Articles for tag: Small Church

June 24, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Size May Not Matter

By Mark A. Taylor We”ve been chronicling megachurch success for more than three decades at CHRISTIAN STANDARD. But in spite of encouraging growth, both in size and number of megachurches, an underbelly of suspicion toward them remains. Our Beyond the Standard conversation May 15 with Jud Wilhite, Dave Stone, and Don Wilson, showed this. These ministers with the three largest megachurches among the independent Christian churches shared practical ideas and thoughtful strategies””always with a spirit of humility. But too many questions from listeners contained veiled accusations of compromise to achieve numbers. So when I came across a report from Leadership

May 17, 2014

Christian Standard

How BIG Is Your Small Church?

By Ryland Brown I struggled with numbers for quite a while. But I”m serving more effectively now that I”ve gained a better perspective on size. 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

April 3, 2014

Christian Standard

New Conference for Associate Ministers

By Jennifer Johnson There are conferences for senior pastors, executive pastors, youth ministers, worship pastors, and even administrative assistants. Now Tim Anderson, associate director at CrossRoads Missions (Louisville, KY), is creating a conference for associate ministers. “I”ve been an associate minister for 26 years, in three churches””everything from the small church where I had a hand in everything to a large megachurch where I had more focused responsibilities,” he says. “It”s a unique role with unique challenges, and I wanted to do something that could help this group.” He “pitched” the idea to Bob Russell more than a year ago

August 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Church-City Revitalization

By Jennifer Johnson When I was 2, my mom was able to finagle free time by setting me in my crib with a pile of books. I”d sit there, chubby hands happily flipping pages I couldn”t yet read, for half an hour or more. To say I”m an introvert is like saying the Kardashians are trashy. But although I tend to prefer solitude and processing the world in my head, I”ve learned the importance of connecting to others. Conversation and discussion remind me my strong opinions aren”t infallible, and my perspective isn”t the only one. Englewood Christian Church“s story is

May 20, 2011

Christian Standard

Fifty-One Miles to Faith

Going to church in this era of loud, rude bands and electronic light shows is often more of a trial to my faith than a boost to it. To get away from it all, my wife, Sharon, and I climb into my blue Crown Victoria and roll north to the little town of Leonard, Missouri, 51 miles from our home in Moberly. The sign says, “Leonard, population 200.” The church is a pretty vanilla building, resting on a pea gravel parking lot, and wrapped in a grove of towering oak trees. The inside of the building is immaculate, tastefully done

April 20, 2011

Christian Standard

The Church Size Matrix (Part 2)

By Kent E. Fillinger The Church Size Matrix looks at six types of organizational change that take place as a church grows. In Part 1 of this article (April 10/17), we looked at two of these changes, Orientation and Structure. This week we consider the remaining four. Minister”s Role In his book One Size Doesn”t Fit All, Gary McIntosh wrote, “As the size of a church increases, the perception of a pastor changes from an emphasis on relational skills, to functional skills, to leadership skills.” It is essential, therefore, to understand the progression of roles required by the senior minister

March 6, 2011

Christian Standard

Smaller Churches Need Small Groups Too!

By Eric Bingaman As I studied the faces of my small group family, I began to reflect on the makeup of our group. These were not new Christians finding community for the first time. This was a small group of ordained ministers, elders, and deacons who had spent most of their life in the church””the smaller church””and for the first time were beginning to catch a glimpse of the community God has called his church to live in. As our small group was wrapping up for the evening, we held hands and prepared to pray for one another. That is

January 17, 2011

Christian Standard

Revitalizing Your Children”s Ministry

By Karen Wingate “Growing, dynamic churches are rooted in a powerful philosophy that recognizes kids matter to God,” says Rick Chromey, author of Energizing Children”s Ministry in the Smaller Church. Those are discouraging words to a church that sees the population of its children”s department slipping into oblivion. Struggling churches know that without the next generation, their congregation”s future is in jeopardy. Is it possible to revitalize a dying children”s ministry? “Yes,” says Teri Lewis, director of the Son Harbor children”s ministry program at Plymouth Avenue Christian Church, a congregation of 250 in Deland, Florida. In 2003, a “good” Sunday

