2019
You don’t have to be a big church, you need to be a faithful church.”
I’ve said and written that, or some version of that, so many times I’ve lost count.
On the other hand, I’ve read and heard other Christian leaders say “it’s not enough ...
In recent years, I’ve spent a lot of time ministering in churches of various sizes, styles, denominations and regions of the world.
Because most of my work involves resourcing small churches, a lot of that time has been spent in rural communities, agricultural areas and ...
Some skills can be practiced in private. Some have to be worked out in the hard, cold spotlight in front of other people.
Writing is the first kind of skill. You can tweak it with no one watching. For instance, I made a bunch of mistakes in this article that you will never see, ...
Why do I love small churches?
Because I love the church.
It’s really hard to love the church and not have a warm spot for smaller congregations. They are, after all, the most common representation of the gathered body of Christ.
Also, I love small churches because I’m ...
There are a lot of small churches in the world.
By most estimates, over 90 percent of churches are under 200, and over 80 percent are under 100. In fact, it’s not unusual for half of the congregations within a denomination to have 50 or fewer people in attendance.
So why ...
There are a lot of spiritual seekers and spiritual orphans around.
And there are more every day. Including those who seemed to be firm in their faith.
Many long-time believers, even church leaders, are making statements questioning their faith. Others are taking a break from church ...
Last week, I came across a wonderful Twitter thread. I asked the writer, Matt Henslee, if he would edit it into a blog post that I could use here. He had just done so for his own website, but he also gave me permission to pass it along to you. (Karl Vaters)
What is the minimum viable size for a church?
It’s a big question. One that pastors, denominational leaders and church planters ask a lot.
But the truth is, there is no minimum viable size for a church.
None.
What We Need A Minimum Size To Be Viable For
So why do we think there ...
The body of Christ is made up of many parts.
Various denominations, liturgies, styles, and sizes.
And nowhere is that variety more evident, more delightful or (let’s be honest) more frustrating than in the amazing menagerie of small churches.
Big churches matter. Medium-size ...
For many years, church growth experts taught pastors how to do ministry by demographic groups. Decide the type of person your church is targeting, then design everything you do to reach that kind of person.
There were a lot of big churches built that way. And a lot of small churches ...
Some pastors are called to do ministry in a big church. But most are called to small church ministry.
So how do you know which one you’re called to? Is there a way to figure this out without trying and failing at one or the other?
In my decades of personal ministry experience ...
If we want to be heard by a lot of people, we can make our opinion known on social media. The angrier and more controversial, the more responses we’ll get. But we won’t really be changing anyone’s mind, just reaffirming what they already (think they) know.
If ...
Can a church be too big?
Yes.
Can a church be too small?
Also, yes.
Does that mean there’s an ideal size for a church?
No.
No Ideal Size
While there may be an ideal size for a specific type of ministry, a certain location, or a particular leadership style, there’s no overall ...
Small churches and their pastors seldom get the credit they deserve.
Including from small church pastors ourselves.
Yes, it’s true. Often the biggest critics of small churches and the people who pastor them are staring at us in our mirror.
What Am I Doing Wrong?
Too many small ...
Read More from Karl
