"Big Ministry in Small Churches Part 1"

By Dan Reiland The first church I served on staff was Lakeside Wesleyan Church in Lakeside, California. I was the very part time youth pastor and lots of other stuff, and a full time private investigator - just out of college at the ripe old age of 23. The church had less than 200 in total attendance but was thriving with meaningful ministry. Richard Lauby was the pastor then, and under his watchful eye I learned much in ministry. From delivering my first sermon to reaching teens for Christ, it was a great adventure in learning how to make things happen with modest resources. I remember those lessons in ministry well. There are so many wonderful memories of tender moments, laughter and big dreams. And of course, lots of late night pizza! I remember the people's names and faces -- like Lee and Carolyn, Jack, Jennie, Rene, David and Jeannette, and so many more. The memories are so vivid because my time at Lakeside was filled with significant and life changing ministry. God does big things in small churches. The point is not the size of your church as much as what God wants to do through your church! Let me ask three questions. 1. Is the gospel being taught? 2. Is there a vision for reaching people? 3. Are lives being changed? If yes, then keep doing what you are doing! We all want our churches to be larger, but I believe that ultimately the size of your church is up to God. Your job is to serve and lead well with all your heart and leave the rest to Him. I love the saying "work like it's up to you and pray like it's up to God." That sums it up well. Six Words for Small Churches: Leaders of small churches often get stuck in the struggles and difficulties of ministry. It is easy to get discouraged, but vital to focus on what is good. I'm offering you six key things to lean into. You don't need to work on them all at once. In fact, with the exception of the last one, you could spend about a year working on them, at two months each. Uniqueness There is a reason that 60 or 90 or 140 people have chosen to attend your church over all the other choices in the area. There is something that makes your church special, it's your "secret sauce!" It's part of your unique DNA and you need to know what it is and lean into it. It might be wonderful worship, or a compassionate culture or perhaps a particular ministry that God is blessing in your community. You can't make it up or force it. You can't sit in a meeting and decide what you want it to be. It's already there and you need to discover it and leverage it as a force for good in your city. Agility A big church is something like an aircraft carrier. It is powerful and can do much good, but it can't move or turn fast. It can get bogged down in the complexity of operations. A small church is more like a speedboat, it is fast and can turn on a dime. That's a powerful feature in a local church. You can make decisions faster and respond to the needs of people and your community quickly. You can sense what God is up to and jump in. It's easier to experiment with a new ministry for a short time. If it gains traction, you keep going, if not, shut it down and ask God for the next endeavor. Don't be afraid to experiment, but do keep your list of ministries very short.

Intimacy This is one of the most common things that people love about small churches. The closeness, connection and fellowship are fantastic. It helps people feel at home and cared for in your church! Enjoy all that this brings! It can, however, be a two-edged sword so keep a keen leadership eye toward balance between intimacy and inviting new people. As long as you genuinely welcome new people, this sense of closeness is one of the best things you have going! Encourage your congregation to make friends in the community and invite them to church. Don't make inviting a program for a special "big day," encourage it as a lifestyle. Creativity Some of the most creative things come from small churches with very modest means. When you don't have lots of staff, money and people it's really cool to see how creative you can get. Focus on what you do have, not what you are without. It's not always easy but it can be inspiring and often fun! People in the community will volunteer for special projects, businesses will give you equipment, and local politicians will lend their influence. You need to dream, be creative and ask for help. I don't mean help for the little underdog church, but for the innovative, nimble and efficient small church that loves people and wants to make a difference! Christmas is right around the corner, start thinking now about something special you can do! Seeds In order to grow and multiply your ministry, we as leaders need to be sowers of seeds. There are so many kinds of seeds to sow. Love, kindness, and compassion are one group of seeds that return great dividends in time. Generosity and encouragement form another group. You and your church are probably good at those already. Another kind comes from thinking big and thinking unusual for a small church. For example, would God allow you to raise up several young next gen leaders to send out into pastoral ministry? Perhaps you could send a missionary or even plant a church! Planting these kinds of seeds has a way of extending the scope and reach of your church in really big ways. And in my experience, God always blesses when you give yourselves away. Favor God's favor is not reserved for big and powerful churches. In fact, I believe He's looking for humble and available churches that want to reach spiritually unresolved people and lift up the name of Jesus regardless of their size. God's favor is indeed a mystery. We can't buy it or get it upon demand. Yet, it's not mysterious. We know God wants to bless His church! Sometimes it's no more complicated than asking God for His favor upon your church and other times it's about patient waiting and continuing to be faithful about doing the right things. God's favor isn't a magic bullet for church growth. It's a divine touch that brings the supernatural into the natural. It provides life change and momentum. Favor is as much about grace as it is Kingdom power. Favor is that holy presence that makes hard work become fruitful results. May God bless you with much favor. And I pray that your heart is renewed and encouraged for the unique ministry positioning that small churches play in the Kingdom of God.

"This article is used by permission from Dr. Dan Reiland's free monthly e-newsletter, "The Pastor's Coach," available at www.INJOY.com."

