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Pastoring a small church can be frustrating.

We look around at our big church counterparts and it’s easy to wonder what it would be like if our church had all those resources.

So, sometimes we play the “what if...” game.

We imagine ourselves in those churches, with those resources and we start thinking, if our church was bigger we could...

• Have a worship team
• Hire staff
• Offer age-appropriate Sunday School
• Buy a building (or upgrade the one we can barely pay the mortgage on)
• Have video and live stream
• And so on

That’s true. If your church was bigger you could do those things.

But none of those things are required for a church to be great. To be healthy. To accomplish God’s purposes.

Nice, But Not Necessary

There’s not a single New Testament command to the church that cannot be accomplished by two or three people who love Jesus, each other, and the community they’re called to reach.

While extra resources can be helpful, they’re not necessary. If we think we need more stuff before we can do great ministry, we’ll stay stuck. Not just in size, but in mission.

It’s About the Mission

The churches that have great resources didn’t get them by wishing, whining or begging. They got them by worshiping, working and giving. They went on mission when they were small. When their resources were limited.

But even then, those added resources were not the goal. Not every church that stays passionately and effectively on mission will be blessed with more resources. But that’s okay. The resources aren’t the point. They never were. It’s about the mission.

Love God. Love people. Honor God’s Word.

Any church of any size can do that.

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