I had just finished my second sermon of the morning at Concord Baptist Church in Jefferson City, where I serve as an interim pastor; then Kendra and I jumped into the car for the several-hour drive to a different church in southwest Missouri to preach that evening. Being invited to preach is always an honor, but being invited back is an even bigger one.
It was my first time at this particular church, and we did not know what we would experience. My attendance expectations were low as it was Sunday night of Labor Day weekend, they used a picture of me to promote the gathering, and it was raining. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Eighty-seven people attended that evening service, about 66% of their Sunday morning attendance. (In the 1980s, the old adage was that half of your Sunday morning attendance would return for Sunday night, and half of your Sunday night attendance would show up for Wednesday night. I am not sure if that was ever true, but it was what I believed.)
But more than the number of people who attended, it was the attitude of those that did. The room was filled with joy! The guest worship leader, a local church pastor, led a fantastic set of worship from the piano, which fed my weary soul. The pastor lovingly encouraged his congregation to obey God’s word, and I met many new friends.
While the congregation represented a wide range of ages, the majority were slightly older than I am, with many claiming to have been members for more than 20 years. A much bigger church down the street was dark and quiet, while this building was alive and rocking! (In a purely acceptable Baptist sort of way.)
But as I rolled out of town, I wondered about that congregation’s future, like many of our congregations. With so many older attendees and so many other churches not meeting on Sunday nights, how will the future church look? I am not advocating that all churches return to Sunday night services, but as times change, what is effective in ministry can come and go for a season. However, I am committed to allowing those attendees to continue funding ministry from that site. After they no longer choose to gather, how can they contribute to the ongoing proclamation of the Gospel from that sacred site?
Before leaving, I encouraged the pastor, like I am encouraging you now, to consider ways to allow those committed Sunday night saints to contribute to future ministry. One way is to host an estate planning seminar through the Missouri Baptist Foundation. I love traveling and telling people how their story and their church’s story can continue advancing the gospel by leaving something in their estate. It does not have to be a massive sum of money; two dimes and a nickel equal a quarter, and with enough of them put together; the gospel will continue to be shared around the world.
When I finally got to my hotel, I was exhausted, but my soul was full. I am committed to helping every Missouri Baptist create a plan to leave something in their estate plan to keep Sunday Nights or whatever ministry God has given their local church long into the future.