"Big Ministry in Small Churches Part 2"

By Dan Reiland Lakeside Wesleyan Church, in Lakeside, California was the first church I served as a staff member. It was a small church and I learned much! Rich Lauby was the pastor then and the church accomplished significant life changing ministry. For more on that story, see the previous Pastor's Coach article, (Part 1) which includes "6 Words for Small Churches." The first church I "officially" consulted was a small church in Ruston, Louisiana. Ever been there? The pastor's name was Mark and we hit it off immediately. Mark picked me up from the airport and I discovered a loaded .357 Magnum in the front of his truck. I asked him what a preacher was doing with a loaded .357 and he said: "What would I want with one that wasn't loaded?!" Right then I knew I loved that guy! Of course it was legal, licensed and all that good stuff, but a preacher that packed, that was a first. I quickly learned that Mark loved Jesus, his family, and his church and really wanted it to be healthy and grow. Mark said I was helpful, and I hoped I was, though I was really green as a church consultant. I returned home to write up a report, and mailed it to Mark. The story took a turn. He called me and said: "Dan, this report is not at the standard I expected or hoped for, it's not what you can do, I appreciate you, but you need to know that this probably won't cut it for the churches you consult in the future." Whoa! He wasn't asking for another report, he just wanted to be helpful to me. I took his words to heart, and I did write a second and much better report. Mark was a leader of a small church and he made a big influence in my life as a rookie church consultant. He said something I'll never forget: "Dan, God has given you great gifts in leadership and ministry, but you have not yet learned how to consult others with what you know." I am forever grateful for his courage and insight. I realized that there was a difference between being an effective church practitioner and someone who could successfully help others in their ministry. I immediately went to work on becoming a better consultant! I've been back at one local church for over ten years now, and I don't have much time for "formal" consulting, but when I do, that lesson and subsequent growth is still with me. I'm convinced the number one difference-maker in a small church is the pastor as leader. Like Mark, the pastor sets the pace for the rest of the pack! He influences the other leaders and volunteers, and we all know that next to the favor of God, everything rises and falls on leadership. In Part 1, I offered "Six Words for Small Churches." That is, of course, for leaders, but now let's jump into something specifically about your leadership. Six Words for Small Church Leaders Courage Leadership requires courage, and courage doesn't recognize the size of a church. When you face a fear or take a risk, it doesn't matter if you have 50 or 190 attending your church. Whether you are at the edge of your budget or need to confront a board member, it feels the same regardless of the size of your congregation. The difference is the size of the leader. Leaders grow by gaining courage. It may sound strange, but you have to practice courage. You can't read about it and get it. You can listen to a talk or read something and be inspired to do what you need to do, but you don't really gain courage until you take action. What is before you today that requires courage?

Invest Think of pouring into your leaders like consistently depositing money in a bank account and leaving it there. At first it doesn't seem like much, but in time the dividends are substantial. That's how leadership development works. It's ok to start small. It fact, that's a good idea. Leadership development is not an

event oriented program in which you see how big a crowd you can draw. Here's how you start. Gather your top 5-8 leaders. Pick a good leadership book. Meet monthly and ask these two questions. 1. What are you learning? 2. How are you applying what you are learning? That's it! In time you'll have other groups and add to the learning experience, but simplicity and consistency are essential to the process. Faith Great leaders have great faith. This thought has humbled me over the years because I don't know that I always have such great faith. But God is kind and grants favor for belief even the size of a mustard seed! I've learned it's not just how big my faith is, though that matters, but it's more about the source of my faith! The fact that I trust God for my daily breath and bread, and for every moment of leadership favor, leads to my own increasing faith! I think that is true for you too. You have faith in God for your salvation. You know His grace and love. That's the foundation you build upon to see Him do great things in your church through your leadership! Competence What are you good at? That's the question all leaders must grapple with. What is the strength of your leadership? Are you a good communicator? Perhaps you're more of a recruiter and equipper? Maybe you are a fantastic administrator, or you are really good with people. Are you a visionary with great ideas? No leader is good at everything. So figure out what your strength is and lean into it. Improvement is always worthwhile, but don't try to be great at something that's not your gifting. Surround yourself with others who can buttress your weaker areas. Let me address one specific area. What if you don't consider yourself to be a great speaker, how do you fix that? First, speak shorter, about 25 minutes is good. Second, let others teach too, perhaps 12-15 times a year. Patience We all want our people to mature in less time, we want the budget to increase quicker, and our church to grow faster. But it doesn't work that way. Even for churches that seem to experience explosive growth, I promise there are things that challenge the patience of the leader. Growth is organic, not a result of a mechanical function. You can't "make" your church grow. You can do the right things like pray, encourage, develop leaders, share your faith, invite people, and teach God's Word. It's important to remain consistent in those things, with passion, but also with patience, because ultimately the harvest is up to God. Love I'm reading a couple of good books right now. Love Does by Bob Goff, and Love Works by Joel Manby. They are great practical reminders of a truth that we as leaders know, but might lose sight of under the pressure of daily leadership. God's love for you is extraordinary and the core of your leadership is based on that love. No matter how tough it might get, or how blessed you might be, or discouraged you might become, God calls you to love people! Take time to reflect on God's love for you. Really. Take a minute. Let that love flow through your leadership. My prayer is that will continue to bless you and your leadership!

"This article is used by permission from Dr. Dan Reiland's free monthly e-newsletter, "The Pastor's Coach," available at www.INJOY.com."