news

Doing Ministry on a Small Budget

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:31:44 +0100

One issue of small church life that is a constant headache is stretching a tight budget. Some congregations don’t have to deal with this issue, but most find it a regular struggle.

My own church is a case in point. We minister to people that often cannot contribute much in the way of money. That’s fine—it’s who God has led us to and we thrive on helping them. But the reality is that a handful of people is providing the money we need. This hinders us from building the place of worship we need. We have the land, but can’t afford to build on it. Without a building, it is impossible to start new Sunday school groups to increase our outreach to young people (hard to make renovations to a borrowed facility). This holds us back from reaching some we could. And so on…you get the idea.

Other congregations need to add more staff or at least increase the compensation to the ones they have. But small revenues prevent growth in this area. The examples go on.

Now let me make it clear—God provides all we need. There has never been a time that He has not been faithful. And therein lies the hard part. We as small church leaders must determine what our real needs are. Some things we just want, but don’t necessarily need.

We must spend time in prayer and discuss with each other what the mission of our church is. As we gain a clearer insight into our ministry, we can then focus on how to allocate the finances available to help our congregations go forward for the Lord.

The $258,000 Question

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 03:32:01 +0100

I heard from our builder the other day. He said the plan we had drawn up for our new church would cost us $258,000. It took me by surprise...I had rejected an earlier plan for a larger building that came in around the same price. Knowing our small church could not afford it, I scaled down the size of the building from 8,000 sq ft to 6,400. The price did not really change.

I have come to realize the reason is not in the size, but the content. Both designs had a sanctuary, fellowship hall, and several classrooms. More class space than we currently need, but enough for us to grow into without the burden of additional building.

But the drywall work, the doors, the windows, etc. don't really change just because I eliminated some floor space, thus the same basic price. The only way to get the cost down is to give up some of the rooms I feel we need.

It is not likely the people we minister to will be able to help. Our church is intentionally reaching out to the folks that other churches don't. We are reaching drunks, drug users, people with criminal records, people in mixed marriages, gays and lesbians...basically anyone traditional churches are overlooking. Note I did not say these folks aren't welcome in other churches. I am just saying we are reaching out the these folks on purpose and I don't think most regular congregations are doing that. These folks often don't have much money so another way must be found.

I believe with all my heart that God wants us to have a place to meet. I believe He is going to provide the need. I recently heard about another ministry in a large city that needed $5 million and God provided. Since He did that for them, I know He is doing it for us. Thank you Lord for Your provision for our church! Amen!

Gun Control and the Small Church

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 04:26:19 +0100

In the wake of the recent school shooting, gun control has been a hot topic. Some see firearms as a threat that needs to go away. Others see them as an important means of protection that every citizen needs. Whatever your views, an interesting side topic is the place of guns in church.

First let me point out that God intended church to be a loving atmosphere. In this day and age where anyone can walk in off the street and start shooting at everyone in the congregation, that is a tough order to fill. There is a real danger in the current climate that the same tragedy we have seen in other public arenas could also be played out in the church. That being said, I don’t think we are putting out the right message if we decide to basically have armed guards in our churches.

Second, it was not the practice of Jesus to carry a weapon. The disciples had one sword among them and Jesus sternly rebuked Peter for using it when the time came. I know someone will say “Jesus also didn’t have a car or sound system but you do.” That is true enough. However, we are not talking abouttechnology but an attitude. Jesus could have been armed but purposely chose not to do so.

Third, once the disciples matured after Pentecost, they also chose to go without weapons. Peter, who had once wielded a sword laid it down and chose a different path.

Fourth, both Jesus and the disciples believed that the violence committed against them was a part of God’s plan. There could be no salvation had Jesus not been crucified. The disciples praised God they were beaten. Paul and Silas got to witness to the Philippian jailer after a beating and a night in jail. In more modern times there are many instances of the gospel moving forward powerfully after violence committed against one or more members of the church.

Finally there is the faith factor which is closely tied to the previous point. Do I trust God enough to protect me? If He chooses to let me suffer or even die, can I believe it is a part of His plan for my life?

Obviously many people will disagree with my post. I am certainly not opposed to gun ownership. But I don’t think that church is an appropriate place to carry a firearm.

Preparing for Culture Shock when Moving to a Small Church

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 02:46:35 +0100

It is not unusual to hear of someone who has moved from a large church to a small congregation. The reasons vary. Sometimes a young person on staff at a large church is offered the senior pastor position with the smaller group. Some large church leaders as they get older are ready to “step down” a notch or two and so move to a small church. Others just think it would be easier to minister at a small church and so leave to get away from problems.

