The Impact of the Smaller Church

I recently retired after forty years of pastoral ministry. In that time, I pastored three churches, all smaller churches, in smaller communities. My first church was a church plant in a community of five thousand, starting with ten people in a living room. The church grew to one hundred and fifty. My second church was in a community of six thousand, starting with seventy-five and expanding to two hundred and fifty. In my last church, I pastored for twenty years. The church was eighty in attendance and grew to four hundred and fifty at its peak.

Since retirement, I've had time to reflect on the impact of the smaller church. The following are some insights and thoughts concerning pastoring the smaller church. The Word of God is filled with accounts of God using the small to do great things. Whether it's faith as small as a mustard seed moving mountains, a little boy's lunch feeding five thousand, the jawbone of a donkey to kill a thousand men, a small cloud the size of a man's hand to end a drought, or a small shepherd boy named David to destroy a giant, in it all God receives glory, and He delights in using the small to do great things.

While it might be true in some instances the smaller church can flounder, stall, and not have momentum forward, I don't believe the reason is solely because it's small. The same thing can happen to a larger church. Many circumstances can contribute to a smaller church struggling, but being small should not be one of them.

I am convinced there are real advantages in the smaller church, and it's essential to discover and assess them. Often, the pastor and leadership of the smaller church only see the disadvantages. However, all churches, large and small, have advantages and disadvantages. I think each church has benefits that are unique to that church, which can be discovered through prayer and evaluation. Cleary seeing and knowing your advantages enables you to minimize your disadvantages. When David stood before Goliath, I'm sure he was aware of his disadvantages, but he also knew his advantages. Seeing his benefits diminished his weaknesses.

The smaller church has the advantage of seizing opportunities faster because it has less structure to move through. The smaller church can communicate quicker and more clearly. It can integrate new people more easily. The smaller church also has the advantage of training and disciplining leaders faster. It can profoundly impact the community and be an essential resource. Another significant advantage is that often, the smaller church is more receptive to being challenged to do big things for God because there is a sense the whole church is doing it together. The point is this: through prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit, God will reveal the smaller church's unique advantages, which can empower the church to do big things and profoundly impact the Kingdom of God.

Our first church was a church plant in a small town in southern Nevada. It was in a county where prostitution was legal. The entire story is too long to tell, but through many circumstances, God allowed our little church to minister and share Christ with those lost ladies. Our church became a refuge and source of help, a tremendous witness to the entire community. There was an ongoing conflict in another community in an impoverished neighborhood. The houses and yards were rundown and full of debris. The match was between the landlords and the city regarding who was responsible for cleaning up this neighborhood. It was on the front page of the newspaper every day. Everyone in town was talking about it. We saw an opportunity, and because we were small, we were able to act quickly; our little church came together, spent two days, and invaded that neighborhood. We hauled dozens of truckloads of debris away, mowed lawns, cleaned sidewalks, painted fences, prayed with people, and solved the problem. The newspaper also came and took pictures and interviewed our people. We were on the front page, and our church profoundly impacted the community. The city council and mayor considered our church an essential resource to the city's leadership.

Another opportunity came when one of our missionaries desperately needed a Speed The Light vehicle. The Holy Spirit challenged us to raise forty thousand dollars and pay for the vehicle. We were a small church, but God moved in significant ways, and in less than sixty days, we had the total amount. The church was so excited and inspired that our small church bought a Speed The Light vehicle for a missionary for the next five years. That challenge moved the church to do even more for missions, and our annual mission giving went from thirty thousand dollars to ninety thousand dollars yearly. Our small church had a profound impact on world missions. Whatever the Holy Spirit challenged us to do, He always provided the resources, whether money, people, or ability.

Years ago, my wife and I visited with dear friends who had retired after many years on the mission field. They told the story of when they first prepared to go and struggled to raise their budget. They needed five thousand dollars to be able to leave, and back then, that was a lot of money. They only had two weeks to raise that amount or be delayed. He said, "I was praying and contacting the largest churches I knew of for help. The only church he could get a service with was tiny in a little town miles from anywhere." He was worried the small church wouldn't even be able to cover his expenses to come for the service. When he drove into the gravel parking lot, his heart sank. There were about a dozen cars and a tiny building. Twenty-five people were in attendance but were so excited to have a missionary. After the service, the pastor came to the platform and handed the missionary a five-thousand-dollar check. The church praised God as the pastor said, "God told me several months ago He wanted to use this church to help a new missionary get to the field. We were to raise five thousand dollars, and He would bring the missionary to us. I challenged the church, and we've been taking special offerings and doing fundraisers, and God has been supernaturally providing." Our friends' eyes began to fill with tears as he told us that story. He said, "I was so convinced that I needed the help of the big church, but God used the small."

