Innovative Ministry In a Small Church Context
Karl Vaters
Session 1: Redefining Success In Ministry
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 pastoral 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 1 billion people choose to worship God in small churches
Big changes come from small places
Session 2: Big or Small? What’s the Difference?
Over 90% of churches are under 200, over 80% are under 100
- Move from “Oh no!” to “So what?” to “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
Ask for help
Session 3: Thinking and Acting Like a Great Small Church
Discover what your church does well, then do it on purpose
- The Sweet Spot: God, the Church & the Pastor’s Hearts Meet
- The Default: God & the Pastor, but not the Church
- The Listening Place: God & the Church, but not the Pastor
- The Danger Zone: The Church & the Pastor, but not God
Use the “closet rule” for ministries: Don’t add a new one until you’ve dropped an old one
- What does your church do well, that you would like to do more of?
- What does your church do poorly, that you would like to do less of?
Church leaders are not called to do ministry for church members
Build your training around relationships, not curriculum
Put friendliness front-and-center (The GIFT system)
- Greet
- Introduce
- Follow up
- Thank
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
Be willing to haul rocks in your Volkswagen
- Use the building to serve people, not vice versa
Do ministry from the church, not just in the church
When thinking small saved the world
Karl Vaters • CornerstoneFV.com
NewSmallChurch.com • ChristianityToday.com/Karl-Vaters
Facebook.com/NewSmallChurch • @KarlVaters
