Different approaches to church expand our appreciation.
We recently attended Sunday services at two Christ-centered Texas churches that challenged us to expand our appreciation of the Church. But they are as different as Texas and Rhode Island.
We hadn’t planned to stop in Waco, but one of us wanted to visit Magnolia Market made famous on HGTV. As we scanned the internet for a church, we were intrigued by Church Under the Bridge, led by Dr. Jimmy Dorrell for the past 20 years. The church meets outdoors under Interstate 35 in a place where homeless men, women and families live. The Sunday school meets in woods behind the IHOP.
They are a church in every way—with a variety of weekly programs. They even have a missions’ budget that proudly supports other ministries in the city that help the needy, as well as foreign missions in Haiti, India, and Mexico.
But Church Under the Bridge is focused on ministering to the homeless and destitute of Waco. They distribute food and clothing every Sunday to the 600-member congregation; an estimated 80 percent of attendees are in need of these basics.
Our planned stop in Houston included attending Lakewood Church. How could any minister pass up this opportunity after watching Joel and Victoria Osteen on television? Lakewood is like no other church. The facility—the former home of the Houston Rockets with seating for 16,000—is amazing.
This church is arguably the greatest attractional church in America and, while there, we were drawn into its hold. We were touched by how tenderly Joel and Victoria ministered to the congregation. Of course, their ministry was filled with hope and possibility as well as the idea that if you believe God and trust in Him, sooner or later, something wonderful will happen.
As I listened that morning, I thought how much I wished the people of Church Under the Bridge could get a taste of the inspiration that surrounds Lakewood Church. It was like eating sugar, wonderful to savor. At the same time, I cannot help but believe that the people at Lakewood would be well served to get a taste of the Church Under the Bridge, which would be an experience worth savoring.
These two churches could not be more different in approach. Visiting them reminded me of the words of the apostle Paul, “The fact remains that the Good News about Christ is being preached, and I am glad.” (Philippians 1:18 TLB)
Three lessons from Texas:
Healthy things grow
Ensuring the health of the organization is a leader’s first job. Without health, nothing grows. Both of these churches demonstrated health in very different situations.
Meet the needs of the people you want to reach
Leaders must be focused on the needs of their community. The leaders of these churches know and meet the needs of the people they serve.
It is never wise to compare
Which of these two churches is more successful? That is impossible to judge; they both minister and meet needs in different settings. Be faithful to where God has planted you.
Dennis Baril
Former Senior Pastor | Community Covenant Church (Rehoboth, MA)A Tale of Two Churches
TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
Church & Faith-BasedLeading OrganizationsDifferent approaches to church expand our appreciation.
We recently attended Sunday services at two Christ-centered Texas churches that challenged us to expand our appreciation of the Church. But they are as different as Texas and Rhode Island.
We hadn’t planned to stop in Waco, but one of us wanted to visit Magnolia Market made famous on HGTV. As we scanned the internet for a church, we were intrigued by Church Under the Bridge, led by Dr. Jimmy Dorrell for the past 20 years. The church meets outdoors under Interstate 35 in a place where homeless men, women and families live. The Sunday school meets in woods behind the IHOP.
They are a church in every way—with a variety of weekly programs. They even have a missions’ budget that proudly supports other ministries in the city that help the needy, as well as foreign missions in Haiti, India, and Mexico.
But Church Under the Bridge is focused on ministering to the homeless and destitute of Waco. They distribute food and clothing every Sunday to the 600-member congregation; an estimated 80 percent of attendees are in need of these basics.
Our planned stop in Houston included attending Lakewood Church. How could any minister pass up this opportunity after watching Joel and Victoria Osteen on television? Lakewood is like no other church. The facility—the former home of the Houston Rockets with seating for 16,000—is amazing.
This church is arguably the greatest attractional church in America and, while there, we were drawn into its hold. We were touched by how tenderly Joel and Victoria ministered to the congregation. Of course, their ministry was filled with hope and possibility as well as the idea that if you believe God and trust in Him, sooner or later, something wonderful will happen.
As I listened that morning, I thought how much I wished the people of Church Under the Bridge could get a taste of the inspiration that surrounds Lakewood Church. It was like eating sugar, wonderful to savor. At the same time, I cannot help but believe that the people at Lakewood would be well served to get a taste of the Church Under the Bridge, which would be an experience worth savoring.
These two churches could not be more different in approach. Visiting them reminded me of the words of the apostle Paul, “The fact remains that the Good News about Christ is being preached, and I am glad.” (Philippians 1:18 TLB)
Three lessons from Texas:
Healthy things grow
Ensuring the health of the organization is a leader’s first job. Without health, nothing grows. Both of these churches demonstrated health in very different situations.
Meet the needs of the people you want to reach
Leaders must be focused on the needs of their community. The leaders of these churches know and meet the needs of the people they serve.
It is never wise to compare
Which of these two churches is more successful? That is impossible to judge; they both minister and meet needs in different settings. Be faithful to where God has planted you.
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About the Author(s)
Dennis Baril
Former Senior PastorCommunity Covenant Church (Rehoboth, MA)
Dennis Baril is the former senior pastor of Community Covenant Church in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, where he served in leadership for over 40 years—27 of which were as senior pastor. He and his wife, Donna are traveling around the country, supporting the Global Leadership Summit and seizing on other ministry opportunities as they emerge.