But we're just a small church

For the past 30+ years I have pastored a small church and worked with countless others in my role as a judicatory leader.  During these years I have heard the argument "But we're just a small church." to justify why their church could not do certain things.  Maybe the proposal was to begin a new ministry, or someone suggested increasing the pastor's salary, or people were wondering why their church was unable to attract new people.  Regardless of the question or suggestion, the response was always the same: But we're just a small church.  There are two words that need to be removed from that statement: "But" and "just."

I have been privileged to see smaller churches do some amazing ministries.  Sometimes, they even surprised themselves by what they were able to do.  One thing each of these churches had in common was that they refused to define themselves by their size.  They were small churches, but they did not offer that as an excuse as to why they could not accomplish what they believed they were being called to do as a congregation.

This does not mean they ignored the reality of their size or their limited resources.  They just refused to allow those things to determine what they could and could not do.  They believed that if God was leading them to do a certain thing they would find the way to do it, and they moved forward.  When the church I pastored determined to build an addition to our church building I encouraged them to do so without borrowing money.  If God was leading this project as part of his vision for our church then I believed he would provide the funds necessary to build it.  Although not everyone was as convinced as I was, our church voted to move ahead with the project, and less than two years later the church had a new fellowship building that was completely debt free.  The church treasurer told me later that money came in from sources that were totally unexpected.

Small churches cannot do everything, but neither can large churches.  All churches have limited resources; some are just more limited than others.  But, every church can do whatever God calls it to do.  The key is to identify the vision God has for your church and to target your resources to make that vision a reality.  I find it interesting that smaller churches seem to want to offer ministries that will reach EVERYBODY while mega-churches with more resources target certain people for their ministries.  Saddleback Church has targeted Saddleback Sam while Willow Creek has identified Unchurched Harry and Mary as the focus of their ministries.  Both churches have developed a very clear picture of their targets and much of their ministries are focused on reaching out to those individuals.

Smaller churches need to target their ministries in the same way.  We can't do it all, but we can do some things.  Let's focus on the few things we can do with excellence that will provide the greatest impact with the financial and manpower resources available to us.  In my workshops I often tell church leaders their churches would accomplish much more by doing less.  You can probably eliminate 80 percent of your committees and nobody would ever tell the difference.  That would free up considerable man hours for more important ministry tasks that would make a difference.  Chances are your church has ministries and programs that have had little, if any, impact in years.  They continue to be done only because of tradition in your church, and because someone remembers how effective they were in the 1950s and doesn't want to eliminate them.  Ineffective ministries and programs need to be removed so resources are available for things that will work in the 21st century.

You are not "just" a small church.  You are a body of believers in Jesus Christ whom God wants to use to make a difference in your community.  He has brought into your fellowship people with the spiritual gifts and passions for ministry to accomplish his will for your church.  You have all the resources you need if you use them wisely.  Identify his vision for your church, direct your resources towards that vision, and see what amazing things can begin to happen.