What I Learned From the Church in El Salvador

A Theologians Reflections on the Global Church

As I walked off the bus, I was hit with a wave of heat. It was hot—like really hot. You could not escape the heat, and your best attempts to cool down just made you increasingly hotter. I was instantly in a mood. The day before, I had traveled from Charlotte to El Salvador. I was exhausted, and honestly, I was second-guessing this trip with Compassion International. I was excited to learn more about their work in El Salvador, but my schedule, writing projects, work, and family life all had me thinking that the timing for this trip just wasn't the best. Then the heat hit me and pushed me right into a bad mood.

Then something interesting happened as I was walking off the bus. I could hear the sound of singing. I saw children enduring the very same heat I had just experienced, shouting with joy and celebrating our team's arrival. We walked into the church as the service was already underway, and I instantly realized I was here to learn.

The Wrong Mindset: When We Think We're the Saviors

Let me start with an unfortunate reality and mindset for many missionaries or service-oriented Christian workers who enter another country. It's a mindset I can easily slip into.

We are the saviors, we have it all together, and we are here to bring rescue and help.

The problem with this line of thinking, especially for Christians, is that it's wrong. We are not the saviors—we are ones who have been saved by the Savior. We do not have it all together, but Christ Jesus keeps all things together through His sustaining power. We do not bring rescue; we have been recipients of rescue and thus are commissioned to become agents of rescue as Christ and the power of His Spirit work in and through us.

In just the first few minutes of attending a local church in El Salvador, I realized that while I came to serve, I was the one who was to be served. And the way I was served was through further theological development. Here I was, a theologian, and yet I was in desperate need of an ecclesiology (doctrine of the church) lesson from the church in El Salvador.

Four Lessons That Challenged and Encouraged Me

As I opened up my notes file on my phone, I wrote down four things that either challenged me or encouraged me in my walk with Jesus and my understanding of Scripture.

1. Reverence for the Word of God

As the pastor stood and started to read from the Scriptures, without hesitation everyone stood. I know there are some church traditions that still practice this. However, it seems the tendency in our context is to be a bit more familiar with the Scriptures. We read as we sit. We don't even need to open our Bibles because we just read from the screen. But this church in El Salvador held God's Word in such high regard that they stood, they opened their physical Bibles (if they had them), and they read. What really stuck out to me was the momentum of the room as everyone stood. All of us as guests were caught up in the momentum of honor.

When was the last time you were caught up like this? Probably at a sporting event where something amazing happens and everyone breaks out in cheers and applause. You may not even like the team. You may not be interested in the sport. But when something happens in a group of people, the momentum can carry you away with it.

This is what happened with us. We were caught up in the momentum of honoring God's Word, and we all stood in response to the presence of the Scriptures.

2. Corporate Reading (Out Loud) as a Regular Rhythm

As the pastor read the Scriptures, so did everyone else. It was not pretty. It was far from perfect. But it was powerful. There is something that happened in the mess of people trying to find the rhythm and pace of reading out loud—the awkward moments where people started and stopped at different times, the simple nuance of how words were inflected and emphasized—that all fed into this powerful moment.

In our context, we often want a kind of performance and perfection. We hold high "excellence." And part of this is good. But what happens when it's not? Here in the church in El Salvador, the desire for perfection and excellence came second to corporate unity and reading God's Word aloud. It was more important to read the Word together in all the mess than it was for only one person to read with perfection. And this seems so practical and true to life. Life is not perfect; it is messy. And in the midst of all of that mess is a good God who is present with His people.

3. The Preaching Had Little to No Personal Illustrations or Stories

Now, this one may have been the most convicting and challenging for me. I love good stories. I'm a fan of excellent illustrations that connect to the main point of the teaching. And I’ve begun to worry that we may slip into using stories and illustrations as crutches out of fear that the simplicity of God's Word is not sufficient in power to compel people to repentance and prompt them in love and affection for King Jesus. Now, for the sake of clarity, I view this lesson more as a principle than a policy. I am not saying we never use personal illustrations, props (be careful—you may show up on Pastors and Props IG), or stories. I'm just asking us to evaluate how we do so and why we do so.

As the pastor preached Psalm 118, he led us directly to the text. There was not a single personal story. No props. Just God's Word, what it meant, and what it should mean for us today. I think the benefit of this kind of focused preaching is for the congregation as well. We live in a culture that wants gimmicks and wants to be entertained. If the social media post doesn't catch our attention in the first second, we scroll past it. Is this how we are approaching sermons? Is this the heart posture that we should have when it comes to Scripture?

You and I are all being formed by something. The question is: what are we being formed by, and what are we being formed into?

It is good for us to learn to pay attention, fight our tendency to be distracted, and grow in discipline.

4. The Elders Were Given a Seat of Honor

It wasn't until the very end of the service that I looked over and realized that there were two sections in the very front that were reserved. You would think this would be for elders, deacons, or prominent church members. But no, it was for new guests and for elders in the community. The elders were given a place of honor. They were celebrated and loved. The children went up to them and hugged them. They were not left as an afterthought. They were at the forefront (literally the front) of the concern for the gathered church.

Why is this important? Because of the wisdom there is to be learned from these faithful saints. Because of what it teaches us about human frailty and our needs as we age. There is something holy about this very simple but significant practice.

The Point: The Church Was Not Self-Centered, but Others-Focused

What amazed me about this church was its impact in the community. The church doubled during the week as a center to provide teaching, education, and resources for the community. This was even more special for my wife Brittany and me, because our little girl Alanis, whom we sponsor through Compassion, was being served by this local church. The church in El Salvador was living out its rich heritage of Acts 2, where everyone gave as they were able to meet the needs of the community.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42–47, CSB)

A Personal Response: Bless 40 Kids for My 40th Birthday

My wife, Brittany and I were so inspired that we decided to sponsor three more kids from El Salvador to correlate to each of our own kids and their birth months. I also realized that this year I turn 40 years old. Kind of crazy for me. And I want to do something for my 40th birthday that is less about me and more about others. I have been so inspired by the church in El Salvador that I want to bring you an opportunity to equip and serve the global church through a special partnership with Compassion International.

The entire Muddamalle family wants to invite you to join a "40 Kids for Joel's 40th Birthday" challenge. We would love to sponsor 40 kids. When you sponsor a child, you are also equipping the local church that is partnering with Compassion to serve that child through food, educational needs, and medical care. Will you join us?

(P.S - when you go to the link you can filter by location, and sponsor some kiddos in El Salvador if that is where the Holy Spirit leads you!)

P.P.S - This is an example of the needs of the community. Alanis and her family have a business where they sell breakfast and lunch from a “cart.” Britt and I were so excited to run to the store and get them an upgraded cart and cooking resources to invest in their vocation. When you support your kiddo, you will also be supporting the family which is amazing.