By: Dr. Jerry Bergman
Montpelier, Ohio
A major interest of mine is understanding why some churches are strong, growing, and in other words, have successful missions. A few months ago I was teaching Sunday school at Christian Fellowship Church in Holland, Ohio.
When my GPS took me to the church on Pilliod Road, I was sure I had entered the wrong address. I was in a residential part of town with several large, stately homes when the GPS announced, “You have now arrived at your destination.”
I arrived about an hour early as I sometimes have traffic problems. When I arrived in front of the church, a staff member greeted me and helped me carry my books into the church. Then we arranged them on the literature table.
When I asked to meet with the pastor, I was told that there was no pastor, but that the church was run by six elders and two deacons.
Their selection was not based on secular academic criteria or a denominational handbook, but on the biblical prerequisites in 1 Timothy 3:1-6.
Since this unusual arrangement was of interest, it was explained that the elders take turns to perform the various church duties. These duties include preaching the sermon and undertaking the many other tasks required for effective church work.
As I reflected on my own experience, I realized that the last pastor at my church only lasted about two years, and several other pastors didn’t last much longer. It is rare that one person excels in preaching, visiting, pastoral care, and the many other responsibilities that come with leading a church.
With a board of elders, each person can focus on the areas he or she does best. There is a tendency for the pastor to, as the saying goes, “preach the same sermon over and over again” or to focus too much on his or her specialty or interests, such as prophecy, apologetics, church history, Christian character, or Bible accounts in accordance with Ephesians 4:1.
With five elders, church members can experience a variety of sermon topics, delivery styles and interests.
They also frequently had guest speakers, as I did when I visited. When the Sunday school service began, the seats were filled with about 175 people.
My time as a guest speaker did not feel like a tedious one-hour lecture, but more like an interactive college class with attentive learners. After a year of Answers in Genesis curriculum, the congregation was excited and prepared for my lecture on creation apologetics.
Questions were asked, which always helps to liven up the presentation, and community members added comments on the material I was covering, which always helps to keep attention.
The result has been a real learning experience, both for me and for the congregation. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable talking for an hour while the congregation sits quietly and listens.
All too often we let our minds wander (at least that’s what happens to me, even during interesting sermons). My impression from reading the sermons recorded in the Bible is that they were dialogue dominated, and this is where the real learning process takes place (as any teacher knows!).
In contrast to so many other churches, there was a very relaxed atmosphere in both services. The service, especially in the large churches, is often ritualistic, which reminds me of a funeral.
After the service, I was able to spend almost an hour with other people, often discussing the topic of my sermon and enjoying the encounters with the congregation.
At least two people mentioned that my writing changed their lives; compliments that are very rewarding. I was also pleased to meet several physicians associated with the Medical College of Ohio, where I was once employed. By the end, I felt like I was part of the community spending time with old friends (and in some cases, I was).
Several things the church had in common with other growing churches were a relaxed, tolerant atmosphere, almost no rituals, and a variety of excellent music.
When I asked if the church had a book of discipline, as is common in the Methodist and Lutheran churches, I was told, “Our book of discipline is the Bible. We do not need any extra-biblical books.”
The Bible is very clear on the issue of sexual behavior, so we follow the Bible very closely and have been able to avoid problems like those the United Methodists recently experienced, which led to hundreds of churches leaving the dominant position.”
Having preached in over 400 churches over the past few decades, I am confident that I have gained some experience in evaluating churches.
In short, this was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in years, and I look forward to another opportunity to preach apologetics there again.
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Dr. Jerry Bergman has taught biology, genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, anthropology, geology, and microbiology for over 40 years at various colleges and universities, including Bowling Green State University, the Medical College of Ohio, where he was a research fellow in experimental pathology, and the University of Toledo. He is a graduate of the Medical College of Ohio, Wayne State University in Detroit, the University of Toledo, and Bowling Green State University. He has authored over 1,800 publications in 12 languages and 60 books and monographs. His books and textbooks, which contain chapters he has authored, are in over 1,500 university libraries in 27 countries.
