I love reading the history of congregations and church bodies, especially the stories of their founding and early days. How tiny the groups were at first! How scraggly and forlorn and poor they were. What huge obstacles they had to overcome to make it into their second decade. How devastating their early setbacks. And yet they made it and grew and flourished. 

That’s how God works. His Word is powerful. Like a tiny seed, it has the power to bring about explosive growth when it is planted into fertile and ready soil: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” (Matthew 13:31,32). 

God is not scared of really small beginnings, and you shouldn’t be either. If you are thinking of starting a ministry, as long as it is based on God’s Word and God’s Great Commission agenda, as long as it serves people’s needs and has Christ at its center, you don’t have to feel overwhelmed by the size of your task. Just plant those seeds, throw your energy and prayers into it, and expect the mustard seed to grow into a tree where a lot of people can find shelter.

The Word works!