Appearances can be deceptive. And sometimes deception can lead to mistaken conclusions about the condition or value of something you care about—your church, for example.
Perhaps your church has a handful of members and only occasional visitors to your services, Sunday School, and Reading Room. Perhaps attendance by newcomers at public lectures is disappointing. If any of this is the case, it can be tempting to conclude that the church is not only small, but insignificant. Yet, appearances deceive.
A ray of light is never insignificant; and the simultaneous shining of a number of rays can produce rejuvenating illumination and warmth. The same is true of drops of water. A few raindrops can make some desert plants bloom. More important, even a little expression of love, tenderly offered to a discouraged or frightened heart, can change a life.
So-called small churches are bolstered in impact by acknowledging them within the larger context of unstoppable Christian enlightenment.
Thinking about church in similar terms, we see that our love for God, for each other, and for humanity is of greater worth than gold and diamonds. But we need to truly know this, feel this love, and value church accordingly.
Attending and participating in a Christian Science church service or testimony meeting connects us with the powerful, life-improving force of God’s revelation of His nature and of our spiritual unity with Him, “on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Being part of a small congregation, vitalized with a love that knows no bounds, contributes to the health, happiness, and purpose of each one present—and goes beyond the church congregation as well.
Sometimes church may seem small because it appears isolated or disconnected from a larger whole. Knowing that each branch Church of Christ, Scientist, is part of a global movement can help us appreciate the fuller substance of our church. We can also glimpse our church’s important place within the movement of collective human consciousness in the practice of Christianity, as Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of Christian Science, writes: “Christianity is the summons of divine Love for man to be Christlike—to emulate the words and the works of our great Master” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 148). There is nothing small or isolated about such a church.
It is material sense—the perception of the physical senses—that measures by time, space, and numbers. Free of such limiting evaluations, spiritual sense discerns and appreciates the wholeness and vitality of Christ’s Christianity. Mrs. Eddy writes, “Truth’s immortal idea is sweeping down the centuries, gathering beneath its wings the sick and sinning” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 55). So-called small churches today are bolstered and magnified in purpose and impact by acknowledging them within the larger context of unstoppable Christian enlightenment.
Mrs. Eddy saw her discovery of Christ-healing as leaven “hid in three measures of meal” (Matthew 13:33)—science, theology, and medicine—transforming the whole of human consciousness. This leaven is also at work in, and through, “small” churches, “leavening the lump of human thought” (Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 166).
What appears to material sense as a small, insignificant cluster of human beings struggling to keep their church doors open, is actually evidence of the continuing activity of the same divine power that has propelled Christianity forward across the centuries. Perhaps what Mrs. Eddy says about Christian Science, that its effects “are not so much seen as felt” (Science and Health, p. 323), can also be said of our churches.
When tempted to believe our church is insignificant or stagnant, we can ask whether the expression of our Christly love for others is gathering mold, or is freshly baked. Do testimonies of healing shared at church nourish our desire to become better healers, and to share more of Christian Science with others? Is our love for our congregation and community taking form in serving joyfully as Readers, Sunday School teachers, Reading Room attendants, ushers, etc.? Is our expectation that others find God’s revelation of their spiritual identity passive or active? Are we struggling with discouragement and have we given up on church growth? Are we fearful of, or resigned to, church decline?
Our answers should indicate that our church is not stagnant or ailing. If we have the choice of attending church in person, we unintentionally add to the appearance of smallness by participating remotely; while we add to the evidence of the largeness of our church by our active presence, engagement, and vocal expression of healing and gratitude.
We can challenge the belief that our church is limited by physical location and its open hours. We can think about our church as home. Of home, Mrs. Eddy writes, “Home is the dearest spot on earth, and it should be the centre, though not the boundary, of the affections” (Science and Health, p. 58). Similarly, our church home should be the center, but not the boundary, of our efforts to express love for God and humanity.
None of us lives in isolation. We all have the opportunity to touch other minds and hearts on a regular basis—to recognize, appreciate, and nourish spiritual qualities in others.
As we actively express love, we take the spirit of church with us wherever we go—our workplace, our neighborhoods, our places of recreation. This love shines whenever our heart responds with compassion for others who are feeling burdened by difficulties. As we silently or audibly acknowledge God’s embracing love, we’re living the true Church and extending its reach of healing care.
As we realize that our church activities are of priceless spiritual substance, our church will not seem small, insignificant, or stagnant.
In the seemingly small church I am a member of, the true concept of Church is lived generously by each one throughout the week. On Sundays and Wednesdays, we come to gain fresh inspiration from our impersonal pastor, the Bible and Science and Health, and to sing and pray together with grateful hearts for new evidences of God’s love in our lives. Testimonies of healing are diverse and heartfelt. Even “repeat” testimonies are shared with freshness, gratitude, and spiritual insight. These services and testimony meetings are a strong support to each of us, and our joy is even greater when we share our church home with visitors. Some attend once; others come regularly.
Conversations with those who visit our Reading Room touch the hearts of “weary wanderers” (Science and Health, p. 570) who are seeking meaning in their lives, redemption from past experiences, fresh connections with the Bible, and hope for a better future. Hearing a new, spiritual perspective—being reassured of their innate spirituality and goodness and of God’s present love for them, while feeling respected and cared about—they leave with a reason to be hopeful. Our expansive windows are like having “conversations” with passersby. We cherish this opportunity to share messages of the practical, uplifting power of a spiritually inspired way of life. The books and periodicals available in our Reading Room speak directly to our community through these windows.
Visitors to our Sunday School feel the love of the teachers, and students glimpse the healing power of the spiritual ideas they hear about. We are encouraged by the feedback we receive of the ways they apply what they have heard, and how participation in Sunday School feeds their innate spiritual sense.
As we realize that our church activities are of priceless spiritual substance and are a continuation of the timeless Christ activity, and that we continually have opportunities to live church, our church will not seem small, insignificant, or stagnant. The material sense assessment will gradually be replaced by a more tangible spiritual sense of our church’s broad impact and immense value. And the ongoing cultivation of spiritual sense and its accompanying spiritual clarity will continue to reveal divinely impelled growth and the healing effects that bless all.
