A Church of Many Strands

By marklail

I fondly remember the days of working on the farm and the accompanying lessons. One such lesson occurred at corn picking time. Erase the image you have of giant air conditioned combines, automated grain transfer augers and semi-trucks. Replace those images with a one row pull type corn picker, a flat bed wagon and a wide aluminum scoop shovel. The concept was to use the shovel to scoop the ear corn off of the wagon and into the elevator at such a rate as to have the wagon empty and moved before the tractor came out of the field with the next one-hundred bushels of corn. You can imagine my excitement when we upgraded to a gravity bed wagon. That’s the kind of wagon that’s shaped like a funnel with a gate at the bottom. This eliminated the scoop shovel and transformed the whole unloading process into a very enjoyable game of grain surfing. I now know that swimming in a bin of grain that’s forming a seed-tornado as it swirls out the gate is dangerous by any standard. Those were different times. Don’t try it now!

During the shoveling experience as well as other monotonous duties that included cutting firewood, loading hay and pitching the stuff that accumulates on the floor of the feed lot, my dad taught and repeated a valuable lesson. He said, when we work together, we accomplish more. He often reminded me that every ear of corn which I shoveled, was an ear of corn that he didn’t have to shovel. The Bible says it like this, ^“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Our mission is to make Christlike disciples among the nations. That’s a big load of corn for one preacher, one congregation, one missionary, one educator or one donor. As a Nazarene, my mission is far bigger than my abilities or resources. But as a Nazarene, I am not alone. Like my dad taught, when we work together, we accomplish more. I am teamed up with 4,611 churches across North America and 15,210 across the world. A chord of 15,210 strands is not quickly broken. A denomination of 15,210 churches can make a lot of disciples.

There is no better illustration of the effectiveness of our denomination than the use of pooled finances. Through Faith Promise, Thanksgiving and Easter offerings, you and I put our money together last year and gave about 48 million dollars to the World Evangelism Fund. Not only is that more than most of us could give alone, it did more than any of us could do alone, a lot more. We are good stewards of our money when we work together. Today, through the World Evangelism Fund, you and I are teaching the Bible in Brazil, we area planting a church in the Horn of Africa, we are making arrangements for the General Assembly in Orlando, we are administering medicine in Papua New Guinea, we are resourcing a Pastor in West Virginia, we are providing a General Superintendent’s leadership in Lenexa, Kansas and, quite literally, we wrote this article. I believe in the Church of the Nazarene. I believe that 15,210 are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.