As I travel across the country singing, I’ve learned that
most churches aren’t interested in being ministered to anymore. They would
rather be entertained, and I can usually
tell within the first 10 minutes what condition the church is in spiritually.
It’s different in every church, and isn’t necessarily based on the size of the
church.
While it’s true that you’ll normally receive a higher
offering in a larger church, I’m not concerned with the amount of money I
receive. I’ve sang in some churches and was given no offering at all. Most of
the small churches can’t afford to pay you because they’re suffering
financially, and often times spiritually. These are the churches that I love to
go in and minister.
I recently went to sing at a small church in Arab, AL., and
when the service started, there were only 10 people in the crowd plus me.
Eleven people total. About ¾ of the way through the service, I could feel a
strong presence of the Holy Spirit, and the atmosphere in the sanctuary began
to change. I knew then, that I was going to be able to minister to this church.
I felt a shift in the tone and mood of the congregation, and I was led to pray for
the Pastor and his wife. As I felt the leading of the Holy Spirit to do so, I
paused the music between the songs and called the Pastor and his wife to the
front of the church. I said “I have to pray for you and your wife.” I then
called the other eight people in the church to make their way to the altar, and
we laid hands on the Pastor and his wife. We prayed and the Holy Spirit moved
on them. As I began to sing again, I felt the need to preach, and I was definitely not used to preaching in the middle of my singing. I knew God had something to say to this small group of believers. I began to preach, exhort and encourage the church to continue pushing forward. I began to prophesy according to my faith, and proclaimed that “God will be sending the harvest. This church will see growth again!” I again felt the leading to pray for the people, and so I asked them to all join me in the altar. As they came forward, it was revealed who was in need of prayer. As we laid hands on them, they began to cry out to God for healing. As we finished praying, I was completely drained of my energy and tired. Then, the Pastor began to speak to the small crowd of believers saying how he enjoyed having me to their church. He then said, “I know God came by here tonight. We’re Baptist, and we don’t lay hands on each other.” A prayer was said and the congregation was dismissed.
As I began to start tearing down my equipment, I noticed the members were gathering around the Pastor at the back door talking. I saw one older gentleman with tears rolling down his cheeks ask the Pastor, “Is that confirmation enough for you?” I knew that God had used me to minister to a group of His hurting children. That is the most awesome feeling in the world, when you know that you allowed God to use you.
It reminded me of the days when I would preaching at 1:30 in the morning each week. For a period of 2-3 years, I preached at 1:30 am for night shift workers. Sometimes I would preach to three, and at other times, I preached to over 30 people at 1:30 in the morning. Jesus said where two or more would gather together, He would be in the midst of them. I’d rather be ministering in a small church every Sunday, than to be entertaining in a large church even once. I travel from church to church off of the kindness of the people in the churches where I minister, but I never demand a certain amount of money. I’ve never had to, because God has provided for my every need. I’m not about putting on a show to make you feel better about your sin. I’m ready to minister to you, so you can be forgiven of you sin.
I truly believe we are living in the last days, and we do
live in a negative world. Just to clarify, I’m not against large churches or
even having fun in church. Yes, it’s perfectly okay to entertain people when
you sing, but you must learn to recognize when the Holy Spirit speaks to you to
minister. I speak with Pastors each week, who simply can’t afford to bring
singers to their churches, even on a love offering. The fact of the matter is,
if God has a place for me to minister, He will make a way for me to get there
and back home, even if there is no promise of an offering. Ministering at 1:30 in the morning, I've seen my fair share on multiple occasions of God being at work. God walks with me, and I walk close to Him. I can do nothing without Him.
I personally believe that my talent is a gift to be used as a
blessing to the church. So, if you’re a Pastor who would love to have a singer
to come and be a blessing to your church, call my office. Don’t deny me the
opportunity to walk in the call of God upon my life. We must encourage and lift
one another up. I look forward to being in service with you soon!
Nate Fortner - Christian Country Music
256-706-3315
Visit me online at: www.NateFortner.com
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