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Mitch Todd About Mitch

Minimum Occupancy

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." —Matthew 18.20

293. That's the number that literally hangs over my head.

After each of my services on Sunday morning, I stand at the rear center door and shake people's hands. Directly over my head there's a sign that most would never even notice. It says, "Occupancy 293."

Sometime around the construction of our sanctuary, a Fire Marshall must have come through, looked at the space, and determined 293 as the room's maximum occupancy. Let me just say that I shake a lot fewer hands than that after a worship service at my church. We may have gotten into the low 220's at a funeral or two, but most of the time that sign seems sadly irrelevant.

You know what I wish? I wish that 293 wasn't the maximum occupancy. I wish it was the minimum occupancy! I wish that, by the law of the land, it was deemed unsafe for us to worship with any less than 293 people. Wouldn't that be cool? People would be inviting friends, neighbors, coworkers, just to ensure we met our minimum quota for worship.

Every service would be filled to the brim! People would raise the roof with their singing. The feeling would be electric in this standing-room-only environment. With crowds like that, filling every pew, more people would surely come, necessitating more 293-attendee worship services. Wow. Things would really be hopping. There'd be no stopping us. What do you think? Does 293 sound like a good minimum number to you?

The thing is, Jesus already set the minimum occupancy number: Two or three. That's all it takes to be a legitimate worship experience, according to the scripture above. Two or three folks will do the trick. Apparently Jesus wasn't as worried about numbers as some of us are.

Jesus knew what he was doing when he set our minimum occupancy. Worship completes the circuit between God and God's people. All you need is a couple faithful folks to make that connection happen. Being a spirit-filled church isn't about how many bodies are in the pews or chairs. What it is about is fire. The fire of the Holy Spirit should fill us in worship... like the best feeling we've ever felt, the most exciting news we've ever heard, the greatest passion we've ever experienced.

When worship really works, that fire is ignited in us... and we just can't help but share it. That's the way a church grows. That's the reason pews get filled: Not because of a quota. Because of the awesome fire.

No matter the size of your church, there's a flame meant to be passed.

Just don't tell the Fire Marshall.

Have a Great Week,

Mitch
rmitchelltodd@yahoo.com