Whatever the reason, moving to a small church setting will usually bring culture shock to the minister and his family. From things as simple as the fact that nothing is open 24 hours and the nearest Walmart is an hour away to far more complex matters such as small church dynamics, the transition can be extremely difficult.

So how can you prepare? Let me offer a few suggestions:

1. Get acquanted with your surroundings before you move. Are you used to eating out after a long day of work? Then what are the options? How about doctors, hospitals, drug stores and the like…does your intended location have many options? Things you take for granted in a large city are not considered all that important in rural America so know what you’re getting into before you move.

2. Recognize that the small church is its’ own entity. It is not a mini version of the large church. If you go there expecting to have the congregation take on all of you favorite programs, you will be sorely disappointed. They probably will not change their songs, their order of service, or anything else. Just because you think something is better doesn’t mean they feel the same way.

3. Be prepared for a change in polity. In the large church, staff often makes many decisions without consulting anyone. In the small church almost every decision gets a hearing by the entire church. And there are always a few key people that will decide if it passes or fails and they are not always the easiest folks to deal with. Many a leader has tried to bypass this system only to find himself out looking for a new place to minister.

4. Treat the change as if going to a mission field. Ask anyone who has gone to another country to share the gospel and they will tell you that it took a long time for them to learn the culture. They did not assimilate things overnight. Things seemed strange and foreign for a long while. It is no different moving from a large church setting to a smaller one. Understand that you are going to a completely different place and you must be willing to invest the years (yes I said years) learning how to adapt YOURSELF (not change them) to their way of life. If you can’t do this then you really need to pray about whether God is really leading you down this path.

There are many more things that could be mentioned but perhaps this will give you a start. Small church ministry is a blessing and the lives you affect will make a difference for Jesus in this world. Just do some things to be ready because you almost certainly will experience at least some culture shock.

Teaching Biblical Values in a Biblically Illiterate Age

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 01:32:21 +0100

We live in a time where precious few people know the teachings of the Bible. Many people THINK they know what the Scriptures say. They heard their mom say this or saw that on tv. Maybe they read a religious article written by a Christian so now they know what the Bible teaches.

The sad part is that many of the people I am talking about are Christians! They spend little to no time studying the Bible for themselves and are therefore quite unaware of God's teachings.

As an example, I recently mentioned on someone's post the fact that the walls of Soloman's temple were overlaid with gold and that it was God who had given the plans to do so. Another person reading the post was shocked that I would suggest such as we all know that God would not want that kind of money spent on a building.

Now I'm not planning on having gold walls in the church building we hope to begin soon, but the point I am making is that the other person was not even aware that what I said came from the Bible. And there are many more out there. Good people...honest people...people who love God...but they are ignorant (in the proper sense) of His word.

Christians who publicly speak out for Biblical values are often subjected to harsh criticism. They are described as cold, unloving, stuck in the past, etc. Our country is racing down a secular slope because few people know and accept the teachings of the Scriptures.

Which thus makes the teaching of the Bible all the more important in our day. Verse by verse study is needed as never before. In the past, a pastor could speak on various topics and know that the people in the pews had the Bible background to grasp the truths being taught. That assumption cannot be made today. In fact, we must assume instead that the people we are preaching to have little or no knowledge of the Scriptures we quote.

We must get down to the nitty gritty with our congregations. It's time to walk our people through the greatest book on earth--the Bible.

A Little Too Cautious

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 01:34:10 +0100

I recently saw a commercial for a new car. It was a family ride and the ad depicted parents and children doing normal family things. One scene showed them driving down the road headed for school. I noticed that at the bottom of the picture there were words that said "Professional driver. Closed course. Do not attempt."

Now I've seen this same caption on ads showing drivers racing down the road at high speed making harrowing curves and spectacular jumps. But a simple drive down the road to school? Come on.

Now I'm not stupid. I know that in our sue happy culture, the auto company was playing it safe. They were covering their hind ends against possible lawsuits. They were being cautious. But in my opinion, they were being a little too cautious.

I think a lot of Christians are like that. We have the greatest thing a person could hope to have--a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Knowing Him and living according to the Bible bring about the highest level of joy ever known to mankind.

We know we should share it with others, especially our relatives and friends. But because many people have become antagonistic toward the gospel message, we sometimes proceed with caution lest we offend someone. I think we are sometimes too cautious.