December 31, 2010

Christian Standard

The Lasting Influence of a Small Church

By Gordon R. Clymer Recently six Timothys of Indiana”s Black Oak Church of Christ returned to say thank-you to the church where each was baptized. Located between Hammond and Gary, the community has become more inner-city than metropolitan. Fewer than 100 people now meet to worship with this congregation. In years past it was never a large church, but it had a vision of outreach. These six men sent out to preach the gospel include James North, professor of church history at Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian University; Ziden Nutt, executive director of Good News Productions, International (Joplin, Missouri); Gordon Clymer, professor

October 19, 2010

Christian Standard

As We Publish Our Hiring Articles

By Mark A. Taylor A few thoughts occur to me as we post our articles about hiring a minister. The first of them is spurred by an e-mail that came in response to an article that appeared this summer. I”ll paraphrase in order to protect the identity of the letter writer: I am a new minister fresh out of seminary in 2009. I took on a small church in my first pastorate, and in a little more than a year I was asked to leave. . . . Now my family and I are trying to find our next ministry

August 18, 2010

Christian Standard

A Vision to Feed Families

By Ron Martin Across the country, people in local churches are struggling to stay ahead of the economic downturn and slow recovery. In particular, having enough food for families is a growing concern. One church in southwest Colorado has decided to do something about it. Southwest Colorado is one of God”s most beautiful gifts in terms of scenic beauty and recreational opportunities. It is home to Mesa Verde National Park, and the area boasts a rich history in the settlement of the West. The town of Bayfield, Colorado, rests just east of Durango, a wonderful resort town with attractions like

February 7, 2010

Christian Standard

Memoirs of a Young Preacher

By Dale Tinsley I am quietly staring at a computer screen at 3 in the morning. Almost five years have passed since my first encounter with the church I am writing about. These past few years have deeply matured my understanding of God, ministry, and life, and reflecting on this time has led me to new convictions. As I open my heart and tell this story, my hope and prayer is that you hear a calling to live and act according to Christ, and that you might gain insight into how the church should look. VITAL, BUT OVERLOOKED I never

August 10, 2008

Christian Standard

Mega Ministry in Miniature Actions

By Mike Cahill The kingdom rarely comes as we expect. Jesus” humble beginning was a stumbling block for some because power does not normally come from weakness. Yet, Christ”s kingdom advances through surprisingly simple means. Smallness is big in Scripture. Jesus uses the smallness of a mustard seed as the pattern for potential in the kingdom””from a tiny seed to a great tree, from a handful of disciples to a kingdom spread over all the earth. When disciples act within God”s will, the power of his kingdom is shown through their lives. The results look like mountains moving or””a picture

February 3, 2008

Christian Standard

How a Visit to a Country Church Changed Many Lives

By Ruth M. Groover My father said “yes” reluctantly, but I would have done the same thing under the circumstances. My parents, Ernest and Ila Miller, were born in rural Georgia. My father knew how to raise corn and cotton, and he planned to make a living as a farmer. My mother was quite happy with life on the farm. But things changed. Walter S. and Civilla D. Martin are remembered primarily for their work as Christian musicians. Harvard-educated, Dr. Martin”s strength was writing music. Mrs. Martin wrote the words. The beautiful hymn “God Will Take Care of You” is

January 27, 2008

Christian Standard

Size Matters: The Changing Role of Elder

By Doug Priest Our family became members of Oaklandon Christian Church a dozen years ago when we returned to the States after our years as missionaries in Singapore. In Singapore we were part of a church with about 80-90 in weekly attendance. With the move, we became part of a church with an average weekly attendance of 350. And during the 1990s the church”s growth surged from 200 to 700. The church in Oaklandon, a township on the outskirts of Indianapolis, Indiana, was founded 140 years ago. In the last couple of decades Oaklandon has lost most of its rural

June 4, 2006

Arron Chambers

small churches

Magic Pill

Using a “Magic Pill” metaphor, Arron Chambers explains why some churches prefer to stay small—avoiding change, cost, and shared leadership—and urges congregations to pursue healthy growth under Christ.

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