There is a role for churches of all sizes. Big churches meet some needs, small and rural church meet other needs.

The typical church has about 75 attendees each week.

So if you’re a pastor of a small congregation, your church isn’t broken, it’s what’s known as normal. And normal doesn’t need to be fixed.

But for the most part, the books, conferences and classes about pastoring ted to concentrate on big church principles, or on how to help the smaller churches become bigger.

That’s not a bad thing, in fact it’s expected, since we all want to learn from those growing ministries.

But when those are the only sources, we can miss a valuable aspect of church life – the vibrant, healthy small church.

Understanding The Small Church

Small churches have needs, blessings and opportunities that are specific to their smaller size. And since they are by far the most typical church, it’s important for pastors and church leaders to understand small churches better so we can serve them, the pastors who lead them, and the people in them with greater effectiveness.

Biggest Needs: Encouragement

Small churches, and especially small church pastors, labor under a great deal of discouragement.

They face a constant shortage of resources, ideas, facilities, finances, people, time, you name it, if you pastor a small church, it may seem like you ministry is practically defined by being in a constant state of need.

But what may be even worse than the shortage of supplies is the shortage of encouragement. Small church pastors often feel ignored or belittled when their situation is either overlooked and condescended to by the very people they go to for help, such as fellow pastors, church consultants, and other leaders.

It’s not a surprise that so many small church pastors leave the ministry every year. What’s really amazing is that most of them keep moving faithfully along.

More than anything else, small churches and their pastors need to be encouraged.

They (we) need to know what they do has value.

That’s they’re making a difference

They they’re not being looked down on

That they’re being prayed for

That someone is there to help

That they have as much to offer as they have to learn

As much as you may need to be encouraged today, there’s another small church pastor who needs encouragement from you. Let’s set our territorialism aside and be there for each other.

Biggest Blessing: Relationships

Small churches are not necessarily friendlier than big churches. That’s often how big churches become big after all.

But small churches do offer unique opportunities for relationships that can only happen when the crowd is smaller.

For instance, people in a small church can be known by name. Not just be a small circle of friends, but by (almost) everyone, including the pastor. The entire church notices when someone is missing, and their absence means something to the rest of the people in the church.

In many small churches, kids will have the same person teaching them every year, developing a long-term mentoring relationship with them that will affect the rest of their life.

When the relationships in a small church are strong and healthy, there’s nothing like it on earth. Every church of every size can have great relationships with other people. Every church of every size can have great relationships, as long as we make them a priority.

Biggest Opportunity: Discipleship

The greatest churches are built, not on big programs, beautiful buildings, or even great preaching.

The backbone of a strong, healthy, effective church is always discipleship. Equipping the saints for the work of ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Making and training disciples is what the elements of a great church (worship. fellowship, teaching, ministry and evangelism) are designed to promote.

Smaller churches have a great opportunity to disciple people using the greatest discipleship method ever used. It’s the method that was used by Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and the early church.

For many people being pastored by their pastor is a special and very helpful part of their spiritual growth.

We Need All Sizes Of Churches

There is a role for churches of all styles and sizes in the kingdom of God.

Big churches meet some needs, small churches meet other needs.