After the presidential election, I read a lot about the Republican “brand.” Nearly every living pundit was talking about how the Republicans needed to repair the damage the election had done to it. The word “brand,” of course, is marketing jargon for reputation and public image. I’ll leave the politics to others, but I think a group in definite need of brand revival is small churches.
Let’s face it: small churches, like Rodney Dangerfield, get no respect. Or at least very little. Small congregations typically are viewed as stodgy, dead, or sick–that last one according to a very prominent church consultant who will remain anonymous. Here, in my opinion, are a host of wrong perceptions held by many:
- Small churches are stuck in the past with no vision for the future.
- Small churches don’t want to grow.
- Small churches are pastor-killers.
- Small churches don’t have the resources to do real ministry.
- Small churches are run by a handful of people.
- Small churches are dead, dull, and boring.
I am sure we could find small churches that would live up to each of those perceptions. But I have also seen larger churches exhibit the same characteristics. Why is it, then, that small churches get such a bad rap? Numbers. Small churches don’t have the numbers to validate their success, and our culture is all about numbers, even in ministry.
Here’s an example: last year a prominent denomination offered a “small church” conference. Just offering a small church conference was a minor miracle, but guess who was asked to speak? You guessed it–large-church pastors. The clear message to those small-church pastors who attended was, “Come to this small church conference and we’ll teach you how to make your small church into a big church.”
Don’t get me wrong, I am not against church growth. But not every small church is going to turn into a big church. Take my town, for instance. Chatham, Virginia has a population of 1,300 people. That’s the whole town. In the town limits there are eight churches within walking distance of each other. Divide the entire town population up evenly and that’s a whopping 162 people for each church. Of course, they don’t all come, so actual attendance will be less. Every small church doesn’t need to become a big church.
But let me tell you what we’ve done with the 80 people in our congregation. In the past five years, we have:
- Started a Boys and Girls Club after-school program that reaches 50 kids per day.
- Started a community music school with 30 students who take violin, cello, piano, guitar, and voice.
- Enlarged our community vacation Bible school from 60 to over 200.
- Offered free family movies in our parking lot with up to 70 people in attendance.
- Hosted music concerts featuring world-class artists from Italy, Ireland, and the United States.
- Co-founded a monthly teen open mic night to give kids a place to perform.
I could go on, but you get the idea. And our church is not alone in these undertakings. I have interviewed dozens of small-church pastors whose churches are feeding the hungry, building housing for the homeless, going on mission trips, using the arts to engage their communities, and meeting needs on a scale to match many larger congregations. When small-church conferences are scheduled, these are the pastors that should be asked to speak.
Why do small churches need a brand revival? Because the stories of small churches doing effective ministry are not being told with frequency and passion. I have nothing against large churches or their ministries, but small churches play a vital role in every community in this nation. It’s time the small-church brand experienced a revival of respect and admiration.
