People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
Small Churches — Part 1
Small churches—those averaging up to 79 in worship attendance are the backbone of the American church, but they face unique challenges.
by James W. Moss, Sr.
The long-term future of the church in America is not with the churches that average in the thousands. Small clusters of people bound together by a common commitment to Jesus Christ have been and shall be the lifeblood through the centuries of the Christian movement. It is the gigantic church that is the aberation on the church scene. There are three groups of different kinds of small churches. They are church with worship attendance which averages up to 34, 35-49, and 50-79.
- In a big world, the small church has remained intimate. In a fast world, the small church has been steady. In an expensive world, the small church has remained plain. In a complex world, the small church has remained simple. In a rational world, the small church has kept feeling. In a mobile world, the small church has been an anchor. In an anonymous world, the small church calls us by name—by nickname! As a result, small churches have survived where others have failed (Carl Dudley, Making the Small Church Effective, Nashville: Abingdon, 1978, p. 176).
The reality of a single pastor for one church adds significant financial pressure to a small congregation. When I began my current job in 1977, I said to churches that it took an average attendance of 75 to pay a full-time pastor, pay expected denominational benevolence, and carry on reasonable programming. By 1988 that number had risen to 100 and by 1996 to 125. Of course this would not be true if everyone tithed. However, not everyone is going to tithe. The attendance requirement to support a full-time pastor is true whether the total average attendance is in one, two, or three churches. Most small churches as defined in this article will face financial pressure to do the basics. Financial pressure builds as the worship attendance falls. It appears that it will be increasingly difficult for small churches, by this definition, to keep a full-time pastor.
Financial crisis in a small church usually precipitates a concern about evangelism and church growth. Participants see new people as the only method of increasing revenues to pay for the expenses to preserve cherished programs of the faithful and maintain a full-time pastor. Three factors have greatly impacted the finances of churches:
1. The salary and benefit package for clergy. For instance, health care costs have soared adding to the burden.
2. Energy costs have increased.
3. Any printed items have increased as well.
All of these make it much more difficult to do necessary tasks. Generally, the pastor bears the brunt by receiving a limited wage. Many pastors of small churches are working near or below the poverty line. Frequently they forfeit benefits such as pension and health care items to stay in ministry.
Frankly, many small congregations will need to return to circuits to support ministry. Many people resist the idea of circuits. The people feel that sharing a pastor will somehow steal time from them. I served a circuit for nearly six years. I found the people to be very understanding. Many times I heard people say, "We have to be understanding because our pastor has two churches." Effective use of laity in ministry would make possible expansion of the kingdom. A circuit can provide significant financial relief for the churches and provide the opportunity for the pastor to make a living wage. If the option is a circuit or a tentmaking assignment, then the choice is simple. A church will fare much better with a good pastor serving two churches full-time than a good pastor serving one church and working a secular job. The key to serving a circuit is to be affirming of both churches. Treat them respectfully as totally separate entities. The pastor of a circuit must never play one church against the other. Some people who are being served on a circuit view the other church as the mistress taking time from their pastor.
You can find quality churches doing good ministry at each size level. Even the smallest churches can meet the needs of their participants. Frankly, persons finding their needs met in a small church wouldn’t be comfortable in a large one. The same is true in reverse.
Pastor Martha Jones is serving a church that averages 63 on Sunday morning. The annual budget is $49,140.00. Martha attends a seminar conducted by a person with great charisma who pastors a church averaging 4,663 with a budget of $3,629,340.00. The seminar is entertaining. General truths are shared. Pastor Jones receives a startling revelation as she travels home. She muses to herself, "There is nothing in common between that seminar leader and myself. First, I don’t have the gifts he does. Second, he doesn’t understand my situation." Frustration builds for Martha with the realization that nothing will happen in her church because of her attendance at the seminar. The only true beneficiary of the training is the ego and pocketbook of the seminar leader.
There appears to be little understanding of the small church. I recently went to the Winebrenner Theological Seminary Library. There were but 18 books in the small church category. The most recent was written in 1989. I visited a quality Christian bookstore noted for carrying a good inventory. There was one title on the small church. Paul Madsen wrote in 1975, "Members in small churches frequently feel forgotten and neglected. When they seek help from the printed page, they find a very small library upon which to draw. Many of the books are quite old, oriented to a world moving at a much slower pace and, quite literally, a different culture" (The Small Church: Valid, Vital, Victorious, Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1975, p. 9). There seems to be a bit of incongruity to that development considering that the average worship attendance for Protestant churches is 75. That is also interesting since 50% of the Churches of God, General Conference, have an average worship attendance of 51 or less on Sunday morning. Efforts have to be made to understand the unique characteristics of small churches to minister effectively.
Though I have been working to grow churches through 40 years of ministry, the church growth movement displays a lack of understanding of small churches. Most churches start small and many remain small. Even if they grow significantly they will still be small. It is important to appreciate and value the significance of the small church. The small churches need to be cherished even as individual persons. They must not be denigrated or they will never be able to be led to more effective ministry.
A Good Book: Ron Crandall, Turnaround Strategies for the Small Church (Abingdon, 1995).
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Read about Jim's seminars and books.
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February 10, 1999. Volume 2, Issue 3. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.