Growing Smaller And Smaller

The chapter title "Growing Smaller and Smaller ... Until We Take Over The World" seems a bit like a riddle at first. Surely to be effective we need to grow bigger. Not so says Shane Claiborne.

He compares the church's desire to grow big and powerful to the temptation Jesus faced in the desert (the only difference being that Jesus resisted) and quotes Mother Theresa "We can do not great things. Only small things with great love." and another woman who told him "If the devil can't steal your soul, he'll just keep you busy doing meaningless church work."

He despairs at the spending on massive new buildings, while neglecting the poor - comparing it to a father who builds a mansion while failing to feed his children. He realises the point of view that growth enables more good work to be done, but says that in reality, the bigger a church grows, the more its budget focusses inward on its own operating expenses.

Shane suggests this is part of why offerings are small. We have an inate passion for the poor, and if the church cares more about facilities, then we donate less to the church and find more effective ways to give to those in need.

The other thing is that having 'corporate' space keeps us at arm's length from each other. Our private property becomes just that - private. We don't gather in kitchens, around dining tables, in lounge rooms or backyards because we don't have to - and our community is weaker for it.

The chapter finishes by looking at the mustard seed featured in parables. It doesn't grow into a towering tree - just a small bush. But it's a bush that pops up everywhere, and is quickly all over the landscape.