Dear Elim Grace,

That’s how I begin everything I write publicly as a pastor. “Dear Elim Grace”. I do this because you are the “reader” or the “listener”. I am writing to you as your pastor. You are the context for what I have to say — our church, our mission, our vision. This serves as a protective measure as well. If I don’t specify to whom I am writing, anyone can take what I am saying as directed towards them. They might take exception. Take it out of context. So publicly stating or naming that it is you I am writing for has helped me discern what to say, when and how.

That’s not always been the case though. There was a season when I assumed an audience. Where I assumed everyone needed and wanted to hear what I had to say. That simply wasn’t and isn’t true. And, I would argue, isn’t true of most of us.

When you share a thought, give an opinion, post your observation, deliver your criticism, to whom exactly are you writing? Do you have a name and face in mind?

What if we’re not created to carry the weight of knowing the news from all around the world? What if we’re created to carry with grace the weight of what’s happening within the boundaries of our own dwelling? Our home, our neighborhood, our workplace, our church, our town or city, our sphere of influence? So what if our insights and opinions and criticisms are meant to be shared not with the many but with the few? What if you were created to influence not everyone but someone? What if your words matter less to many but more to a few than you think?

Here’s what I’ve come to realize as your pastor (and I hope model well for you):

1. As much as I want to “change the world,” God didn’t call me to “the world”. He hasn’t given me a platform that includes everyone everywhere. The bottom line is most people don’t care and most people don’t know who I am. Still, I know who I am writing to. Who is your “audience”? It can’t be no one and it can’t be everyone. Don’t assume your audience, know your audience.

2. God has called me to Elim Grace. A very specific people, a very specific context. Knowing my “audience” has freed and enabled me to write with confidence and clarity. I know whom I serve (God) and the people I am called to serve (Elim Grace). So I name you, “Dear Elim Grace”. My words are addressed to you. They have nuance and tone specific to you. While some may “overhear” outside of Elim Grace, they are not my primary responsibility. You are. I write with you in my heart. Do you know your “audience”? Does your “audience” know you? If so, name them. 

3. God blesses me through, in and because of my relationship to you. And He blesses you through, in and because of your personal relationship with others. Better said, with “one another”. Your voice can only grow as you walk in humility and faithfulness to “one another”. To the one who is faithful in little and to a few, to them more and many may be given. But not a single one of us starts with more and many. We all start with little and a few. Who are the few that you love? The few that love you? That trust your voice?

Dear Elim Grace, the voice we’ve been given has a much smaller reach and influence than we may imagine. The truth is we overestimate the impact our voice has on many and we underestimate the impact our voice has on a few. But it is more likely through a few that you will have an impact on many. Those few are the “context” for your life. So think of them. Name them. Address them. Love them. Serve them. Let their life shape and direct your words.