This Old Church

Equipping and organizing for growth

How does a smaller, older church impact the dramatically changing community growing up around it? “First, you focus on spiritual formation and church health,” says Pastor Kurt Erhard of Spencerville FMC (MD). “Growth will come.” And he’s not just talking about numerical growth.

“We’re examining what it means to be a follower of Christ,” he says. A strong identity (107 years at this location) and a committed core group are crucial to a church’s staying power and impact level, and Erhard believes he can build-to-last on Spencerville’s firm foundation.

The congregation is equipping and organizing for growth — and the Alpha course (www.alphausa.org) is a key. “Alpha provides a non-threatening opportunity for people to investigate the Christian faith,” says Erhard. A trained core group has led the 10-week curriculum several times in the church, and will now offer Alpha as an outreach opportunity.

In June, an antique car show and sock hop attracted some 150 people, 80 of them new to the church scene. “Our property is a valuable commodity,” says Erhard. The fact that the church has been a part of this community for so long makes its facility a natural asset.

LIFT (Life Instruction and Faith Training) — practical and community-oriented — opens the church mid-week for classes such as CPR, health and fitness, parenting and tutoring, and provides a weekly emphasis on prayer, Bible study and/or a Christian book discussion.

This Advent season, with the theme “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” the congregation will reach out to those who have drifted away from church — some from Spencerville FMC itself. “Growth is God’s gift to the church,” says Erhard. “Our calling is not so much to grow in terms of size, but to grow as believers and disciples.” With a renewed emphasis on spirituality, and eyes and hearts attuned to outreach opportunities, this old church seems poised for renewal — and another century of impacting its community for Christ.