Support Our Little Church with Its Special Purpose
Most of the time we understand church as an organization on earth. Swedenborg recognizes this and calls this form “the church specific.” But he also shaped a powerful perspective on the way church exists as a form of spiritual force. We individually can be understood as a church in action. When we live with love and charity from our commitment to our understanding of God, we are literally a church in action. And when you put all people everywhere on earth who love God and do good in the world, he calls this vast network the universal church.
The Swedenborgian Church of North America, in this schema, is one of scads of “church specifics” in the universal church of God—one I feel is tremendously important. I left ministry training in a large mainline denomination to be a part of this tiny “church specific” because I fell in love with its wisdom. It is little but also widely known. Long ago, I worked with Rev. Edwin Capon on a team ministry, and a certain conversation still stays with me. In response to my frustration with our smallness, he inspired me to value our special purpose of keeping its big spiritual vision speaking in the world. Though the external numbers may be small, its usefulness is beyond measure.
We today have many creative ministries heralding Swedenborg’s message of love, wisdom, and eternal life, and I encourage us all to give to our little “church specific” in meeting its special purpose.
Thank You,
—Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence
President of the Swedenborgian Church of North America
Read the full issue of the November/December 2025 Messenger
Meet Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence
Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence is the president of the Swedenborgian Church of North America. He was the dean of the Center for Swedenborgian Studies for 21 years prior to being elected President in 2022.
