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Bob Larson in the hope that
he might know a man who
could be their next pastor.

All this happened during the
same summer months when
I was burdened and finally
surrendered to God’s direction.

Almost nine years have passed,
and we have seen God do
great things through salvation,
strengthened families, and
individuals transformed by
the Word. We now average
85–95 and just celebrated 114
worshipping with us this past
Resurrection Sunday. To God
be all the glory!
success. Here are two areas
that have been a constant help
in the ministry of restarting
this church.

Faithfulness — Moreover
it is required in stewards,
that a man be found faithful
(1 Corinthians 4:2). I have
always struggled with
giving up early regarding
results not being where I
want them. From a young
age I determined that if
the project was not coming
together by the deadline I
Nathan Browning & Family
had predetermined, it must
be a failure and not worth the time
to continue pursuing. For example,
Success when I had completed 10 months of
Measuring success is difficult for most
deputation and did not see the support
pastors and churches. We have differing ideas
I deemed necessary, I was ready to
about what metrics we utilize, especially
conclude that “This must not be
when dealing with the success of a local
God’s plan,” and move on to the next
church. Does the number of bodies in the
stage. In these early years of ministry
pews determine spiritual blessing from God?
and ignorantly blaming my lack of
Does the amount of money given determine
faithfulness on “not God’s plan,” I was
the health and spiritual growth of the people?
challenged by a verse that was engraved
Would a diversity of young families mean the
upon the headstone of my father’s
church is healthier? Many of these thoughts
grave. By the time I had found myself
plagued my mind as I took on a church
living in a new city as the pastor of a
restart a little over eight years ago.

church on the brink of closing its doors,
When looking at the success metrics today,
I had been taught that faithfulness
it is not difficult to be distracted and often
would be paramount to being used by
discouraged, especially when God has placed
God. Giving up when I could not “see”
one in a work that some have concluded is
growth by the previously stated metrics
dead and not worth the investment of time.

was not an option. I have resolved to
Yet, I have found in these few short years that
stay until staying is clearly not what
the rubric utilized in church culture is grossly
uncharacteristic of the biblical
view of success and should be
taken with a grain of salt but not
Men’s group
wholly discarded. Merit may be
given to understanding that young
families, growth in budgetary
giving, and more people in
attendance greatly encourage a
pastor and the church family. Still,
these are merely the byproduct of
following the Bible’s recipe for
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