Rural Churches Possessing David Hearts
Little man syndrome – A man, small in stature, who attempts to overcome the way he believes other people perceive him by attaching himself to authority figures, trying to manipulate himself into positions of control, gravitating toward positions of leadership, and having a fairly volatile temper. I had a boss with little man syndrome and besides never being able to please him, he always had to prove he was better than anyone else!
David, although being the youngest of all his brothers never demonstrated these traits in his character. As we know, David was a man after God’s own heart. There are many lessons that we can learn from David for the small church today.
Even before he was ever crowned King of Israel, he demonstrated qualities and characteristics that serve us as individuals and as a church well in our time now.
Churches can get caught up in a “little congregation syndrome” of their own if not careful. God doesn’t ask them to be bigger than they are but to be true to who He calls them to be for the Kingdom. Small churches must know that God has a plan for them that far exceeds anything that they can imagine or dream.
1 Samuel 16:7b …For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
God doesn’t ask them to be bigger than they are but to be true to who He calls them to be for the Kingdom.
Rob Beckett
Firstly, in God’s economy, everyone that is called is qualified for service in His Kingdom and that they are not insignificant or too small. Why is it that the first thing people ask when you mention your church is “how many people go to your church?” It’s because we use a matrix of measurement that does not say anything about the success or effectiveness of the congregation. We know that whom God calls, He also equips. 1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.
Next, a David heart church, serves at his father’s command. 1 Samuel 16:20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. David was an obedient and faithful servant. He was obedient to his father to serve the needs of his brothers. Churches with a David heart will serve to the needs of others in the church family and in the surrounding community. Jesus set the example for the church by coming to serve and not to be served.
Also, another characteristic of a David heart is the intolerance of harassment and taunting of the enemy without action. 1 Samuel 17:32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”When David heard the clamoring and jeering from the Philistines, he could not sit still for it. He knew action had to be taken. Churches today need to be the same when the enemy is taunting and causing trouble. Troubles need to be addressed immediately with prayer, guidance from God, and action on the leaderships part before it becomes a standoff where everyone sees the problem, but no one is willing to move because of fear.
1 Samuel 17:38-39 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. Many churches today are trying to wear the armor of another church that does not fit them. The tendency is to see another church do something and get positive results and think that they can just do the same things with equal outcomes. This is not always the case, and each congregation need to understand that their context may have different situation compared to other churches. Go into battle with the armor that God has given you even if it is only a sling and a stone.
We know the rest of the story, that David slew the mighty giant that day and that small churches with David hearts are capable of slaying their own giants as well.
It is my hope that small church pastors, leaders, and members will stop wasting valuable energy trying to imitate large church ministry, and instead recognize the inherent and strategic strengths of small churches. That means getting excited about what God is doing and plans to do through your church. A small church with a David heart is one that has become comfortable being small. Because it has learned to recognize the unique advantages of its size. A small church with a David heart realizes it can accomplish things that larger churches cannot. It can proceed in ministry not from a sense of its deficiencies, but from confidence in its strengths.
“Many churches today are trying to wear the armor of another church that does not fit them.”
Senior pastor Shepherdsville Nazarene Church, Kentucky
