2019
![11 Significant Differences Between 1 Church Of 1,000 And 10 Churches Of 100 11 Significant Differences Between 1 Church Of 1,000 And 10 Churches Of 100](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/90008.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Churches of all sizes have something to offer.
I know, I say that a lot.
I’ve even been told I need to be less accommodating to big churches. But it’s not an accommodation, it’s a reality.
Bigger churches do great things that small churches can’t do, and ...
![We Do Small Church A Lot, Why Aren’t We Doing It Better? We Do Small Church A Lot, Why Aren’t We Doing It Better?](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89978.jpg?h=168&w=300)
By far, the most prevalent expression of the church throughout history is the small congregation.
More people have worshipped Jesus, been discipled, and reached out to others through the ministry of small churches than through any other tradition, method, format or denomination. ...
There are some pastors whose names are known by thousands, even millions of people.
They have the type of ministry in which their successes are obvious.
But that’s not the case with most pastors.
The typical pastor does ministry without much notice or name recognition.
Today ...
![4 Questions To Consider Before Commenting On A Controversial Subject 4 Questions To Consider Before Commenting On A Controversial Subject](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89900.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Everybody has an opinion.
And everyone is entitled to one.
But not every opinion is of equal value. Including mine.
With the advent of social media, we can state our opinion on platforms that can potentially be seen by thousands of people. Because of this, our opinion feels like ...
![6 Takeaways From “The Church Growth Gap” LifeWay Research Survey 6 Takeaways From “The Church Growth Gap” LifeWay Research Survey](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89845.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Last week, Aaron Earls wrote a very helpful article entitled The Church Growth Gap: The Big Get Bigger While the Small Get Smaller. In it, he outlined the results of a recent survey taken by LifeWay Research.
There’s a lot of data in the survey and the article, much of ...
![Put People First: Why Many Small Church Pastors Can Spend Less Time On Sermon Prep Put People First: Why Many Small Church Pastors Can Spend Less Time On Sermon Prep](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89813.jpg?h=168&w=300)
As pastors, we typically spend our time in three overlapping areas of ministry: communication, administration and relationships.
But our time is always limited, so on those weeks when time gets tighter, which of the three should we spend extra time on, and which of the three ...
![Small Churches Are Stuck (But Not The Way You Think) Small Churches Are Stuck (But Not The Way You Think)](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89774.jpg?h=168&w=300)
If you are leading a healthy and effective house church, you may face some criticism for not getting bigger. But most people will start with the assumption that your size is appropriate for your calling.
If you are leading a healthy and effective big church, you may face some ...
![A Question Of Character: Getting Unstuck Is Not The Church’s Biggest Problem A Question Of Character: Getting Unstuck Is Not The Church’s Biggest Problem](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89724.jpg?h=168&w=300)
There is a crisis in the church.
People are leaving.
And we want them to come back.
But before we ask how to get them back, we need to ask why they’re leaving in the first place.
It’s not because our churches aren’t big enough, cool enough, relevant enough, or ...
![The Biggest Difference Between Churches That Are Raising Young Leaders And Those That Aren't The Biggest Difference Between Churches That Are Raising Young Leaders And Those That Aren't](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89701.jpg?h=168&w=300)
There seems to be an absence of young people stepping up to take leadership roles in the church.
I say “seems to be…” because that’s what I keep hearing from so many of my contemporaries in ministry.
“It’s hard to find younger leaders!” ...
![The Main Way We're Failing Small Churches (And How To Start Succeeding With Them) The Main Way We're Failing Small Churches (And How To Start Succeeding With Them)](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89562.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Small congregations are the backbone of the church.
Over 90 percent of churches are under 200 people. As many as half of all Christians attend a small congregation.
But if you take a look at the dominant teaching about church leadership, you might think that all those churches ...
![The Undeniable, Irresistible Resilience Of The Small Church The Undeniable, Irresistible Resilience Of The Small Church](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89626.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Small churches are not better than big churches. Big churches aren’t better than small ones.
The arguments we have about size are silly, dangerous and missing the point.
Everyone has something unique to contribute.
As for small churches, here are some of the most undeniable, ...
Breaking the 200 barrier.
I wonder if any subject has received more attention in the last generation of church leadership training.
In some ways, it makes sense to spend so much time talking about it. After all, there is a fundamental shift that must take place when a church reaches ...
![Pastoral Transition: 7 Signs It May Be The Right Time To Let Go Pastoral Transition: 7 Signs It May Be The Right Time To Let Go](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89514.jpg?h=168&w=300)
One year ago this month, I stopped being the lead pastor of our church.
Not because I was done, but because it was the right time.
Truth be told, I still want to be the lead pastor. At the age of 59, (58 when we made the transition) I’m not too old. I still have the passion, ...
![Remember Blogs? (For Every Communicator Who's Felt Out Of Step) Remember Blogs? (For Every Communicator Who's Felt Out Of Step)](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89512.jpg?h=168&w=300)
Recently I heard a pastor say two words that hit me like a punch to the gut.
I was watching him in a short online video teaching clip, when he referenced an article he’d read on a blog a couple years ago.
Before talking about the content of the article, he off-handedly quipped, ...
![8 Non-Numerical Ways To Assess The Health Of A Church 8 Non-Numerical Ways To Assess The Health Of A Church](https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/89478.jpg?h=168&w=300)
There are healthy churches of all sizes.
In recent years there’s been a renewed emphasis on defining health numerically. But that’s not the only way to measure church health and effectiveness.
In my previous article, Effective Small Church Metrics: Why Average Results ...
Read More from Karl
![Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250 Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41AU9uOZQAL._SL500_.jpg)