[To follow The Ewellogy, please click on Leave a Comment above, fill in your name and email, and check the box: Notify me of new posts by email. If your comment is, “Notify me,” it won’t post publicly. If you don’t start to receive the blog by email right away, please write to me at bob@ewell.com, and I will see that you get on the list.]

As you read this, I will have returned from rural Lamar, Colorado, where I have been invited to speak to a group of pastors by Darren Stroh, pastor of First Baptist, Lamar, who I see periodically at district meetings of the American Baptists.

Lamar has a population of about 8,000 people, and there are over 40 churches, many of which are struggling. No one will build a big church there! I showed them this picture and asked them where their compass is pointed.

Are they focused on the scattered church or the gathered church? Their gathered churches will not be large, but that’s OK because God seems to value his people scattered. Acts 8 is clear:

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (Acts 8.1, 4)

I suggested that they take on Jesus’ challenge to reach the world starting from where they are. (Luke 24.46, 47)

He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24.46, 47, NIV)

As Lorne Sanny, second president of The Navigators said, “Why did he say, ‘Beginning at Jerusalem’? Because that’s where they were! You cannot reach the world beginning from where you are not!” And that’s the reason I went to Lamar. I don’t know anyone there other than Darren, but they do. And these pastors are in a position to invest in people in Lamar…to reach the world!