Here’s another positive example in my series on positive examples of churches that have grown while remaining faithful: Wayne Smith and Southland Christian Church in Lexington, KY. Wayne was the preacher at Southland for decades and was the minister who led the church to it’s phenomenal growth. I don’t know much about Southland or the history of the church since Wayne has left, but he is a hero of the faith to me (I believe he’s been retired from there for about 10 years now).
The reason he is a hero of the faith to me is because his style is so much like me. Wayne is not flashy, gaudy, or proud: he is a people person. He has said that he may not be the best preacher, but he would outwork any other preacher. He told me one time at lunch (how’s that for name-dropping?) that the way he grew Southland was by getting out and meeting people, talking to them, and telling them about the Lord. I believe it: he’s got a personality a mile wide and a laugh that can be heard in three counties. He was devoted to the truth and never tired of doing God’s work.
Again, I don’t know much about the church itself, but from what I know about Wayne he serves as a positive example of someone who relied on a zeal for the Lord to lead people to Christ. It was about getting out there to where the lost were and bringing them in. He inspires me to spend more time with people: in the hospitals, in their homes, on the streets, in the church, anywhere the lost are.
And, to explain my name-dropping, his humility is shown in the fact that he took time to have lunch, just him and me. I’m a no-name preacher in a small church, but he took time to encourage me and to give me advice. That’s an elder there, a Paul to a Timothy, an Elder John to his beloved children!
What a great story. I grew up going to Southland. My grandfather and Wayne are cousins so he he was always around when I was a kid. What I remember best are his sermons. He is one of a kind. I’m glad you had that experience.