by Wayne Bridegroom
For decades we have lived in church circles that have defined success and pleasing God as church growth. How many times have I been to some kind of church conference and the first question between clergy has to do with the size of one’s congregation? Church growth does not necessarily mean that a church is healthy. It often implies the greatest show in town.
Regardless of congregational size, there are times when a believer’s surrounding culture becomes the driving force in life. I am not saying that is on purpose, after all, we all have blind spots, even when it comes to our walk with the Lord. That is precisely why we need one another. Unfortunately, there are numerous instances in church life when those cultural systems and personal blind spots lead to very sad division.
The church my wife, Beth and I are now attending was begun in 1864. A century later, it was the largest church in town with roughly 750 to 800 believers in attendance. At that time, the church chose to make a stand on behalf of farm labor workers. That may not be important elsewhere but it is a really, really big deal here in central California. When people think of this state they probably envision the San Francisco Bay Area, or the Los Angeles to San Diego part of the state — perhaps even Yosemite National Park. But the truth is this: one out of every 4 meals that every American eats comes from California and the overwhelming majority of that is from the Central Valley.
If you are my age you may recall the Delano Grape Boycott of the 60’s and the formation of a labor union for the farm workers who were Latino. Even though my dad was a dairyman some 200 miles north of Delano, he was infuriated by the movement. He argued that it was the farm owners who were taking all the risks —too much rain or too little rain, or not enough snow in the Sierras could easily wipe out a farmer, so how dare these farm laborers question how we operated our farms? I could go on and on at this point but instead I will just refer you to the movie “McFarland USA.” That movie will help you understand what it is like to work in the fields of California.
Back to our church. Many folks saw life through the same lens as my dad. Roughly 500 people left the church when the decision was made to honor farm laborers.
The point is this: it’s not about church growth. Sometimes it’s about standing with “the least of these” just as Jesus did two thousand years ago – regardless of the cost.
