Lessons From the Reformation
If you have spent any time serving in rural church ministry, you probably don’t need any reminding of some of the unique challenges we face. Do you struggle from a lack of resources? Are you lacking workers with which to share the load of the ministerial duties? Is there tension within your church stemming from a very diverse congregation?
If so, you are not alone.
As odd as it may sound, it is times like those where I have often found great comfort from church history. We each have our own unique congregations, but our struggles are anything but unique. Our Christian brothers of days passed have encountered similar difficulties, and their testimonies still speak volumes into our modern ears.
There is a treasure trove of instruction from the days of the Protestant Reformation. There, Christians in every generation find many lessons from which we can and should learn. As the old adage states, “Learn from history or repeat it.” The Reformation is a truly remarkable time in the church’s history, but it was also a very trying time. The further we delve into the Reformers’ lives and ministries, the more we find that we face many of the same challenges. They were also men who often felt isolated, lacked resources, and lacked workers for the task they were facing. For the remainder of this article, I hope to provide you with just a few small encouragements from the Protestant Reformation.
Firstly, do not underestimate the scope of influence even your small-town church can have. Yes, your congregation may be small and the laborers are few, but never forget that the Reformation began with a just few men with a zeal for the gospel! Even a tiny church in a tiny town stands as a beacon of light which shines with the hope of the gospel! The Lord established your church to uniquely display His glory in that community. Praise Him for that opportunity and press on, knowing your labor is not in vain!
Furthermore, do not underestimate what an enormous impact technology can have upon our ministries. The advent of the printing press played a crucial role in the rapid spread of Reformation theology, and we today live in an age of information where we can spread our message across the world instantly. Never has it been so easy to reach people with the gospel, and we should take a page out of the Reformers’ book and make every effort to utilize modern technology to bring the Word to our communities. Though we may be short on resources in our rural context, by the grace of God we can still have an impact in our communities and beyond by utilizing the means He has made available to us.
One particular challenge I personally had not anticipated as I answered the call to ministry is the eclectic mix you often find in a rural congregation. In regions where churches are few, Christians from many different theological backgrounds often find themselves side by side on Sunday morning worshipping the Lord together.
As I pause to consider the various traditions from which the members of my congregation came, here is what I can recollect off the top of my head: Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Baptists, Mennonites, Methodists, and even one member who spent some time as a Quaker! On the one hand, seeing unity amidst such a diverse group is truly beautiful and is a testimony to the unifying power of our brotherhood in Christ. On the other hand, these differing convictions and preferences present a constant challenge. Even within my local ministerium, this challenge exists.
With so few churches still in operation in my area, the local ministers we do have must band together to serve our community however we can. Again, this is wonderful to see. However, we still come from very different theological traditions which at times has created tension. The reality of rural ministry is that exclusivity is a greater challenge than ministry in a more urban context.
The churches during the Reformation were certainly no strangers to tension and debate. In a time of immense doctrinal upheaval, the Reformers arrived to different conclusions in many areas. Lutherans, Continental Reformed, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Particular Baptists, and Anabaptists emerged over the course of a century. Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli debated over details concerning the Lord’s Supper. Lutherans and the Reformed Church debated Anabaptists over baptism (among other things). Presbyterians and Anglicans clashed over The Book of Common Prayer.
What lesson does the Reformation teach us here? It’s simple: Christians should learn to be intentional about practicing love, patience, and grace with our different-minded brothers and sisters in Christ. Unfortunately, this is an area where they struggled, and we today struggle as well. To be sure, the degree of animosity which occurred then is thankfully more subdued today, but it is still common to find attitudes toward different- minded brothers be less than Christ-like.
Certainly all churches face this challenge, but I would be inclined to argue it’s a more imminent challenge to diverse rural churches.Therefore, let us not make the same mistake and show love, patience, and grace toward our fellow Christians. Let us not be discouraged by differing views and labor on for Christ and His kingdom. Let us strive to be united on the essential doctrines of the faith and not let minor doctrinal differences sever the bond which brothers and sisters have in Christ our Lord.
The fact is, the Reformation isn’t just history… it’s also a present reality; it’s an ongoing process. The church is very much still the “church militant” here on earth, and the struggles our Christian forefathers faced are our struggles as well. They each had their moments of struggle and discouragement, but they pressed on and preached the gospel for the glory of Christ. May we follow their example!
I will leave you with an encouragement from the apostle Paul taken from 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (ESV).”
Cameron Cowburn
Cameron stepped away from a career in medicine as a Physician Assistant and became the pastor of the Gold Church in 2020, and is currently furthering his studies at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He lives in rural Pennsylvania with his wife Heidi and their three young children. When not working on his pastoral duties and school work, Cameron spends his spare time golfing, hunting, playing guitar, spending time with his family, and indulging in his nerdiness with The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, etc.
