I did a dirt experiment.  I wanted to grow some spinach seedlings to transplant into our veggie patch.   I picked up the cheapest bag of dirt at the local garden supply store - $2.99.   The dirt looked clumpy, full of bits and pieces of who knows what.   I dropped the seeds into the individual pods of 'cheap' dirt.   It took a long time for the seeds to germinate, and I kept losing one young sapling after another.   I reseeded with near similar results.   I then bought a more expensive bag of dirt -- dirt made specifically to grow plants from seeds.   The seeds came up almost overnight (so it seemed).   Every pod of dirt has young healthy saplings -- holding promise to yield a great harvest of spinach once transplanted into our garden.   Yes, dirt matters.

This experiment was reinforced when I began reading Jim Powell's book. Dirt Matters (Westbow Press:2013) .   In fact, reading this book reminded me of my experiment.   For example, Powell writes:   "Whenever we get our priorities out of order, we should not expect God's full blessing.   The Lord is clear that He wants His church to produce fruit and make a redemptive difference in the world (John 15:1-6).   Yet the Scriptures are equally clear that God is the one who gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-8).   Out job is to be faithful in doing the Lord's will.  That involved planting the seed, of course, but ultimately how we plant is not nearly as importance as what we plant and the soil in which it's planted." (pp. 13-14)   The rest of his book addresses the importance of church culture and Powell identifies a number of key values that provide the foundation for a healthy, vibrant, and effective congregation.  Without good soil, the harvest is limited.   This is true in sowing spinach seeds.  This is equally true in the life of a church.   Misplaced priorities will result in gospel ineffectiveness.   Dirt matters.

As Reformed Christians and churches we have long emphasized the priorites of Biblical-based preaching and God-glorifying worship.   And for the most part these priorities are in order.   And that is a good thing.   Having said this, however, as Christians part of the CRCA, we also recognise that there are other aspects of our church culture that need further cultivation.   What aspects?   For one, prayerful dependence upon God.   Imagine a church culture where individuals continually cry out to God for such an outpouring of his Spirit that people will be assured of his love through his Word, seek to please the Saviour in all things, manifest the godly life and be filled with prayerful and sacrificial compassion for the lost in all the world.   PRAY!

In the CRCA we also talk a lot about church health and church growth.   We put it like this:  “To grow healthy churches which nurture and equip their members and, by God’s grace, expand numerically, become the mother-churches of as many fellowships and congregations as possible, and take further initiatives to penetrate structures of society with the gospel.”   What is this really saying?   This is really about a culture in the church where people desire their church to make an impact.   Impact both inside and outside of the church community.   Communities being impacted by the start-up of new churches.   A country being impacted as the structures of society are shaped by righteousness and peace, grace and truth.   GROW!  

And then there is the whole task of discipleship and leadership.   What task?   "To equip our church members to be disciples of Christ and multiply the number of well-trained leaders (ordained, non-ordained, full time, part time, voluntary) who are actively involved in God's mission."   Again, what does this has to do with the culture in a church?   It is about a culture of ongoing intentional ministry formation.    Church members continually shaped by the gospel.   Church leaders continually being raised up.   TRAIN!

When we refer to things like prayerful dependence upon God, sustained impact, and ongoing ministry formation we are not really talking about things we must do, but rather, we are talking about dirt.   We are referring to the culture in a church.  Not what we do, but who we are!   These things are the foundation for a healthy, vibrant, and effective congregation.    When sermons are preached, songs are sung, and church programs happen in a culture where the priorities of prayer, grow, and train are paramount amazing things can happen.   Imagine the converse.   Sermons being preached, songs are sung, and church programs happening where there is little or no prayerful dependence upon God, no real desire to impact people and communities, and no real desire to grow in Christ-likeness and seeing leaders multiplied.  I suspect the latter will produce a church that is full of leaves with little or no fruit - just like the fig tree that Jesus cursed (read Mark 11).  It is no wonder that many churches just wither away.   Like some of my spinach plants -- the problem was with the dirt!   

See, dirt matters.   The culture of a church matters.   If the priorities of a church are in good order, if first things are first, if the soil is right, then expect a good harvest.   As our Lord Jesus pointed out, seeds sown on good soil will come up, grow, and produce a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times. (read Mark 4:1-20).   Dirt matters.