Serving Faithfully Wherever You are Called
Call to action from President Bill Hamel
by Bill Hamel
s many know, the first 12 years of my life were spent on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. During those years I attended a tiny rural church with a seating capacity for about 75. In that church I placed my personal faith in Jesus during a Vacation Bible School led by college students who were serving for the summer with Rural Bible Crusade.
During my high-school years, my family joined six other families in planting an Evangelical Free Church in our community of 2,000—a church that today is home for more than 200 people.
Based on that experience, I think I understand the small, rural church, and I definitely appreciate it.
That being said, I do not buy for one second that all small towns are restricted to only growing small churches. Although this issue of EFCA Today is focusing on small churches in towns and rural areas, the EFCA has more than a few examples of churches in those settings that are far from “small.”
Wherever the Lord has called you to serve in a local church is an important place of ministry. My rural church produced a denominational president, a Bible college professor and a missionary. Only the Lord knows the impact that others from our church family went on to have. Only the Lord knows the impact and influence that you will have in ministry.
The issue is not size but faithfulness to gospel proclamation and to addressing the needs of your community. Bringing people to Christ, seeing them discipled to follow Christ and released into the harvest to reach others is what our ministry is about—whether in a rural area, small town or large city. The Father has called us to be faithful to our calling.
Letter From the President
As many know, the first 12 years of my life were spent on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. During those years I attended a tiny rural church with a seating capacity for about 75. In that church I placed my personal faith in Jesus during a Vacation Bible School led by college students who were serving for the summer with Rural Bible Crusade.
During my high-school years, my family joined six other families in planting an Evangelical Free Church in our community of 2,000—a church that today is home for more than 200 people.
Based on that experience, I think I understand the small, rural church, and I definitely appreciate it.
That being said, I do not buy for one second that all small towns are restricted to only growing small churches. Although this issue of EFCA Today is focusing on small churches in towns and rural areas, the EFCA has more than a few examples of churches in those settings that are far from “small.”
Wherever the Lord has called you to serve in a local church is an important place of ministry. My rural church produced a denominational president, a Bible college professor and a missionary. Only the Lord knows the impact that others from our church family went on to have. Only the Lord knows the impact and influence that you will have in ministry.
The issue is not size but faithfulness to gospel proclamation and to addressing the needs of your community. Bringing people to Christ, seeing them discipled to follow Christ and released into the harvest to reach others is what our ministry is about—whether in a rural area, small town or large city. The Father has called us to be faithful to our calling.