Preparation for Harvest by Bishop Toby S. Morgan
Summer 2024 ISSUE | 4 minute read
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!” Jeremiah 8:20
I consider the statement of Jeremiah one of the saddest utterances in the entirety of scripture. Lamenting the decline of his nation, and the impending judgement, he was moved to tears. If only Judah had listened, and prepared herself before the Lord, catastrophe could have been averted. But they had failed to prepare during the summer for harvest, so the season which should have brought immense joy was filled instead with sorrow.
Elmer Towns espoused the idea that the growth of the church resembled a two-hump camel, with Spring and Fall being the two spikes in growth. Naturally, Summer and Winter are times for readying things for the next season. He was not wrong then, nor is his advice today. There is something about the Fall which lends itself to harvest. After all, three of the great feasts of Israel took place in the Fall. Trumpets, which called for repentance and confession, was followed by Atonement, which led the people to peace with God because of the covering of the blood. Then came Tabernacles, an eight-day time of rejoicing over the harvest. Incidentally, this time of gathering to rejoice is prophesied for all nations in the age to come (Zechariah 14:16).
We find ourselves in Summer, the season just before the exciting time of harvest. However, if we expect to reap in the Fall, we must prepare in the Summer. What we do now, in the heat of Summer, will have a direct bearing on what we reap in the months to come. The time to prepare for harvest is not after Summer has ended, but now, when there is time to get ready for the harvest God intends.
Preparation includes planning. What dedicated events will your congregation conduct this Fall to attract unchurched people? How will your church take advantage of some built-in opportunities to reach the unchurched around your location? When new people and new families attend your church for the first time, how will your church react? Will those unsure, perhaps on-edge, people who risk showing up at your church on a Sunday this Fall feel welcome and loved, or like intruders into a family reunion? What will your church do to follow- up on these intrepid souls and assure them of their place in your congregation? The time to ask such questions and plan for the harvest is not in September, but now!
Preparation includes promoting. It involves telling the same story over and over. When you think you have promoted an event or a special weekend enough, promote some more. Tell your story over and over and over and over… you get the message. Make sure your congregation and community know the story of your church.
Preparation includes partnering. Harvest is not a one-man job. Neither is preparing. Include as many congregants as possible in the preparation time as well as in the harvesting efforts. Those with outgoing personalities can make face-to-face visits, or personal calls to the unchurched while the more introverted can create social media contacts or send mail to the unchurched, inviting them to come to an event.
Preparation includes prayer. Actually, without prayer, everything else is dead in the water. Never forget harvest is a spiritual business. Regardless of the giftedness of the tiller of the ground or the sower of the seed, it is God who gives the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:7). Time spent in prayer, passionate and purposeful prayer, will result in the Lord of the Harvest investing Himself in our efforts. When He is involved, we will do more in three months than in a lifetime without His blessing. Pray privately. Pray corporately. Pray specifically. Pray with anticipation.
None of us know how much longer we have left to impact the harvest around us. For sure we are nearing the end of the era in America where we can freely declare the whole gospel without negative reprisals. We cannot afford to let this Summer pass without making preparation for the Fall harvest. People who need Christ are depending upon us to act. Start now and watch what God pours into your life and church as He blesses your preparation.
Bishop Toby S. Morgan
State Administrative Bishop
Virginia Church of God State Office