The healthy small church

I've been privileged to have published eight books. None has brought me greater pleasure than The Healthy Small Church: Diagnosis and Treatment for the Big Issues. It has been my best selling book and is the basis for the seminar I am most often asked to lead. The reason this book brings me so much pleasure is because many people are not sure a smaller church can be healthy. There is so much emphasis placed on the larger church that some view a small church as something that is unhealthy and destined to close.

Regardless of size, a church can be healthy or unhealthy. There are unhealthy large churches, and there are healthy smaller churches. Size has nothing to do with the health of a church.

In the book I explore 13 different aspects of church life that will determine if the church is healthy or unhealthy. In the final chapter I share two or three questions for each of these topics for church leaders to ask to determine how healthy their church is. I encourage church leaders to look at those questions once a year as an annual check-up of their church. Just like we humans, something might show up in an annual exam that wasn't there in the previous exam. Catching a problem early can help prevent it from becoming worse. The same is true of churches.

Asking these questions might cause the leadership to determine that their church isn't healthy. Of course, they may have known that even before studying the questions. The good news is that any church can become healthy if it is willing to take the necessary steps. A healthy church can become even healthier by focusing on some areas of its life that could stand improvement.

Judicatory leaders have ordered copies of this book for all the pastors in their districts. Congregations have ordered copies for each family and worked through each chapter as a church. Church boards have ordered copies for each member of the board and studied it together. I've been blessed by letters, emails, and personal conversations I've had with some churches that have done this who reported how much it helped their church.

This book has led to me being invited to lead a seminar based on the book for numerous denominational groups around the US and Canada. It has been a privilege to share this information with these church leaders and to encourage them. I learned a long time ago that most small church ministers and leaders could stand a little encouragement from time to time.

I am about to wrap up a stint as the Transitional Pastor for the church I am now serving and am available to speak at your pastor gatherings. Besides this subject, I have led seminars based on some of the other books I've written, but this one has been the most requested.

Let me close with a word of encouragement. If you are serving in a smaller church that is not especially healthy, please don't give up. Perhaps you've been called to that church to help lead it to health. No church has to remain unhealthy. It is God's will that every church be healthy and thriving, and with His help your church can become such a church. If I can help you in that, please feel free to contact me.