Thriving Under 300
A Church Leadership Workshop with Karl Vaters
● Menu of Sessions
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 church ministry:
- Reality #1: 90% of churches will never be larger than 300 people
- Reality #2: Virtually all 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
The church needs to embrace its “long tail”
Pastoring a small church is not a penalty for doing something wrong
- It’s a specialty, and it’s worth doing well
2. Big Churches, Small Churches: What’s the Difference?
Over 90% of our churches are under 200, over 80% are under 100
- First Reaction: Oh no!
- Second Reaction: So what?
- Final Reaction: 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 it behaves
Big church leadership emphasizes process, systems & programs
- Small church leadership emphasizes relationships, culture & history
Don’t do what our founders did, think like our founders thought
3. Preparing for Post-Pandemic: What’s Working in Churches that are Thriving
Right now, people are spending most of their time in two extreme places
- Isolated
- Engaged in mass and social media
What we need is the middle ground of community
Two keys to recovery after the pandemic:
We need to:
Churches that are responding and thriving during the pandemic have:
- Resources in reserve
- Team-based leadership
- Adaptability
- Unity
When times are normal, leaders inspire change
(The content of this session is the subject of Episode 7 of the “Can This Work In a Small Church?” podcast.)
4. Helping Your Congregation Heal from Emotional and Spiritual Trauma
We’re all experiencing multiple levels of severe trauma
When people are in trauma they can’t hear explanations
- They need familiarity and stability
Everyone has a default reaction to trauma
Denial >> Anger >> Bargaining >> Depression >> Acceptance
Recognize your own trauma first
- Don’t let your trigger become your truth
5. The Next Decade Of Ministry (A Scouting Report From Boots-On-The-Ground Pastors)
What’s Coming
More change
- 2-5 years of fallout/shakeup, followed by 5 years of adjustment/assessment
- Restoring relationships will be hard – some will be broken for good
What Might Be Coming
Smaller venues (“Houses of worship have been left out of the construction boom” | Axios, Aug 2021)
Parallel lines of:
- More isolation & more intentional relationships
- Faith deconstruction & faith reconstruction
What Probably Isn’t Coming
Catastrophic collapse
A return to “Christian” America
What We Can Do About It
We’ll need shepherding pastors more than ever
Preparation, through…
- Unity
- Simplicity
- Repentance
- Integrity
- Consistency
(Click here for Karl’s article based on this session in Outreach magazine, July/August 2021)
6. How to Discover and Use What Your Church Does Well
The pastoral prime mandate: to equip God’s people for works of service (Eph 4:11-12)
The three essential elements of a healthy, effective church
- Great Commandment
- Great Commission
- Equipping God’s People
Do what you know to do, pay attention to what works, and why
After you discover what your church does well, do it on purpose
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?
Move out of a destination mindset and into a process orientation
- Churches can handle change, but they don’t like to be surprised
- Give the leaders time to ponder big decisions
When thinking small changed the world (You can read this story in the final chapter of Small Church Essentials)
Can This Work In A Small Church?
Check out Karl’s podcast
- by small church leaders
- for small church leaders
- about small church leadership
Available on all major platforms, including:
APPLE | SPOTIFY | STITCHER | AMAZON MUSIC | iHEART RADIO | GOOGLE PLAY
