Impressions

The ROC Church tends to leave an impression. It is sometimes positive and sometimes negative, but you won't walk away without being impacted.

Dr. Howard Culbertson, Professor of Missions at Southern Nazarene University, recently sent me this message of the impression ROC Church made on a college student from Russia.

Right now I'm teaching a section of Ministry, Church and Society online. Last week one of the students, Olga Kozhevnikova, mentioned the ROC church in one of her posts. I asked her permission to share it with you and she agreed I could do that:

"I agree with pastor Mark that church is not just a building, but a group of believers. When I went to ROC Church of the Nazarene in Bethany district I was surprised that a [airplane] hangar outside is a church inside. In my mind were the following words: "This metal construction cannot be a church, the church should be beautiful". But when I sat down and the service began, I realized how wrong I was. All people, rich or poor did not care about the look of the church. They came here to be with Christ and other Christians and it seemed that they did not care about the look at all. I did not hear any complaints about reconstructing it into a "real" church and make it nicer. People, that is what matters in church. The building does not mean anything."

One of the founders of our Nazarene tribe, Phineas Bresee, once said:

What must He think of His people today, spending their time and strength and the money which would feed the hungry and clothe the naked and send the gospel to the unsaved, in placing stone upon stone, building massive towers, carving forms of beauty, adding elaborate and expensive adornments, putting thousands of dollars into grand organs, and all tending to drive the poor form the portals of the so-called house of the Lord.

and: We want places so plain that every board will say welcome to the poorest.

and: Let the Church of the Nazarene be true to its commission; not great and elegant buildings; but to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, and wipe away the tears of sorrowing and gather jewels for His diadem.

The impression that Olga was left with was that the church is not a building. I hope we never forget it is not about the building... it is all about His mission... it is all about people - People! May we stay true to those roots.