Almost everyone wants their church to be bigger. In fact, we’ve convinced ourselves that numerical growth is the answer to every church problem from finances, to effectiveness, to feeling validated.
But numerical growth is not the solution your church is looking for. In fact, if it’s not done right it can make small problems get worse. Imagine taking an unhealthy small church and making it bigger; now you have an unhealthy big church. That’s not better, that’s worse. You can lose by making it bigger. You can’t lose by making it healthier.
Despite the very real challenges of small-church ministry, Bigger Fixes Nothing.
This is the first of 10-12 video segments taken from my full-length seminar talks. We’ll release them every two weeks. This video is from Redefining Success In Ministry.
For more information about this and other full-length sessions that I can present at your pastors seminar, webinar or multi-day workshop, go to my Speaking Menu page. You’ll find more video clips like this as they’re created, plus a contact form to inquire about available dates, and a full menu of session titles.
Author
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Karl Vaters produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast, The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context. He has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience.
You can follow Karl on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn, or Contact Karl to inquire about speaking, writing, and consultation.
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