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 ...
Henry Ford famously said “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
Today, if you were to ask the average pastor what they want, most would probably say “a bigger church.”
And if you asked the average Christian what they ...
Read More from Karl
