First Session: Redefining Success In Ministry
with Karl Vaters
What is The Grasshopper Myth?
The false impression that our small church ministry is less than what God says it is because we compare ourselves with others.
All the people we saw there are of great size. …We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. – Numbers 13:32-33
Three undeniable realities of church ministry:
- Reality #1: 80-90% of churches will never be larger than 250 people
- Reality #2: 99.9% of pastors will pastor a small church for at least some time in our ministry
- Reality #3: You can lead a small church well, without settling for less
Don’t fall for IKEA Envy
Small is not a problem, a virtue or an excuse
Over 90% of our churches are under 200, over 80% are under 100
- First Reaction: Oh no!
- Second Reaction: So what?
- Final Reaction: Now what?
People will come to small churches, but they won’t give up quality to do so
Many big church principles don’t translate well to a small church context
The law of large numbers: the bigger the crowd, the more predictably they behave
The smaller the crowd, the more impact each person has – for good and bad
Big church principles center on process, systems & programs
- Small church principles center on relationships, culture & history
(Need help changing your church culture? I recommend Dirt Matters, by Jim Powell.)
Don’t do what your founders did, think like your founders thought
Pastoring a small church is not a penalty for doing something wrong
- It’s a specialty, and it’s worth doing well
Session 2: Practical Tools for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Healthy Small Church
The pastoral prime mandate: to equip God’s people for works of service (Ephesians 4:11-12)
The three essential elements of a healthy, effective church
- Great Commandment
- Great Commission
- Equipping God’s people
- Unhealthy churches aren’t doing the Great Commandment, the Great Commission or equipping God’s people
- Loving, but ineffective churches are doing the Great Commandment, but not the Great Commission or equipping God’s people
- Overwhelmed pastors are doing the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, but are not equipping God’s people
- Healthy, effective churches and pastors are doing all three
Hearing God’s Heart Together
- The Sweet Spot: God, the church and the pastor’s hearts meet
- The Default: God and the pastor, but not the church
- The Listening Place: God and the church, but not the pastor
- The Danger Zone: The Church and the pastor, but not God
The Acts 2 Model for Vision-Casting
The Acts 2 model for vision-casting (from Small Church Essentials)
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. … 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd… (Acts 2:1-4 & 14)
It’s OK for a pastor’s vision to be helping God’s people fulfill their vision
Challenges for the current and future church
- The way people give is changing
- The way people commit is changing
- The way people attend is changing
- The way people trust is changing
- Brand loyalty is dead
New generations will not build the kind of churches their parents built
- Previous generations had relationships and built structures
- This generation has structures and needs to build relationships
Use the Jethro system to raise up leaders
- 10, 50, 100, 1,000
- Look for Level 10 leaders, first
Find leaders by looking for servants
- Value passion and willingness over experience and status
NewSmallChurch.com • ChristianityToday.com/Karl-Vaters
Facebook.com/NewSmallChurch • @KarlVaters • CornerstoneFV.com
