the years the population of the town has been much more stable than the church attendance. I have been told that the 1880 population of the city of LaRue was 865, while the 1980 count was 860 . However, during this time period the church has been going on one long roller coaster ride, fluctuating from 15 to 20 some years to 60 or 70 in others. In the 138 year history of the church there has been an average of one new pastor every three years. One pastor was dismissed because of the slovenly way his wife kept the parsonage. Another pastor with phlebitis was told that unless his wife preached during his three weeks of illness he would not be paid. Yet, in spite of the church's difficulties, God kept alive a gospel witness in the small town of LaRue. After graduation from Cedarville College in June of 1980, I accepted the pastorate of the LaRue Baptist Church. The first Sunday morning service I spoke to 19; that evening 13 were in attendance. Now, three years later we average in the 150's in the morning and 100 to 120 in the evenings. God has also enabled us to build two additions to the old structure. The first addition provided inside plumbing for the first time, a kitchen, and Sunday school rooms. The second addition is much larger and further enhances the ministry. The church has grown in such a way that even the most optimistic have been amazed . Being very young and inexperienced, I committed myself and the great majority of my time and labors to that which is of utmost importance for a New Testament pastor, namely, to diligently toil in the preparation and delivery of sound exegetical messages and to take the matter of prayer seriously. Everything has taken second place to these vital areas. I believe Paul's great concern for those to whom he wrote was that they might increase in knowledge and understanding. Hosea writes, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. In a small church it is very tempting for a pastor to be spread so thin that he does nothing well . It is extremely easy for a small church pastor to have so many responsibilities that the most vital ones could lose their significance . When this happens, no matter how smoothly the program may be running, the entire church suffers. I have always feared being one of those pastors who runs around spending all his time on everything except diligent Bible study and prayer. I am very thankful to the people ofLaRue Baptist who also recognize this and have taken on responsibilities so that I may have adequate time to prepare messages and to do the pastoral work to which God has called me. When considering a small church ministry, it is very important to understand that there is a great deal of difference between a small church and a small town, small church. Now when I say small town, I mean any town with fewer than two gas stations. In such a place a church generally has people who are a lot alike. They come from similar · backgrounds in education, occupation, and lifestyle. In a small city church there is a variety of people from various backgrounds. Sometimes small town, small church people can have feelings of inferiority towards the people of the large city church. Because of today's "big number" mentality , small town church people may conclude that somehow God is not quite as concerned with them as He is with the people in a big church. Because of this, it is tempting for a small town church to accept mediocrity and to be content with little or no development in any aspect of church life. Then it is easier for a small town church to perish because of lack of vision for what God can do among them. There are some distinct advantages in a small town, small church ministry. In a small town it is very common to have only one church which preaches the Bible . As in Corinth, God's people will hear His voice in the Scriptures and, as sheep, come to where the food is. Another advantage to a small town ministry is that for the most part everyone knows where everyone else goes to church. As lives change and believers mature day after day, a solid testimony can be established. Because of this, it is possible for a Bible teaching church to have a very salty effect on a small town. Combining this with the fact that in a small town often one person is related to many others, it is easy to see how quickly a church can gain a good reputation. A small town church ministry can have its share of problems and also advantages, distinctives and commonalties to churches anywhere in any age. In this era of big numbers and super churches it is humbling and yet motivating to remember that the small church has a vital part in the overall plan of God for the ages. For no matter what the size of our ministry, we are led to believe that the Lord of the Church will have something to say to each of us about the part we have played. As C. S. Lewis said, "The playing of it well is what matters infinitely." Rev. Kimber Kauffman is a 1980 graduate of Cedarville College and the pastor of LaRue Baptist Church in LaRue, Ohio. 9