Now we all know of someone who figuratively beats people over the head with the Bible trying to shove Christianity down their throats. Jesus did not do this and neither should we. However, we all too often go to the other extreme and just don't say anything at all. In the end, neither of these approaches helps anyone.

There are times we need to tread lightly with the good news. But to never share with the people we love the greatest thing that we know is not being helpful. It is being a little too cautious.

I Yelled at the Lady on the Phone

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 03:01:14 +0100

Church leaders are supposed to be upright, godly, and show a good attitude toward all. But today I yelled at the lady on the phone. No, it wasn't a telemarketer calling at a bad time and refusing to stop even though I said I wasn't interested. Nor was it a rude crank caller mouthing me for no good reason. Sadly, it was a nice, polite woman just doing her job.

I was paying bills and tried to set up internet banking on one of my wife's credit cards. I usually pay by check, but I was afraid this one might not make it on time, and I hate late charges. The front of the bill said it could be paid at their website. So I logged on and began the process of setting things up.

Then it happened. I got to a page where it asked for a phone number to send a text message to in order to complete that part of the process. I entered the number as asked, and it sent me back to a previous page. I tried again--same thing. I tried again--same thing. I tried again--well you get the idea. The website had a number to call if you were having trouble. I gave it a call and the recording began asking about loans and other non applicable things. I pushed the wrong button.

After a bit I hung up and tried again. I finally got through to a human. It was the nice lady previously mentioned. I told her the problem and she began to work through things. I was hoping to be through soon--writing a check would have been so much faster. Then it happened. She informed me she could not proceed without talking to my wife (the card is in her name). Was my wife at home so she could speak to her? NO! NO! NO! I yelled in great frustration. My wife was not at home and all I wanted to do was give them some money.

She quietly, politely, but with obvious constraint in her voice told me I could make a payment by phone. I had not used that option because many of the credit card companies charge a fee to pay by phone--bout as well get a late charge. I told her that would be fine, she transferred me and I finished things up.

As I hung up the phone I knew I had once again failed my Lord. Not that this poor lady doesn't get irritated phone callers everyday. I know it's a regular part of her job. I used to get the same thing when I worked at Walmart. Angry people with red faces yelling at you for things you could not help. But this time I was the person acting the fool. It wasn't just some random stranger--it was a supposed man of God.

I sat back down at the table to finish the bills. I said something to my 20 year old daughter who was in the other room about it and she laughed at the old man. Our kids know our faults anyway, but I still don't like them to see my wicked side.

How I wish I could talk to the lady on the phone again and tell her how sorry I am and ask for her forgiveness. But even if I call that company dozens of times, I likely will never speak with her again. So I am left with this heavy feeling in my heart. That is not a bad thing for we should feel bad when we do wrong.

But for those of you who read my blog who are not yourselves church leaders, I wrote this post for you. I want you to see your pastor, your deacons, your ministry leaders in me. That is, they too will fail. They are not perfect, only Jesus is. Don't be shocked when they fall short of the standards they themselves espouse. Pray for them and love them. And while you're at it, remember to pray for the ones they have wronged. Pray for their "lady on the phone."

Using Online Helps in the Small Church

Sun, 13 May 2012 01:44:55 +0100

This is not a post about all of the different online tools available out there. It would take an entire series of articles to cover them all. Rather I want to encourage you to search around and find resources that can make your church experience better.

There is a wealth of information at your fingertips. Just Google a term and you are likely to get thousands of responses. I recently searched the term "small church" and was surprised to see my website www.smallchurchtools.com on the first page. Of course there are many other sites as well and many offer great encouragement.

Having trouble with a sermon illustration? The entire world wide web waits to help you. Can't find the address to a verse for your lesson? There are Bible sites that can find it for you with just a word or two.

Some sites offer coaching for pastors and other leaders. Some are forums for discussion of theological topics. There are even chat rooms where you can visit with other small church leaders on important topics.

Some sites are purely informational. You can go to these pages and read and read and read on just about anything you can think of to help you with the tough questions.

Do you have to take advantage of these resources? No. But that's like a man being shot at refusing to put on a bullet proof vest that someone tossed him. He might survive without it, but why try?

Small Church Pastors Need to Pray

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:27:00 +0100

All of our failures are prayer failures and all of our successes are prayer successes.

Everyone knows that prayer is essential for success in the ministry. Everyone knows we need to pray more than we do. Every book written on doing well as a pastor includes a chapter on prayer. So why don’t we pray more?

