How BIG Is Your Small Church?

I preach for a church that averages 65 people, and most days I like it. We are a small church with the typical small church problems. We struggle with getting the nursery staffed. If a couple of families are out of town on any given Sunday, we miss them. Until recently, we had no one to run the soundboard and would hope for the best during Sunday services. When someone comes to our congregation who is willing to serve in any of these capacities, it”s a long-awaited answer to prayer. I understand small church problems, and I feel honored to work with this wonderful group of people.

When I began preaching 10 years ago, I found wonderfully insightful
books and resources on
church growth, but I couldn”t relate to any of them. Feelings of inadequacy would often creep into my heart””I felt like a failure. I struggled with jealousy of larger churches and preachers I perceived as more successful. Disappointment set in because I would hear stories of how God worked in a mighty way in another congregation and wonder what I was doing wrong. I”ve never served a church that experienced dynamic numerical growth””in fact, we celebrated when we had 80 attend for Easter this past spring.

Five years ago, I decided to take the church growth burden off my back and serve God where he put me. When I did that, my attitude toward congregational ministry changed. Now I”m a happier preacher to be around, and I enjoy God more fully. When I was comparing myself to pastors of larger congregations, I found myself trying to fit the church I served into a box God did not create. Once I was freed from that baggage, I was better able to see my church as God sees his church.

The question shifted from, “What is the numerical value of your church?” to “How big is your small church?” I was still in awe of how God blessed some congregations to grow from small to large in a relatively short period of time. But I”m finally beginning to realize that those churches may be the exception rather than the rule. Most of my colleagues minister in churches the same size as mine, and I”m told the majority of churches in the United States average no more than 75 people on any given Sunday.

A woman in her early 30s in my congregation was diagnosed with breast cancer. She lost her hair as a result of treatment and started wearing a head covering to our services. We wanted to support her, so we dedicated a Sunday worship gathering in November as “Hat Day.” Every person in the congregation donned a hat. It was touching and moving, and at our 25-year-old congregation outside of Asheville, North Carolina, we bore each other”s burdens. Our small church was a big church that day.

How can small churches become big churches? Recognize, remember, and reaffirm.

Recognize

We recognize we ultimately belong to a kingdom, not a congregation.

Though it may seldom occur to us, our congregations will one day cease to exist and we will live in a glorious kingdom with a King. A win for the Lord in any congregation we serve is a big win because the church has one head, Jesus Christ. We ought to be thankful wherever God”s Spirit is working; the movement of God is good for all of God”s people everywhere. We need to celebrate, with reverence and awe, a God who is in all of our congregations. Instead of being jealous, we should celebrate and recognize the best in other churches.

Remember

We remember value in ministry comes from obedience to Jesus.

“Jesus answered him, “˜If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him”” (John 14:23*). There have been ministries of all shapes and sizes that had very little value to God because they weren”t obedient in love, belief, or action. Philip worked with one Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. Ananias led one man, Saul, to conversion (Acts 22). Jesus ministered to one willing thief in Luke 23 and used 12 individuals to start the church. When we choose to minister only in ideal situations with “bigger and better” opportunities, we can miss wonderful opportunities for obedience.

Reaffirm

We reaffirm our commitment to the saints of God.

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Even with the smallest of crowds, we believe working with the saints of God, the bride of Christ, is important and vital service. God values all his children equally, regardless of the size of the church where they worship. The body of Christ includes unseen and simple parts as well as those with a national reputation.

God uses all sizes and shapes of congregations for his purposes, and no servant of God is a failure if he serves faithfully where God has placed him. After 10 years of full-time service, I”m amazed God would choose to use any of us for his work, and am reminded that the size of the church is not as important as the strength of our God.

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*All Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version.

Ryland Brown serves as preaching elder with Blue Ridge Christian Church in Mills River, North Carolina, and is owner of Gateway Seminars (www.gatewayseminars.com).