You can’t drop two zeroes from an idea that works in a church of 5,000 and use it in a church of 50. Even if it’s healthy, strong and growing.
Big church principles only scale down so far. By the time they reach the average church (the median size is 75 people), most of them don’t work any more.
When it come to what small churches and their pastors face on a daily basis…
They. Just. Don’t. Get. It.
Author
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Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of four books on church leadership. His fifth book, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next, releases on April 2, 2024.
He also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry. Episodes feature in-depth interviews about the 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.