Small Churches Are Stuck (But Not The Way You Think)

March 6, 2019

by Karl Vaters

In a small church, the pastor will know most, if not all of the congregation members personally. Our lives are intertwined.

So how does that affect our time management on the weeks when our schedule is especially tight (as in every week for a bivocational pastor)?When a small church pastor has to choose between spending time on sermon prep, or interacting with congregation members, we should default towards people.

When a small church pastor has to choose between spending time on sermon prep, or interacting with congregation members, we should default towards people.

Author

Karl Vaters

Karl 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.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.

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