Some pastors don’t pray as they should because of their busy schedule. In small churches the pastor is often called upon to do so many jobs. He may be responsible for almost everything that gets done in some congregations. It is even more difficult if the pastor works a secular job in addition to leading the church. There is only so much time available to get all of the work done. But if prayer time suffers because of time restraints then you need to take another look at your schedule. Look at it this way. If you suffered from a deadly disease that could only be cured by spending time in exercise each day, you would make the time to work out. And your people would tell you to cut something out if you felt you were too busy.

Now it may be true that your people may not see the need for prayer time as clearly as they would the need for exercise in the above illustration, but with a little teaching on your part they can come to see the value of your prayer life. But to be honest, they main person that has to be convinced is YOU. You are the one whose commitment or lack thereof is going to make a visible difference in your church. It’s an old cliché but it’s still true--if you’re too busy to pray, you’re too busy.

Another reason some pastors don’t pray as they should is because of laziness. Prayer is hard work and some pastors don’t want to put out the effort required. You know the type. They sit up watching the late movie, sleep in, get up and roam around the house, go to the coffee shop and run a few errands, after lunch they spend a little time in the office then head for home having put in “a full day.” Many of these men have good intentions, but they never get off the ground because of their sluggishness.

Salesmen run into the same problem. A good salesman will tell you that it is hard work. My dad was a retired life insurance salesman and I can remember nights that he came in late because he was out making calls. He had gone to the office at regular opening time and then worked into the night to make a living for his family. And guess what? It was not unusual for dad to lead the district in sales. He did not have a secret for success--he worked!

Pastor, if you are going to be the prayer warrior God wants you to be you are going to have to work at it. It won’t just fall into your lap. You will never magically have enough time. You will have to make it happen. If you were engaged to a girl you would make time to spend with her. You would talk to her on the phone, by email, text, web chat, and any other way you could. God is much more important than a date. Don’t be lazy--do the work of communicating with Him through prayer.

There are other reasons pastors don’t pray. Whatever your hindrance is, work on it. Don’t let Satan rob you and your church of the blessings that come through the mighty channel of prayer.

I have seen God do so many things because His people prayed. The first small church I was privileged to pastor was in a farm community. Agriculture was the lifeblood of many of our members. One hot summer Wednesday afternoon I received a call from one of my people. They had just received new chicks in their large chicken houses. The heat was so great that they were dying. They were working hard to keep them cool, but the blazing heat made it a difficult job. I went to my study and got on my knees. I prayed for God to cool things off. Even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky I asked Him to send rain or at least some clouds to help out. I had no sooner finished my prayer than I heard a noise in the distance--thunder! I went outside and the formerly clear sky was billowing dark clouds. A storm was blowing in and from an odd direction in those parts--from the east. Rain almost always came from the west there, but not that day. As the rain began to pour anyone driving by would have seen an odd sight: the pastor was standing out in the downpour laughing and praising God. Needless to say, things cooled off and the chickens were okay.

Some would say that is a petty example. They would argue that with world hunger, the threat of nuclear war, great epidemics, massive poverty, and other great issues of our day that it is silly to think that God answered a prayer and sent rain to help a few chickens. But I think the opposite is true. God cares about every aspect of our lives and is willing to help out when we ask. My wife suffers from chronic pain and has told me she seldom prays for herself. She says she feels selfish asking for God’s help when she knows so many people who are suffering far more than she. I understand this, but the Bible is clear that God wants us to ask for His help and delights to answer our prayers.

I have three wonderful kids. They’re all adults now (notice I didn’t say they’re all grown!) and live their own lives. But I still delight to help them when they need it. Now the things they can take care of themselves--well that’s another matter. Now that they are grown, I would think they had lost their minds if they came and asked me to make their bed or help them brush their teeth. They are more than capable of doing those things for themselves. But there are still things they come to me for and I am glad to help them out.

So too with God. He wants you to take care of those things you can do. For example, why should He send visitors to your church if you haven’t invited anyone. Why should He give you knowledge to teach a Bible lesson you haven’t studied? There are some things you must do for yourself.

But there are some things only God can do. You can’t convict a soul of their need for Jesus, but He can. You can’t heal that loved one of cancer, but He can. There are so many things that we do without because we don’t take it to Him in prayer. James said “Ye have not because ye ask not.” He goes on to talk about asking amiss, but I have found that most pastors have more of a problem with not asking to start with.

Does God want to bless your church? Of course He does--it is His bride and He cares more about it than you do. But very often He waits to bless a congregation until someone begins to pray. Why is that? No one knows. Some have speculated that by working through answered prayer, God gets the glory rather than man. That makes a lot of sense. After all, it is His power that is getting the job done. He ought to get the praise rather than us.

