As we plant a church and work towards winning souls, we can hinge on our strengths to do ministry. Rev Yeo Pin Pin shares what she and her church have been doing.
“Aunty, kopi!” “Aunty, chicken pau!”
The clear and audible voices of the Filipino lady students are like bells ringing to my church on Sunday – yes, it is the class breaktime and they will start walking to our church unit to buy their usual afternoon snacks and drinks. Many of them are Filipina and some are Indonesians who are taking courses here in the plaza where my church is located. To them, breaktime is a happy time interacting with each other over a cup of hot coffee and snacks.
These Filipina and Indonesian students are working here as domestic helpers from Monday to Saturday, and when Sunday comes, they devout their off-day to upgrade their skills by taking Caregiver Training Course. They pay their own course fees, take their Sunday off-day to be in classes so as to pursue a three-year diploma to become qualified caretakers.
Since my church provides food and beverages as refreshment for our congregation, these students will walk to our church to buy mineral water and snacks. Foldable tables and chairs will be opened for them and, sometimes, they will do their class assignments together at the tables. Soon, my church members are accustomed to this manner of ‘hospitality’ and we are excited to serve and know them. We as a church get along with them well as they are friendly and well mannered.
If you are a pastor of a small church like me, we at times would tend to moan over our limitation in resources as compared to any big churches. What can a small church, with limited resources, do in her outreach? Let me share three simple strategies that hinge on our church’s strengths.
To plant and to nurture a small-church takes faith and perseverance. In spite of all odds, as we pray, the Lord is faithful as our Provider.
1. Pray and Rely Upon the Lord
As a small church with limited resources in financial, manpower and other areas of support, we learn to pray earnestly to rely upon the Lord for His provision and open doors to meet our needs. Just like Paul the Apostle in exhorting the Philippian believers concerning his financial needs, that in whatever his situation might be, he has learned to trust Christ for the provision of his needs. He believes, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound … I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians. 4:12,13 – NKJ)” To plant and to nurture a small-church takes faith and perseverance. In spite of all odds, as we pray, the Lord is faithful as our Provider.
2. Fellowship with Non-Believers
A small church pastor can actually do many small, personal ministries. The usual scenario is that this small church pastor is always ‘busy’ doing all kinds of day-to-day work in church. During weekday, he may be a cleaner in church; re-arranging chairs and tables; opens letterbox and handling any letter correspondence; updating weekly records; etc., not counting the time he needed to prepare Sunday sermon, teaching, planning and others. Nonetheless, the pastor has to deliberately set aside time to go out of the church to meet people outside the church if he wants to be a down-to-earth pastor.
Every week, once or twice, I will intentionally put down my ‘unending work’ and walk out of the church to look for non-believers, whom I know, and sit with them in their hangout coffee shops. From them, I get to know more new non-believers at the coffeeshops or HDB parks. I listen to their conversation – the way they talk, the way they think, the lingo they use, etc. As my friendship circle with the non-believers increases, my outreach opportunity also increases. Whenever I meet rejections or feel inadequate, I will look up to Jesus as my Model in the Scriptures – how He eats with sinners, the way He gives personal attention to different individuals on their needs, and how He minister to them with love and grace. (e.g., in Mark 2:15-17)
Nonetheless, the pastor has to deliberately set aside time to go out of the church to meet people outside the church if he wants to be a down-to-earth pastor.
Home visitation to some lonely, elderly folk is also a good opportunity to have personal interaction and expressing care to them. Since they ‘should have eaten more salt than rice’ (Chinese saying means a person has more experiences and been through much in life), they will see the genuineness of our Christian love and care and, as time passes, they begin to accept us because they see the love of Christ through our words and actions.
Every week, once or twice, I will intentionally put down my ‘unending work’, and walk out of the church to look for non-believers, whom I know, and sit with them in their hangout coffee shops.
3. The Gift of Hospitality
Last, but not the end, small churches can provide warm hospitality as one of their effectual means in outreach. One practical way or strategy is to provide food and drinks. Providing refreshment to our own people after Sunday Worship Service is a norm, but to provide food for non-believers is actually so biblical. Jesus told us in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet that it is ultimately the “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” are invited and turned up for the King’s banquet (Luke 14:12-24). The author of the Epistle of Hebrews also exhorts us that while in giving brotherly love to each other, let us also show hospitality even to strangers (Hebrews 13:1,2). So, my church decides to do some simple cooking in church and that saves us some cost as food prices are soaring every now and then.
The author of the Epistle of Hebrews also exhorts us that while in giving brotherly love to each other, let us also show hospitality even to strangers (Hebrews 13:1,2).
God gives each one of us different spiritual gifts according to His grace. “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them …distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” (Romans 12:6-13, NKJV) Likewise, every small church should know what her areas of strength are and to utilize them for God’s purpose and glory. As Spirit-filled and Spirit-baptized Pentecostal believers, we should constantly tap on the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to serve and witness Christ. Small church can be a loving church to both believers and pre-believers through the ministry of hospitality.
Coming back to my story on the Filipino lady students who buy snacks and drinks from my church on Sunday. As they come to us every Sunday from morning till afternoon during their class breaks, we decide to take the opportunities to interact with a number of them. While eating and sitting at the tables, we engage them in conversation and let them talk about themselves. As they are friendly toward me, I let them know that we as the church would like to pray for their needs, such as their work and studies here, their families back in Philippines, their health, etc. They feel comforted that the church cares for them. I passed colored note pad for them to write their personal prayer requests. I also gave a devotional book to some of them, and they received it gladly.
Every church has her own God-gifted strengths, and she must know how to make good use of them in her own context.
During the Chinese New Year period, we gave them Mandarin oranges and goodies during their breaktimes. They were thankful to our warm service and some begin to enquire about our church Service. In time to come, if the Lord wills, we hope to befriend more of them and encourage them to worship with us on Sunday morning.
Every church has her own God-gifted strengths, and she must know how to make good use of them in her own context. No matter what challenges the church may be facing in her context or situation, let us remember that we are serving a faithful God who calls us and He will also do it for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
Rev Yeo Pin Pin is the senior pastor of Philos Assembly of God. She pioneered Philos Assembly of God in 2004 with a Chinese-speaking congregation and is passionate in reaching Chinese-speaking unsaved souls. She has a Bachelor in theology, a Master in Arts from Theological Centre for Asia; a Master of Divinity (Biblical Studies) and Master of Theology (Systematic Theology) from Singapore Bible College.
