The Story of the Small Church

Studies tell us that over half of the churches in America have fewer than 75 people in them.  Since statistics are compiled by averaging mega-churches with small churches, the technical average church size in America is “184 people.”  But the real indicator is the first statistic:  Over half of us are in churches of fewer than 75. 

 

As a pastor’s wife in one of those smaller-than-average churches, where a Sunday crowd that tops 55 people feels like the “Great Awakening,” I am intrigued by the story that these numbers tell because . . . it’s my story.  This is my life.

 

There is a raw fact that is often overlooked in ministry preparation:  Most young people entering the ministry have been prepared for larger works than what they will actually encounter. 

 

Part of that is logistical.  Bible colleges and seminaries often turn to men who are established and well-known nationally when selecting the pastors who will be mentoring their young men through chapel services and revival meetings.  Naturally, radio stations, magazines, books, blogs, and broad ministry exposure allow certain speakers to hold influence over large populations of people.  Having established themselves with good testimonies as well as wisdom in public speaking and managerial skills, they are no doubt fitted for the job of preparing the next generation of preachers.  There is nothing wrong with this at all.  Yet, because colleges typically draw from larger ministries, the story of the small church tends to be overlooked in ministry preparation.  Pastors of small churches find themselves with shelves of leftover college lecture notes on such topics as “How to Keep Unity Among Your Staff,” and “The Pastor and His Retirement Fund, ”  when they’d really like to know how to have meaningful devotions after three hours of sleep, or how to locate a septic tank that was buried before the health department kept records.   

 

Secondly, summer internships and other similar programs are almost always held at larger churches, since exceptionally small churches rarely have the budget to host interns, group evangelistic teams, or musical groups.  In fact, most of these small churches are not really equipped to hire an assistant or even a secretary.  The economy has not kept up with the prosperity of the 1980’s, and many of the teenagers (like myself) who grew up in churches with thriving youth groups and multiple layers of leadership are now surprised to be working in churches where the toilet paper and windex are brought in by volunteers. 

 

And so . . . here we are, most of us serving in smaller churches than we grew up in, smaller churches than we prepared for, smaller churches than we ever even imagined existed.   

 

Here are four things to consider about exceptionally small churches, from the perspective of a pastor’s wife: 

 

1.  There are many reasons why churches are small. 

 

When I went to my grandma’s funeral six years ago, I was reunited with a lady from my childhood church.  She and I had not seen each other in at least 30 years, and we enjoyed getting caught up with each other.  When she asked what my husband and I do for a living, I answered, “We live in Illinois, and my husband is the pastor of a small country church.”  It wasn’t meant as an excuse; it’s just our reality.  She quickly corrected me:  “But it doesn’t have to be small!  You can grow!”  I remember wondering if she thought we preferred for our church to stay small.  Didn’t she realize that most pastors pray for new members, and work zealously to that end?  It wasn’t really worth a tangled discussion at my grandma’s funeral, so I just agreed with a smile.  

 

Churches are small for lots of reasons, and if we accept that fact, our ministry can become a joy and not a frustration.  We pray for growth, we work tirelessly to reach others for Christ, we expend ourselves and our resources almost daily for our ministry, we go to bed exhausted and get up before we are really rested, we pay for small expenses without reimbursement, and we are small.  I’m OK with that.  My husband doesn’t need a frustrated wife to add to his heavy load.  God uses small churches.  My job is just to make sure that I am a “clean vessel,” set aside for His use, so that He can use our little church in His big kingdom. 

 

2.  There are opportunities in small churches. 

 

I’m convinced that criticism is burden, turned on its head.  What you see first, when you walk into our church, is your job staring back at you.  Do you notice that our music is a little off-key, or that I’m clearly not an expert on the organ?  Those are the observations of musicians, and we’ve got room for those with that gift to aid in our worship service.  Is it the need for renovation that strikes you most—our dated pews, or our plumbing problems in the restrooms?  Maybe you have the gift of helps.  Do you notice the bevy of little van kids, runny noses and hair falling out of place, making paper airplanes out of their Sunday school papers in the front row?  Maybe you have a spot in your pew for one of them.  And maybe it will be your smile they remember, thirty years from now, when they try to imagine what Jesus looks like.

 

Sometimes people will tell us, “You need to get more young families into this church!”   We agree wholeheartedly!   What a blessing you can be at welcoming new people to your home for dessert, or just adding a friendly face to our crowd.   Show your support for a small church by joining them in membership, and then lend a hand!  There’s plenty of room for your gifts here.  We’re not quite as polished as the guys on TV, who have video editors to take out the coughing and the mistakes.  But if you get sick and have to be hospitalized—my husband will come see you.  That TV preacher, as nice as he is, and as much as he probably appreciates your monthly gift, will not be there.  Come help us encourage others. 

