Are You Struggling to Lead a Small Church?

If leading your small church seems more difficult each week, you may need to consider some new options.

I’ve watched too many people leave pastoral ministry because a church seemed unable to grow. Some faced obstructive leaders in their congregations, and some fell from favor with denominational officials.

Whatever the reason, when a leader abandons their calling, their action wounds the body of Christ and often leads to a life lived under a shadow of perceived personal failure. So, let’s look at some options to bring hope instead of failure.

Option One: Close a Small Church

There is a lot of handwringing in denominational offices about smaller churches. One (often too tempting) option is to close the church, grab the money and re-invest in a church plant.

That seems wrong for one huge reason—those remaining saints will lose contact with each other. Sure, they may attend other churches, but without the support and love of lifelong friends, they will not be able to stay in touch.

So, to me, that option is off the table.

Option Two: Grow the Church Without Major Change

Option two would be to develop a plan to grow the church into greater significance. However, one of the aforementioned “saints” may oppose any and all plans that could work. Often, you may find a small but well-organized cadre standing in your way.

Option Three: Plant a Separate Church In Your Building

Option three might be to plant a separate church in your existing building. We did this several times by adding another service with an entirely different flavor. The goal was to reach single adults above college age—the most neglected segment of Christ-followers by churches. This was not a “contemporary” service where you cop a few songs from more prominent churches but an all-out new thing beginning with less than a dozen people and growing into whatever shape it took. Some would call it contemporary, and others would call it crazy, but our “Friday night, Sunday morning” services produced a lot of marriages and young families.

Option Four: Go Bivocational

Option four is to go bivocational. This adds hours to an already overburdened leader, but it can also relieve some of the burden. For starters, you can recruit more easily…”I know you’re busy, but so am I. I put in 40 hours and do this, so I’m asking you to do the same.” Another sense of relief comes from less dependence on a church salary, which removes a burden from church finances. It frees you from those who obstruct new ideas by using lack of funds as a tool or, worse, holding you hostage to your salary. One pastor I know told me that any month his congregation didn’t make budget they took the shortfall from his salary. He went bivo and stripped them of a measure of power.

Option Five: A Combination of the Above

Option five is to help your church grow healthier so it can grow in numbers. Adding a service, going bivo, and anything else that brings hope to a leader’s heart will filter through sermons, leadership at board meetings, etc.

Remember that the failing of most very large churches is a lack of intimacy. Big churches that succeed are usually those that generate intimate circles within massive crowds—cell groups, etc. My point is that smaller churches reek of intimacy. It can even be a tool for resisting change. However, a smart leader will build spiritual health into those relationships, leading to greater significance.

Trailheads Toward Significance

So, let’s summarize. All but option one are trailheads toward the kind of health that can allow a smaller congregation to grow and begin influencing its surrounding community. They will also help take option one off the table.