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In order to lead in small church, it requires a unique set of skills. In fact, excellent small church strategies look very different from those in larger churches. One of the troubles arising in many church leadership programs and organizations today is that the majority are led by ministry leaders of large churches, trying to teach those in small churches how to do ministry better.
While the motivation is beautiful, the impact is limited and sometimes even detrimental. Small church ministry isn’t simply less or smaller ministry. It is a different kind of ministry that requires specialized skills and considerations. If you want to level up your leadership in small churches, the best place to learn is from successful small church pastors and leaders. Keep reading to learn:
- Why smaller churches are positioned to change the planet
- The distinct differences in small churches that affect leadership needs
- 6 skills that the best small church leaders possess
- How you can become a better leader for your small church
Why Small Church Ministry Is Big Ministry
The impact that small churches have all around the globe is only limited by our modern church culture that has been screaming, “If you do it right, you’ll get bigger,” or “God will bless your church with more numbers if you’re obedient.” This is not biblical, and it’s quite maddening once you’ve experienced God working in smaller spaces. Our acknowledgment that God is at work with us needs to be magnified.
Vision is a good thing and skills are important. However, God is already at work. He doesn’t need us to grow first. In fact, if we see Him at work and join Him, we will open up our minds and hearts, and grow in skill differently than if we thought our skill caused God to work.
I also want to emphasize that I’m not saying that people in small churches cannot learn from people in large churches. We totally can. People in bigger churches can learn from us too! The size of the church doesn’t make a pastor more successful or a worship director more valuable.
What’s Different?
I want to unpack some of the characteristics of amazing leaders in small churches, and how you can grow in these characteristics too! There are a few specific characteristics that I want to go over, not all of them, but the ones that are standing out to me today.
The first thing that is different in small churches, is that every single person really does matter. I’ve worked and worshiped in big churches, and I’m not saying that big churches don’t think everyone matters, but it’s different. In a healthy small church, a consensus is actually more important than the decision. At a small church, you notice when someone is missing or when people’s feelings are hurt. Opinions matter more.
There are also more gaps in small churches. There are more gaps in leadership. When there is a position that needs to be filled, we can’t always hire the next person or train another person. There are more gaps in finances. I’m not saying that large churches don’t have these gaps, but there are more in small churches. There are also gaps in demographics.
Depending on the year, you may or may not have junior highers, young adults, or young married couples. However, if a new family comes in, you just doubled your youth group! These frequent gaps are very different than an experience in a larger church. There are definitely more differences between small and large churches, but this is a good start.
6 Skills To Impactfully Lead In Small Church
1. Relational
I don’t mean that you need to be extroverted or charismatic. I mean that, deep down, you need to be a lover of all people. The skill in relational ministry shows up a lot when you’re moving slower. It’s thoughtful and full of humility. Leading well in a small church requires an incredible amount of clear structure and accountability because of the edge of being skilled in relationships. To keep the relationships we have strong, functional, and productive, we need structure. If there isn’t structure and accountability in any kind of system, it’s so much easier to get into a state of bitterness.
2. Flexible
Being flexible isn’t just about being able to pivot, but rather, being willing to and even watching for an opportunity to shift. In large churches, you can set a plan, put it in place, and make it run. Remember the gaps I mentioned earlier? They are the reasons we need to be flexible. The plan we had can’t always be pushed through when we have a gap in leadership or finances. Sometimes we need to be flexible because when there is a person in pain, you don’t always want to push through.
3. Creative
Developing creativity and working on coming up with new ideas is such a vital thing. Charmain Stoll, who spoke at one of our conferences, had actually talked about one of the beautiful things that she loves about small churches. She loved the small budgets. She said, “I think it’s a gift to have limited finances, because it caused us to be creative, to creatively meet needs,” and there is so much beauty in that.
We don’t always have the ability to buy certain software, resources, or a new platform for worship. We have to create things that often have never been done before. It’s not that large churches don’t practice creativity, but when you have the funds to buy what has already been created, creativity is not as vital.
If you feel like you are not creative, I want to tell you that this isn’t true. God created every human being to be creative. It’s a part of who He is, and He created us with that. Creativity is like a muscle. You practice and grow it. If you want to be successful in small church ministry, you need to develop your creativity.
4. Constraint
The practice of constraint includes not doing everything, choosing less, and embracing the fact that less is more. Keep programs simple. By stopping the process of overcomplicating everything, we refrain from putting all of that weight on our congregation and volunteers. We don’t need to do everything. This skill requires you to choose priorities. Prioritize people over the programs.
Remember the phrase, “Less is more”? This is about not meeting every need, but meeting specific needs of people very well. Many large churches, although they need to choose priorities, don’t need to practice constraint because they have large budgets, a lot of people and volunteers, and the resources they need to do everything they want to do. However, practicing constraint does not mean that your ministry is less. In fact, less is often more.
5. Developer Of People
Develop people rather than recruit people. In small churches, we don’t need to look for the qualified person because, oftentimes, there is an unqualified person who can be developed. Being able to develop people is a different skill set. If you have a larger congregation, it’s much easier to find qualified people than it would be to develop people. Yes, many large churches do a lot of development of skills or volunteers, but they already have a steady group of people who are recruited and qualified. In small churches though, we need to develop people. I think that this is one of the best skills that we could possibly possess because it is exactly what Jesus did!
6. Attuned To God At Work
It is so important to be able to hear, feel, and experience the God of the universe in small places. Be able to appreciate the beauty of small churches. If you feel like the church is failing, you will feel crabby and terrible because you’ll feel like you are failing. However, if you can learn to be quiet in order to hear and see God at work, a lot can change.
How To Grow In These Skills
I want to encourage you to fall in love with small church ministry! Falling in love with small church ministry requires you to love every person fiercely. You also need to pray through it all. Try to start learning from other leaders in small churches. I’m not saying that you can’t learn from leaders in large churches, but we can’t continue to import ideas and structures from large churches as though they’re going to work in our unique spaces.
I also want to encourage you to get rid of the glitter and scale it back. Stop doing what’s not working, start getting to know your people, and ask God to enlarge your love for them.
Rather than looking for the next best strategy or system, grow in your relational ability and creativity. Do less, but do it better! Start hanging out with people who love small church ministry, and you’ll start to think differently.
It’s Not About The Numbers
God did not call us to grow big churches, He called us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. He calls us to bear fruit. This ‘fruit’ does not have to do with numbers, it is spiritual fruit. Having a big church is not a sign of your obedience, accomplishment, or God’s blessing. So, stop judging the size of your church, and begin leading with excellence. This is exactly what Jesus did!
I want to encourage you to pick one of these 6 skills, not one that you already love, but one that challenges you a little bit. Ask God about this, loop in a person that you trust, and start having conversations. Take a step back and see where God is already working.
Read More:
Embracing Change In Small Church Ministry
