what is growing small?
It’s our way of saying
We want to go where the Spirit is going.
In Acts 8 we see the church shift from being a place you go to a people who go. That's what we're after at Third: not simply a larger church, but a more distributed one. More like seeds scattered across Richmond than a skyscraper rising at the corner of Forest and Silverspring.
The same Spirit who scattered the early church across the known world is at work in Richmond right now. We hope you will join us in this movement.
Growing Small means:
Meeting people where they are |
The Spirit enables us to meet people where they are, speaking in ways that are personal and particular to their background and culture. The miracle of Pentecost wasn't that God made everyone speak one language — it was that God spoke to each person in their own heart language. God speaks people fluently, and he calls us to learn to do the same.. |
Showing Up for One Another |
We show up for one another in real, embodied relationships — getting small enough for people to belong, to be known, and to work through conflict in ways that are honoring and life-giving. Crowds can impress people, but only community can heal them. |
Crossing boundaries |
We cross boundaries and extend the grace of Jesus to people we would never have naturally chosen, across culture, class, generation, or ideology, because the Spirit who sends us is always moving ahead of us into places we never planned to go. |
Trusting ordinary people |
We trust ordinary people, not just the professionals, to carry the grace of Jesus into the world. One of the most striking things about Acts is that the most dynamic moments of the church's growth didn't happen through the apostles but through scattered, ordinary Christians showing up in neighborhoods, workplaces, riverbanks, and dinner tables. The mission of Jesus was never meant to be carried by a few trained people at the center. It moves through everyone. |
Measuring success differently |
We measure success not just by how full our sanctuary is, but by how much joy we bring to our city — whether our neighbors are genuinely glad we're here, whether our presence reduces loneliness, increases beauty, and makes life more hopeful. |