In my most recent article, Grow It or Close It? Is there a Third Option for Struggling Small Churches? I proposed that a struggling small church can become a healthy small church.
But there’s an inevitable question that follows. Namely, how?
How do we help a church move from small and struggling to small and healthy?
Not surprisingly, there are as many ways to do this as there are churches. But there are some universal truths, too.
If we’re going to have any hope of leading a small, struggling church into becoming a small, healthy church, there is an essential first step we cannot avoid.
Step #1: Stop Assuming that Smallness is a Problem to Be Fixed
Yep, that’s it. Stop assuming.
Obvious, right?
Simple? For sure.
Easy? Not so much.
This requires a change of mindset which may be harder than many of us realize. Especially since a lot of us may not consciously be aware we’ve been holding on to this assumption all along.
The biggest problem with small churches is not that they’re small. It’s that we think being small is a problem.
As I outlined in The Grasshopper Myth, the toxic “small is bad” thought process took root in me as a result of 30 years of being told we needed to fix small churches by getting them to grow.
A lot of great things have come from the church growth movement, but one of its many unintended consequences is that it presupposes that small equals broken.
But small is not the same as broken because small is not a problem.
The idea that small churches are a problem – is a big problem!
When we start with the assumption that smallness is a problem, it . . .
- Causes resources to be mis-assigned
- Stifles creativity
- Undermines leaders who function best in smaller settings
- Overvalues management gifts, while undervaluing shepherding gifts
- Underutilizes the resources of 80-90 percent of the churches on earth
- Causes us to seek false success
- Blinds us to real success
- and more
On the other hand, what would happen if we all took this first step together and stopped thinking of smallness as a problem?
Step #2: Start See Smallness as a Strategy God Is Using
After putting the false premise that smallness is a problem into the graveyard where it belongs, church leaders of all styles, denominations, and non-denominations can move on to solving other real problems together.
We can step forward into all kinds of God-honoring, life-affirming, people-loving ministry.
We can . . .
- Find, create, and share new tools to help small churches be healthy
- Look for ways that churches of all sizes can minister to people of all types
- Strategize about how to plant smaller under-the-radar churches into previously unchurched pockets
- Become more open to forms of church that can only work in a small setting
- Spend less money, time, and energy trying to grow churches that aren’t meant to be big
- Utilize the strengths of leaders who work best in smaller, more intimate settings
Use what you can and toss the rest. What works for you will depend on your church’s context, needs, history, mission, and challenges.
But keep trying. Your church exists for a reason. It may or may not get bigger, but it can always get better.
(Photo by Sherman Geronimo-Tan | Flickr)
