Normally I save the answer to my titles until the end. It is a great way to draw you in and make you stay until the end. But is this case I will answer the title now. Is there hope for the smaller church, I hope so since the average church size is 75 worshippers on Sunday morning. The question isn’t is there hope, the question is how can the smaller church meet the needs of the sojourner?

 

In a survey by Leadership, it revealed that 90% of new members will stay in the church if:
1. They can articulate their faith (implies the need for membership and evangelism classes),
2. They belong to subgroups (i.e. a choir, Bible Studies, Sunday School classes, etc.),
3. They have 4-8 close friendships within the church. – Leadership, IV, 3, p. 46.

The needs are not sized-based they are relationship-centered. People what to know how to share what they believe and they want to belong to something bigger than themselves. In this post, I will share four simple things any church regardless of size should focus on to create healthy churches.

  1.  Pastors of healthy churches model evangelism.
Photo by Markus Spiske temporausch.com on Pexels.com

I learned a valuable lesson early in my ministry. I can’t shepherd, lead or send people somewhere I am not willing to go first. It is an issue of integrity. How can I send my people in the battle while I sit back at the church and cheer them on? This quote by President Eisenhower is powerful.

To be a leader, a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality of a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man’s associates find him guilty of phoniness, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose. – Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bits & Pieces, September 15, 1994, p. 4.

There are no evangelistic churches of any size where the pastor is not leading in evangelism. The church exists to share the gospel. The gospel is what gets us up in the morning, sustains us in face of the battle, it is our hope and it is the foundation in healthy churches.

If leaders simply assume evangelism is taking place you may be very disappointed. As the opening survey showed members are waiting and often willing to learn how to articulate the faith. They need a constant encouraging reminder of the priority of evangelism.

2.  Healthy churches reproduce.

This is where I get the biggest pushback. People will say how can we reproduce we are just barely surviving. Any kind of healthy organism reproduces. Now reproduction occurs in many ways. Going back to the survey again people desire to apart of something, bible class, choirs, Sunday School. The most natural way to reproduce in the smaller church is through the group interaction in your congregation.

Don’t think big church here, but by adding one new class a year would produce growth.

Key Questions to Ask:

a. What is your strategy for creating new discipleship/spiritual formation opportunities?
b. How are you developing and empowering new leaders?

3.  They have a missional presence in the community.

Photo by Dhyamis Kleber on Pexels.com

No matter what size your church is you need a presence outside your walls. One question a community leader asked me early in my ministry was: “If your church doors closed tomorrow would there be a community outcry?” So, I pose the question to you. If your church would close tomorrow would your community even notice? Healthy churches are intentional about their engagement in the life of the local community.

Key Questions to Ask:
a. How is your church connecting with people outside the church?
b. How is your day to day ministry activities showing your love and care for the community?
c. Are you establishing deep relationships in the community?

Talk with your local civic leaders and ask what needs aren’t being met and partner with them to meet those needs. Be that church that the community would miss.

4. Small churches need to play to their strengths.

Photo by fauxels on Pexels.com

Finally, the last point in the survey was about relationships. One of the strengths of a small church is close relationships. Small churches are more like a family than an organization. Everyone knows everyone, so instead of seeing that as a negative use that to your advantage. People coming into a church are seeking meaningful relationships. Play to your strength, just be careful not to become inwardly focused. Make room in your fellowship for newcomers.

I pray this post encouraged you. That you see as a small church you have some much to offer. This was written to be an encouragement to the church at large so feel free to share. More to come next week.

 

Other related posts:

My Church is Small, So What?

Why Aren’t the Younger Generation Coming To Worship?

Eight Signs Your Church is At-Risk

2 thoughts on “Is There Hope for Small Churches?”
  1. Nancy E. Head – United States – Writer and teacher Nancy E. Head was a single mother with five children under the age of 14 when she attended Penn State to earn a bachelor’s degree in English and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Her career took a journalistic turn from radio news to newspaper reporting, then education before she returned to the classroom to secure a master’s degree in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Currently an instructor at Penn State Altoona and Great Commission Schools, she also spent two summers teaching English in Asia and is a Distinguished Toastmaster. When not teaching or writing, she restores antique quilts, crafts projects for her grandchildren, and helps her husband lead a small group at their church devoted to ministering to the needy in their community.
    Nancy E. Head says:

    What great advice for the small church. Sometimes it’s those congregations that bring awakening to neighborhoods that spread out into communities and really change things for people. God bless!

Comments are closed.