Healthy Small Church

I recently led four workshops on "The Healthy Small Church" in our region. We had about 200 people attend the sessions representing a number of our smaller churches. The workshops went well, but now the real work begins. It is one thing to sit and listen to someone explain how a church can become healthier; it is another thing to apply what you've learned.

Many of the churches attending the workshops are now looking at how they can become healthier. Some ordered enough copies of my book The Healthy Small Church for each of their lay leaders, and they intend to work through each of the chapters and use the diagnostic questions at the end of the book to examine their church. Some churches are going to meet with other churches that attended the workshop so they can learn from each other. A few have indicated they will probably call me to come in and work with their church leaders to help their churches become healthier.

This book and workshop has been a real help to a number of churches that believe they now have the tools to help them begin to look at their churches in a new way. After sitting in the workshop many have realized for the first time they have become primarily inward focused and stuck in a maintenance mode. Some church leaders have said they knew something was wrong, but they couldn't identify what it was until they heard me describe the characteristics of a maintenance church. Several came up to me during the breaks and said I was describing their church.

If your church would like to go through this workshop, please contact me. Better yet, you may find several churches in your association or district that would want to experience this workshop together. I am also willing to serve as a consultant for your church if you would like for me to spend a day or two with your leadership to help them look at your congregation and make some recommendations how it could become healthier.

I believe in the small church and in bivocational leadership. If possible, I would enjoy working with your congregation as it seeks to be faithful to God's purpose for its ministry.