“Delegate pastor, delegate.” I’ve heard that wise advice hundreds of times – literally. Ron Cook was the chair of the pulpit committee that brought me to the church I’ve pastored for over 20 years now. In the first few years here, whenever he’d catch me doing something myself instead of training someone else to do […]
How to Delegate When There’s No One Around: Six Lessons I Learned the Hard Way Read More »
“Why am I doing this alone?” That question is written on a card that sits on my desk. I look at it every day. It’s there because I need to regularly remind myself that I’ve already spent too many years trying to fulfill this challenging, exhilarating, frustrating calling of pastoring a Small Church all by
Stuff We Like: DaveJacobs.net and SmallChurchPastor.com Read More »
What are we going to do about all those struggling Small Churches? That question has been the subject of endless ministerial (especially denominational) hand-wringing in the last several decades. A lot of time and money has been invested in conversations, books, seminars and classes attempting to fix this problem. Struggling Small churches are usually given
Grow It or Close It? Is There a Third Option for Struggling Small Churches? Read More »
We’re often told that one of the reasons so many churches remain small is lack of faith. But I wonder… could it be that the reverse is true? Might our obsession with bigger and bigger churches be rooted in a greater lack of faith?
Have we been afraid that God might not do his part (building his church) if we’d simply be faithful to do our part (making disciples)? Is it possible that the glut of church growth books, seminars and classes in the last few decades been our attempt to help God out?
What If We Made Disciples and Left Church Growth to God? Read More »
The evidence keeps piling up. Mondays can be very hard on Small Church pastors. This past Monday, I received one of the most truthful, passionately written expressions of pastoral pain that I’ve ever read. It was written by the wife of a Small Church pastor in the comment section following one of my most widely
If Numbers Are Not Important, Then Why Are They So Important? (A Poignant Guest Post) Read More »
“Your responsibility is not to have a spectacular ministry, but to have a sincere heart.” No, that quote isn’t from The Grasshopper Myth. It’s not even from another Small Church writer or pastor. It’s the key quote from a great talk given by Jud Wilhite to over 3,500 ministers at the Catalyst conference in Irvine
A Sincere Heart Trumps a Spectacular Ministry Read More »
We live in an increasingly post-denominational world. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, it’s just the way things are now. Years ago, virtually every friend I had in ministry was within my own denomination. Every program my church used came from our denominational headquarters. The idea of ministering in any significant way outside
How We Connect: The Decline of Denominations and the Rise of Size Read More »
It looks like Small Churches really are becoming a big deal. The Spring 2013 issue of Enrichment Journal is all about the big impact of Small Churches. Way to go, guys! There aren’t many magazines that would take an entire issue to do that. The last page of each issue is called the “Final Word”, and
My “Final Word” on Small Churches Read More »
Big churches are great. But they’re not built without a cost. And no one pays a higher price than the big church pastor. In a recent blog post, Ed Stetzer re-published the results of a 2011 survey taken by his ministry, Lifeway.com, in which he asked pastors what they felt about the ministry. His survey
Alone In a Crowd – The High Price of Big Church Read More »
I wanted to be DC Talk’s chaplain. In the 1990s, DC Talk hired a pastor to travel with them when they went on tour. He led a daily bible study for the band and crew, held them spiritually and morally accountable, and was available for pastoral counseling when needed. I congratulate any band or sports
What Will People Think? The Truth About Numbers, Status and What Really Matters Read More »
