A denomination of small churches?
Adam Hamilton is senior pastor at his charge, Church of the Resurrection. I am senior pastor at my charge, Prairie Chapel United Methodist Church. He has 7,500 average Sunday worship attendance. I have 30 average worship attendance.
Hamilton recently gathered pastors from 80 of the 100 largest UMC churches in the United States for a conference in Atlanta. He noted that 1 in 20 Methodists attend those 80 churches. It sounds like together they are doing interesting and dynamic things for Christ.
It makes me reflect on the radically different situation of pastors who serve small churches. My last meeting with a fellow small church pastor was over lemonade at a local restaurant.
In my four months of service, I’ve gotten several interesting signals about the importance of small churches.
When I was trying to figure out if I could go to seminary this year, I got advice from people to treat my charge as a “Sunday only” experience so I could have time to do more important things.
Most of the books and advice about church leadership are not geared to a congregation with 30 members and no full-time staff – even in the pulpit.
I’ve heard people say that the UMC would not much miss small churches if they disappeared – they don’t contribute much financially or participate much beyond the local church.
As I’ve served in the part-time pastorate, I’ve met more and more part-time local pastors who are appointed to charges 30-45 miles from their homes, which limits pastoral care and visitation.
Leave it at this: Since being appointed after having attended a church with about 700 average worship attendance for several years, I have entered a whole new world. I know I have much, much more to learn to truly serve my people. But my only regret is that I can only serve this group of Christians as a part-time pastor. Just like Christians at bigger churches, they are struggling to live their faith and are loved by God.
My prayer is that we as a congregation continue to value each of them.
How about us who live 75 miles away? That’s right at an hour and a half. It’s what I can do.
I wonder about this 20 percent that go to the 80 percent of small membership churches — from the conversations I have had with my congregations, I get the sense that they feel like red-headed step children — like they don’t count.
It makes me wonder about church all over again. What exactly is church and what are we supposed to do? Are we supposed to grow numbers? Are we supposed to grow disciples for the transformation of the world?
I will never be the pastor of a “significant” church, according to some people. I will never be a “high capacity” minister. But I would claim that anytime that two or three gather together in worship on Sunday morning — Jesus is there and that one fact is VERY significant.
John,
The Southern Baptist Convention is also a denomination of small churches. I invite you to visit my blog at http://lesliepuryear.blogspot.com for articles on pastoring in a small church environment.
Just remember that your church is just as important in the Kingdom of God as any megachurch.
Regards,
Les
Amen, Theresa, and Amen, Les.
Thank you for commenting.
John,
Thanks for this reflection. I just started serving a church 45 miles from my home that averages about 30 people per Sunday. It is a part-time appointment as I finish my graduate studies. Your words made me think a lot about my own experiences over my first few precious weeks with the souls put under my care. They are a wonderful group of people, and a testament to the importance of small church ministry.
Pax,
Andrew
John,
As a licensed local pastor serving full time a rural church with an average 50+ in attendance, I know how you feel. I am not living in the parsonage because of family situation and have a 30 mile commute.
The finances aren’t the greatest, but we get by. The apportionment has usually been paid in full and then some, although this year it doesn’t look like that will happen and it frustrates this congregation. They can’t help it if the local economy has gone to hell in a hand basket but they are as faithful as they can be.
The singing and the passion for worship far outstrips any large church that I have been part of and I come from a background of large churches. Heck, their passion period far outstrips any other church that I have been associated with. That passion carries over into our hunger ministry. Our Food Pantry is a partnership with other small churches in our area that served an average of 289 families monthly with 357 boxes of food per month. Approximately 96 TONS of food passed through our doors in 2007 making us the largest food pantry in our MSA. And they are looking for ways to do even more. This little church blows my mind and it humbles my spirit.
Like rev mommy said, I will probably never serve a “significant” church in the eyes of many, but I will always thank God for the chance to serve at this place, a place that is significant in the eyes of God… and isn’t that the only thing that counts?
Wow, someone told you to treat your charge like a “Sunday only” appointment? Ew.
I was an associate pastor for seven years while in college and in seminary. For someone to have told me to compartmentalize my church like that would have made me quite, quite angry.
I also had a friend (not from seminary, when I was enrolled) once tell me that my studies were “more important” than my church work. That, too, made me angry. I loved doing school and studying at the same time. Yes, my life was complicated (husband, church, work, full time coursework), but I was able to apply what I learned on Tuesday to my praise worship practice on Thursday night, my small group bible study on Friday mornings, and then bring it to the pulpit each Sunday. It was a wonderful way to integrate why we, as clergy, do what we are called to do.
Yes, I have four small churches and by ’small’, I mean 30, 30, 9 and 4. (9 and 4 don’t have church buildings, in case you’re wondering!)
I too feel that much of the reading is for larger churches. And I get quite fed up with internet conversations where people tell me things like ‘I should be empowering people’. Then when I say that I know what the people can do I get told something like ‘Well, you obviously don’t know your congregation well enough because there is always someone who can do that task.’ Guess what? I *really am* 100% certain that there are only two people who play the organ. I really, really am. And that comes from knowing them well, not from not knowing them well enough.
I too get angry when people suggest that these people are not important or that ‘growth’ or ‘programmes’ are more important than the people who are already there. I have to say that I can’t even imagine how a church of 700 people could function, though and I certainly wouldn’t want to be involved with the church that size (no offence intended).