There is an urban myth about a bet a group of writers and hangers-on made with Ernest Hemmingway one evening during a night of drinking in Paris.
His friends wagered that he could not write a short story in six words. They each put over $100 in francs on the table.
Hemmingway took a napkin and wrote the following:
For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.
He won the bet.
Too Small-An Obsession with Numbers
A similar mindset exists in many organizations about the value of size. Growing larger is the basic criteria for success.
I was reminded of this obsession with numbers, not from the siren calls for mergers among credit unions, but rather from an observation on the decline of churches in America:
A church with 1,000 people can be a dysfunctional mess, filled with shallow believers, making zero impact in their local community.
And a church of 30 people can live out the faith, change lives and be true to the Gospel.
Is my church too small? That’s the wrong question to ask.
Instead, ask whether your church is healthy?
Insert the word credit union for churches; repeat the question.
Amen!