I remember being a young pastor sitting in a minister's conference; a minister's conference is either the best thing that ever happened to you or the worst thing that ever happened to you. In this case, it felt like the worst thing that ever happened to me because I was very discouraged about the church I was pastoring. The church was tiny, and I was not effectively leading it forward. To make things worse, the speaker talked about church growth and building a great church for God. I was becoming increasingly discouraged as he shared his message. But then he referred to a verse of scripture we all knew very well, Zechariah 4:6: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit; Says the Lord of hosts." He didn't ask us to turn to it; there was no PowerPoint back then, so it wasn't on a screen, and he didn't expound on it. He just referred to it and moved on. Yet something happened in my spirit when I heard it. When I returned to my room that night, I opened my Bible to Zechariah chapter four, and the Holy Spirit began to give me revelation and understanding about the context of this word and how it related to my pastoring a small church. God profoundly encouraged me with his comment.

I saw that God was encouraging his prophet to build the house of God from small beginnings. The task of rebuilding the temple was overwhelming. The people were scattered, the resources were minimal, and the work had been stalled for twenty years. God speaks this word of promises and success to Zechariah so he can encourage Zerubbabel, who had the task of rebuilding the temple. The Lord reminds him that the first necessary resource was the Holy Spirit, "Not by might or power, but by My Spirit." It might focus on and depend on collective strength, the resources of many. It's the mindset, "If I had more people, money, and help, I could get something done for God." Power focuses on individual strength of ability. It's the mindset that says, "If I was more gifted, more talented, better equipped, I could move the church forward." But God reminds Zachariah that the first and most important resource is a relationship with the Holy Spirit. God reassures him that everything needed will be provided through the Holy Spirit.

In verse seven, God gives him a word of courage and faith, "Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of grace." The task looked like a mountain, but the Holy Spirit would make it like a smooth plain. God had not called him to anything less than a finished work, and he would bring the capstone. Verse nine says, "His hands shall also finish it." Then, in verse ten, God says, "For who has despised the day of small things?" God assured him that He would use what seemed small to do something great. And He did!

I returned to my little church with confidence, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and a new courage and resolve to lead that church into a profound impact on God. Smaller churches can do big things when the leadership seeks and believes in the Holy Spirit for creativity and resources, sees the advantages and opportunities, accepts the challenges with courage, and does not despise the day of small things. I'm not suggesting that we strive to be a small church and not grow; I'm simply saying size does not equal impact. The small church is not a problem to be fixed, but neither is it an excuse to be lazy and not attempt great things for God just because it is small or lacks resources.

I've heard the question: should small churches resolve to stay small? No! But that's not the right question. The question should be, is the church healthy? Is it being led into a mission with impact? Is it challenged to evangelize its community and give extravagantly to world missions? Does it see its advantages and opportunities? Is it filled with faith and passion to fulfill its purpose in the community? Is there a clear sense and confidence that Jesus, the Lord of the Church, has sent The Holy Spirit to empower and move through the church to accomplish great things for the glory of God, no matter what size it is? The goal is not to become a large church but a healthy one that will grow. But if you resent being small, growth is difficult.

I have always appreciated and respected pastors with the gift and vision to lead the larger church. The larger church sent us out and supported us in planting our first church. But every large church was once smaller, leading to growth and impact. Smaller churches await to be used and led into great things for God across our network and nation. Sometimes, the smaller church is overlooked by pastors seeking a ministry position. The larger church is more often desired. And if that's the direction God is leading, of course, follow. But I've found excitement and fulfillment in pastoring the smaller church.

To take the smaller church and believe in God for great things, lead it forward into experiences of profound impact, experience growth, and develop into a healthy church that contributes to the Kingdom in its unique ways. Every church I've pastored was smaller than the previous church I was pastoring. Something is exciting and attractive about the smaller church that seems to say, "I'm waiting to be led into something great for the Glory of God!"

If you are the pastor of a smaller church, you are my hero! I believe God is with you for a profound impact, revival, and a harvest of souls in your church. If you are a pastor seeking the Lord for a ministry position, I would encourage you not to overlook the smaller church as you pray for direction; the most exciting days of ministry could be waiting for you in the smaller church. Some of God's greatest revivals, outpourings, and moves in church history have started in the smaller church.