By REV. DR. JOHN HATCHER
Religion Columnist

Pastor David Epps, in a recent Citizen column, struck some sensitive nerves. He talked about big churches with their big church pastors and about little churches with their little church pastors. Some may think Father Epps was a little tough on the big boys and their big religious establishments. After all, aren't we all in the same business —reaching the world for Jesus Christ and the full and meaningful life that Christ delivers?

But I really think that Father Epps has hit upon an opportunity. First background: God is truly using the unity movement in south metro as his divine, appointed instrumentality to bring revival to all the churches.

The Lord only knows just how many “revival meetings” have been staged in Fayette area churches alone to get on board the stage to leave town after several anointed nights and an adequate love offering (There's more truth in that statement than satire). I just bet that the Fayette area has been exposed to upwards of 2,000 revival meetings in the last ten years and yet we're building bigger jails. Go figure that one.

Yet, the one thing that our Lord prayed during his passion before the cross was that his followers would be one even as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. In God's arithmetic one plus one plus one equals one! God wants his churches to be one as the God- head is one yet with different forms.

To date, all kinds of churches have come together: African- American Churches, all-White Churches, Pentecostal Churches, Charismatic Churches, Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, Methodist Churches, Baptist Churches, and Liturgical Churches. I'm telling you: something glorious is happening in the south metro area. And God is at the center. Because it's bigger than anyone one of us.

Yet! Yet! Yet! There's one bridge that seems not to be complete. There's one wall that seems untumbled. One set of relationships seemingly is difficult to catch fire and burn with genuine friendship. And that is the relationship between smaller churches and the bigger churches. The average church size is 75. Mega-churches can boast 1000, 2000, and even 3000 people attending any one Sunday.

It seems to me that big churches need the little churches and vice versa. Yet, little church pastors don't need to hear big church pastors boast of their success and if only the little churches would copy them, they too would have success. And big churches don't need little church pastors who always meet them with a hand out. Our biggest contribution to one another is fellowship in matters of prayer, unity, and reaching the lost. I along with 25 other pastors invite the ministers of all churches to join in the unity movememt. Men, you could bless us more than you could ever realize.

In that regard, let me pass along some plaudits to Dr. Gene Tyre, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Newnan—a large, influential church on the fringe of the metro area. He has linked heart and hand with Rev. Bill Miller, the pastor of a small Assembly of God Church in Newnan. Together, big and little, the two of them will raise the spiritual climate over a depressed and spiritually-starved Coweta County. Praise God!

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