The Kentucky Baptist Convention is made up of 2,350 local and autonomous Baptist churches in voluntary cooperation to reach Kentucky and the world for Christ.
What if all those churches were thriving churches?
I recently preached revival services in a normative size Kentucky Baptist church. The church is rural in its geographic context. It has a good facility that is well cared for. Its sanctuary is 85% full on Sunday mornings with four generations of believers in attendance. The pastor is the only paid staff person, to my knowledge, with the remainder of the ministry being carried out by volunteers.
This church is thriving in many ways. Giving is strong, attendance is healthy, fellowship is warm, people are being saved and mission work is being accomplished.
Here are seven traits I observed about the members of this church that God may be using to help the church thrive.
1. They are not uptight: Their worship services do not always begin on time, but the folks seem to be okay with that. I asked the pastor how long it took for him to adjust to the congregation’s laid-back approach and he answered that it was about a month. This was not a hill he was going to die on.
2. They pray for lost people: When I invited them to come to the front and pray for lost people, they came. Not only were they praying there, but it became obvious that the members of the church are regularly praying for people to be saved.
3. They celebrate salvations: There were five professions of faith during the revival services. The church celebrated those who crossed over from spiritual death to new life in Jesus. Some of those who were saved were people the church had been ministering to from childhood. These were nurtured into the faith and will be discipled as followers of Christ.
4. They encourage each other: Many of the members have grown up in this church, have relatives there, have been in Bible studies together, have experienced life’s ups and downs together and are in the habit of encouraging each other. They seem to love one another, and the church services provide an encouraging atmosphere.
5. They welcome outsiders: Many of those attending this church are not from the area, but this church welcomes them in. A guest will not be inside the building long before someone comes to say hello.
6. They are not arguing over minor matters: Their music is a combination of newer, more contemporary Christian music and older hymns. Some of their members prefer some songs more than others, but because they love their unity, and their children and grandchildren, more than they love their musical preference, they are not in conflict over music.
7. They demonstrate a healthy unity: On the last night of revival services, the pastor asked the deacons to stand so he could show appreciation for them and their support of the revival. It appeared that seven men stood, which probably represented 10 percent of those attending that evening. I was impressed that most of these men had been in all the services along with their families.
This church is just one example of hundreds of thriving Kentucky Baptist churches across the commonwealth. Churches of various sizes, ministry contexts and styles of ministry all over Kentucky are thriving. Imagine what the gospel impact of Kentucky Baptists would be if every KBC church was a thriving church. Would you join me in praying to that end?
Dr. Todd Gray 