 

When Joshua was born five years ago, I hated to schedule my faithful ladies to watch him in the nursery every Sunday night.  These were the same ladies who already did so much—from teaching Sunday school and singing in the choir, to working in our ladies’ missionary circle each month and helping to clean the church and serve for special events.  Since it was just our own child on Sunday evenings, we started scheduling our other children to take turns in the nursery for Sunday nights so that I could hear the preaching.  We like to laugh about the night Nathan got fired from the job, though.  As a six-year-old, his career in nursery work was cut short when he got so absorbed reading  Dora the Explorer  that he failed to noticed Josh making a quick escape—all the way out of the door and down the front aisle of the church!  Yes, we have a job for you here. 

 

3.  Every skill counts.

 

I’m thankful for every single thing anyone ever taught my husband and me—from making homemade bread to sewing, from laying tile to hanging drywall.  My husband just finished repairing our church lawn mower, and now he is headed out the door to drive a school bus.  Some of those lessons were learned when we were growing up; some of them were learned under other mentors; and some of them have been learned right here, when lay people with specific expertise taught us how to do these things. 

 

Discipleship and delegation are crucial in ministry, but small churches still find themselves with a pretty large to-do list for the pastor—and especially in aging congregations.  Do we wait until we have more converts and helpers before we paint the bathrooms, or do we just go ahead and get ‘er done? 

 

Anyone who is called into ministry ought to become a student of every life skill and ministry skill he can find.  Rather than complaining that all the churches are asking for a pastor’s wife who can play the piano—get a book.  Even simple chords with a melody line make a big difference in congregational singing and keep Sunday mornings from sounding like a monastery. 

 

4.  God provides for small churches too. 

              

We don’t have to be intimidated by the small church budget.  Ruth said to Naomi, “Thy God shall be my God.”  When I see a church with a massive gymnasium, Christian school, or updated auditorium, I say, “I have that God too!”  He pays my water bill.  He keeps our van running.  He gave my kids money to go to camp this year, and jobs for our twins to save up for a missions trip to Haiti this fall. 

 

I am afraid that sometimes we try to “self-medicate” when it comes to meeting our own needs, instead of laying our burden out before the Lord and letting Him provide.  About five years ago, God led us to give up our major credit cards.  It was a personal decision, and not based on a conviction that everyone else has to do that.  In fact, some people find that they actually make money using credit cards.  But for us, we just felt God wanted us to use our money toward saving for future emergencies rather than constantly trying to pay past emergencies off.   And God has not failed to pay for our needs. 

 

One week we had some extra expenses to pay, and we had what we jokingly call the “week of 35.”  We had $35 left that week for groceries.  As you can imagine, with four teenagers and two other children, it was going to take some real planning!  Amazingly, we had three different loads of food given to us that Monday, by people who spontaneously called and said they “happened” to be cleaning out cupboards and needed to get rid of extra food!  No one knew we were going to try to scrimp by on eggs, rice, black beans, and milk that week.  But God knew, and He provided food I wouldn’t even have indulged in on a “good” week!  Our pantry was suddenly overflowing.  One lady gave us at least three or four bags of cappuccino mix. Who buys gallons of cappuccino mix when they can barely afford butter?  That’s just how God works!

                                 

We prayed for a full-time bus job for my husband since 2007.  He worked many hours substitute driving and even accepting a challenging position for one school year, driving to the alternative school (for kids who have been expelled from the local district).  The hours were very long and taxing, and the spiritual challenges were very immense, since the boys on the bus were involved with pornography and lewd behavior and language.  We earnestly prayed for a local job with the children in our own district—although it seemed out of reach.  There were two other drivers ahead of Jason in seniority, and they both seemed to enjoy their positions.  Last summer, one of them moved unexpectedly.  The other one accepted a position elsewhere and, without warning, resigned his job.  Jason got the job we had prayed for!  He drives past the church twice a day, past his own deer blind in the fall, and all the while he marvels at the amazing creation of our gorgeous farmland right here on Rural Route Three.   That’s how God works! 

 

I openly share this with you because you have that God too.  Those of you who are considering ministry:  Don’t be afraid of the small church, the church plant, or the mission field where funds can be tight.  God can use you to bring healing to a hurting ministry, to bring reviving growth to a stagnant ministry, and to make that small field your field, for the glory of God.   And those of you who are looking for a church to attend, set aside your checklists.  We don’t have a big youth group or an orchestra or a Christian school.  We just have jobs, places to serve for those who are willing to pitch in, lend a hand, and store up eternal rewards.