Trusting God's Faithfulness: Thriving as a Church without a Pastor
By Sherri Herrera and Dale Yanke
Our small church family is placed in a unique, remote community located in Gillam, northern Manitoba—at the very end of the road. With a population of about 1000 people, Gillam is an extremely transient community where families move in and out every few years. In this environment, the Gospel Chapel has had times of flourishing as well as times with very few people.
Fifteen years ago, our pastor and his family needed to move on since the financial giving of such a small congregation could not support his family much longer. That was when we were challenged to continue gathering this small body of believers without a pastor. We truly believe that this has shown us, up close, what God desires of His family: working together as individual members of a larger body. We don’t look at people for perfect gifting, but for a willingness to share whatever gifts they have for the glory of God and the edification of this small family. If someone knows how to play an instrument, we will sing with them. If someone is good with kids, we will get some Sunday School materials for them. It’s not about hiring polished professionals, but about selfless volunteering. We have seen people grow in leadership and talent, and our children have seen firsthand what it is to serve each other.
In this day and age of technology, we have been able to live stream our sermons and worship, and have been taking part in the same church streaming for most of the 15 years. Yet, it is important to us that, as much as possible, we don’t sit as spectators only. We begin our services with times of prayer and discussion and after each service we all stay and enjoy a potluck lunch together. This has allowed us to know each other better, pray for each other’s needs, and welcome guests to sit in fellowship with us. We experience what we imagine the early churches experienced as they met in their homes and knew each other personally.
This is not to say it is always an easy scenario. With few people, there aren’t options to give a job to someone else when one is tired, and therefore we have moments of feeling burnt out and being overwhelmed. Specifically, there are higher-demanding leadership positions and those taking on those positions may also be working full-time jobs and living out their personal lives. This can, and has, taken a toll, but the Lord is always gracious to provide. Whether it’s a new family moving into town to help with the responsibilities or simply new strength each morning, He is always there.
As of now, Gillam Gospel Chapel still has a job posting open for a part-time pastor. A manse is provided. Join the Gillam community in prayer as they continue to serve one another faithfully in the meantime, and if you find yourself in the same circumstance as a church, may this story encourage and inspire you.
