Small is Not the Problem

Small is not a problem.

80% of churches run under 100 in attendance.  What if that is not a problem? What if when Jesus said “I will build my church” he had small and rural churches in mind? What if Jesus' idea was for churches of all sizes to work together, big, small, and house churches each contributing something special to the whole church?

Instead of looking at small churches as a problem, what if we viewed them as an opportunity? What if they were seen as a way to build relationships and reach out to the community in ways that larger churches can't usually do? What if instead of investing all our energy and resources into getting bigger, we used those resources to help equip and support small churches to reach out to their communities and foster meaningful relationships with them?

What if, instead of feeling ashamed of our size or lack of resources, we embraced the fact that Jesus built his church on small beginnings and saw it as an opportunity to expand his kingdom? What if being small was no longer a problem but rather an advantage? What if small churches could be a powerful force of the church in their communities, showing the love of Jesus to those around them and engaging people with the life-changing message of the gospel? A small church can be just as effective in reaching out to its community and helping it grow spiritually as a large one.

What if by trying to fix a problem that isn't a problem, we're actually working against the strategy that God wants us to enact and fulfill? A strategy that sees our small churches as a vital tool to be used, not a problem to be fixed or solved? What if God wants our church to be great instead of big? Let's remember that God's thoughts are far above our thoughts. God makes it a frequent habit of taking the common and insignificant and doing mighty and powerful things for the glory of His name. Let’s join Him in that mission.

Great churches don't just happen by mistake. No matter what size they are. They take much prayer, planning, hard work, cooperation, and the calling of God. But no church can be a great church if they don't know they can be great in the first place. Small churches and their pastors are laboring under pretenses and lies, and their church can't be great until it becomes bigger. We need to put that lie of the enemy to rest, starting at the heart and ministry of every pastor of every small rural church.

So what if there are lots of small country churches?

So what if our church is small?

So what if we are one of the denominations 80%?

So what if half of the people that go to church in our denomination go to small congregations instead of big ones? If they are doing good, outreaching, Jesus glorifying, and Kingdom working, So what if they are small?

We need new ways to look at church health and growth that goes beyond numbers and counting people in the pews. The matrix of church health and growth needs to change and evolve to the environment in that we live now. We must be looking at measurements of health, vitality, outreach, and more. We should be looking at how we can use our resources to equip and empower small churches to work together in unity with larger churches, prayerfully for the sake of the Kingdom.

Small is not a problem. It's an opportunity. An opportunity for us to embrace what Jesus has already started, build relationships, and reach out to our communities with the love of Jesus. We can be great in small ways. And that's okay. Let us celebrate our smallness and use it for the glory of God!

Instead of viewing small churches as a hindrance, we should recognize them for the unique opportunity they present to foster meaningful connections, strengthen communities and extend an invitation of acceptance to those who may have not felt welcomed before.

Instead of saying our church is small So what? We need to say our church is small, now what? What can we do now with the resources we have now? There are a lot of ministries that can be done by churches while they are still small. Including things that can be done better because they are small.

There are many reasons why a church may stay small but there is no reason a church should not be healthy. A healthy church seeks to increase its sending capacity rather than just its seating capacity. There are numerous churches that stay small but are healthy which sets an example.

Planning churches. These churches set examples for sending and planting churches.

Training churches. Small churches that are well suited to train and develop pastors during school years or an early ministry and offer internships during college.

House churches. These are biblical examples of organic charge plants.

Micro churches or PAC’s. These are congregations that are sponsored by a parent congregation such as nursing homes, apartment complexes, coffee shops, etc.

There are plenty of reasons why churches may be small, but they can still be a healthy church that is contributing to the Kingdom of God. We live in a culture that is so obsessed with a bigger is better mindset that we've allowed it to creep into the body of Christ. If many of the churches in the world are small, maybe we don't have a size problem as much as we have a health problem. Just imagine if every small church became healthy, strong, and vibrant, how would being small matter anymore?