Hello to all my lovely readers, let me preface this article by saying if you have not watched this video before reading this article, I hope you will watch it.

Mr. Stanley,

Allow me to begin by introducing myself. My name is Lauren Bearden. I am 20 years old, and I grew up in and still attend a small church. This weekend, a discussion about a topic in one of your sermons was ignited at my dinner table. However, unlike everyone else at the table, I had not seen the video to which they were referring. I asked for the clip to be sent over to me so I could watch it later and see what all the fuss was about.

When I started watching your video, I originally agreed with you. Some of my closest friends have been the ones I have grown up with, or met through church. However, then you began to speak on topics that I mostly did not agree with. I know that big churches have amazing group opportunities, and I think it is great because I know that it may bring people in and help church attendance grow. However, when you began talking about how people who don’t go to a church large enough to separate their middle and high school-aged children are selfish, you lost me. Now in my church, we do separate based on age during Sunday school, and while there aren’t hundreds of kids in these groups, it has always been enough to grow and learn about Christ. I have gone there my whole life, made lifelong friendships, and I know I could call upon anyone in our church anytime I needed. Those people are my family and my support system in Christ. I don’t believe that my parents were selfish by bringing me there. I also don’t believe I miss out on any more blessings than you may have in your large congregation churches. Remember the Lord said in the Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Now, I want to make one thing crystal clear; I am not condemning the big church, or saying you’re selfish for taking your children there. I simply believe that there is no place for judgment about how other people worship in a sermon that should be about the Lord. As it says in Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

Whether it is a big church or small church, the importance should be placed on feeling his presence and the sinner being saved, not on who can run the biggest programs or have the most people fill rows or circles on Sunday mornings. It is never about our accomplishments and us; the focus should always be on the Lord. Because one day, our savior is going to come back and when he does, the redeemed are going with him. I know I will be in that number, and Mr. Stanley, I truly hope you will be too.