When God Sends a Friend to a Faithful Shepherd

Small flock, mighty Shepherd.

It was a warm summer evening just outside the small rural town in Michigan.

The small church building sat neatly on its patch of land, the kind of building that had stood faithfully for decades — clean, cared for, and quietly testifying that God’s people still met here.

Inside, ten souls gathered for midweek service. The pastor greeted me with a firm handshake, his eyes searching mine with a mixture of warmth and curiosity. I could tell my presence was unexpected. Soon, between hymn preparation, hugs among the congregants, and handshakes, he began to explain — not in complaint, but with a touch of self-consciousness — why the crowd was small.

In recent years, the church has experienced five different splits. They would grow to about fifty, only for conflict to break out and another group to leave. Now, about thirty people called the place home.

It’s a story I’ve heard more than once. In many small towns and rural communities, churches go through cycles like this — seasons of promise followed by heartbreak, each one leaving a little more scar tissue.

The Hand of the Lord

That night, the pastor preached from Proverbs 21:1:

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

His message was simple but strong: the hand of the Lord rules, provides, protects, guides, strengthens, heals, and promotes. It was the kind of sermon that reminds you that the size of the congregation doesn’t determine the size of the truth being preached.

And yet, as I would learn after the service, the most powerful testimony that evening wasn’t in the sermon outline — it was in the story of God’s hand at work in a pastor’s loneliness.

The Friendship That God Sent

As we talked, the pastor remembered my father-in-law, George Cripe. Years ago, in a particularly lonely season, George had walked into that same church. He came not with a program or an agenda, but with a cup of coffee and a willingness to listen.

George wasn’t there every week, but whenever he came, it mattered. Sometimes he arrived with bread from the food bank. Other times, he came simply to sit and share life. From his office, the pastor could see the camera feed from the end of the hallway, pointed toward the glass front door. Every so often, he’d hear that familiar knock, knock, knock—and there was George.

The pastor said something that stayed with me:

“The Lord knew what I needed and when I needed it.”

That’s the quiet power of friendship in ministry. It doesn’t make the headlines, but it can keep a weary shepherd from giving up.

There were times this pastor would call him to come down and preach, but Pastor George was usually backed up about three months preaching in churches and helping to strengthen them.

The Widespread Need

Pastors in small churches often carry a double weight — the visible challenges of a small, sometimes divided congregation, and the invisible burden of isolation. In larger churches, there’s usually a team, a staff, or a network of peers nearby. In rural churches, the shepherd often stands alone.

Revitalization isn’t always about strategy meetings or building projects. Sometimes, it begins when God sends a friend. A George.

A Call to Be a George

If you know a pastor in a small or struggling church, consider what a simple act of friendship could mean:

• A phone call that doesn’t ask for anything.

• A visit just to share coffee and listen.

• A small, thoughtful gift to meet a practical need.

• A faithful prayer that isn’t just promised but carried out.

We can’t all lead a revitalization effort, but we can all be used by God to strengthen the heart of a faithful shepherd.

Because the same hand of the Lord that turns the king’s heart also directs our steps — sometimes right to the side of someone who needs us most.

I love and miss my father-in-law

Be A George!

My mother-in-law is still faithfully fighting the good fight!

Pray for her!