But that means that you must be a man of prayer if you want to see God work in your small church. So many pastors of little congregations get discouraged because they don’t see the “results” that the big churches experience. They reason that there is no reason to pray for such things because they will never see those prayers answered. But by failing to pray, they miss out on seeing God work in the way He wants to in their situation.

A large teenager needs more food than a small child. But the little one could have more than what the parent put on his plate if he would only ask. Mom knows there is no point in putting an adult portion in front of him. That amount of food would just be wasted. But I don’t know of a loving mother anywhere that would not give her kid another helping if he was ready for it. God may not give you the same blessing that He gives to the big church up the road. He knows you don’t need it anyway. But He will give you far more than you are already receiving if you will learn to ask in prayer.

Oh our faith is just so small! There is not a single pastor reading this that doesn’t already know the truth behind it. You don’t need me to tell you about the power of prayer--most of you have experienced it time and time again. But the plain fact is that we obviously don’t pray like we could and should. If we did we would see God do greater works than we have already seen. It’s time for us to stop writing and talking about praying and get down on our knees and get humble before God.

Small Church Pastors Need Patience

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:50:31 +0100

One of the greatest problems new pastors have at small churches is trying to do too much too soon. You go to a new congregation and are all gung ho for the new ministry. You are there to accomplish something, to make a difference, to get things done! It seems obvious to you that this little congregation has suffered from a lack of ideas, and you have the answers they are waiting for.

After all, you have a degree from Bible college. You have gone to the big church in the big town. You have seen it all (or so you think) and you know what needs to be done to get the small church God has placed you in to become the mega church He desires (because God only desires mega churches, right?). Everyone should be sitting on the edge of their pews to hear the great advice from your highly trained mind so they can get in on God’ program.

Problem is, you will find that although your congregation loves their new pastor, and although they do indeed want to hear some new thoughts and ideas, there is a big difference from listening to thought about change and actually changing. You are going to discover that one of the things that people resist the most (and church people are no different) is change. Many young people like to claim that they love change. They want to always be on the “cutting edge” of anything going on in life, including church. But when you get to testing this claim, you will find that even the younger generation prefers for things to remain the same.

I can recall my seminary president, Dr. B. Gray Allison, sharing at prayer request time that we needed to pray for so and so. He went to a new church and tried to implement a bunch of new programs and now the church was upset and thinking about firing him. This happened several times while I was in school. Dr. Gray would always look at us as he finished the prayer request and say: “When you go to a new church, don’t change anything for at least a year.” What he was telling us was a new pastor needs to be patient.

When I went to my first little rural church I wanted to do evangelistic visitation in the community. I wanted to get a church tract made with the church’s name, address, a brief gospel presentation, a simple map showing how to get there, and a word from the pastor. My pastor at the church I had been serving at had such a pamphlet and found it very useful. He always had some in his pocket to give to people both as a witness and a way to let people know where we were. I naturally thought I needed the same thing and brought it up at a business meeting soon after I became pastor.

Such heated debate! What seemed like a simple matter to me became the subject of much discussion. Why did we need this? Would it really be useful? Was it a wise use of the church’s money? The debate ended when the church treasurer went to a Sunday school room and came back with a box of mailers the church had printed under a previous pastor to be used for a mass mailing in the community. It contained most of the information I had mentioned, but was in the form of a piece of mail, not exactly something you could easily carry in your pocket for ready use. But as far as the church was concerned that was it and had I pressed the matter it would have been a scene. I dropped it and walked away from the meeting dejected.

On another occasion I really set things off. In talking with another pastor friend I found that his church paid for his health insurance premium. He told me that most of the churches in the area did that and that I should ask my church to do so, since I had no health coverage of any kind. How I wish I had not listened to my friend! I brought the idea up and oh my! They did not know how I came up with such ideas. The pastors before me had wives who worked secular jobs that took care of their insurance needs (in other words my stay at home wife ought to get out and get a job). I ended up apologizing and the matter was dropped.

Now here’s the interesting part. After I left, the church felt like they needed an experienced pastor. They had, after all, taken on several novice preachers, including me. As they began to interview prospective men, they were surprised that each one had the same question. And what were they asking? They wanted to know if the church paid for the pastor’s health insurance premium! Needless to say that set them to thinking and they voted to start making that a part of their minister’s salary package.

If you are going to successfully pastor a small church you have got to be patient. Things will not change overnight. They may not even change during your time as pastor. Small church people have usually already had pastors come in who had lots of new programs they wanted to implement. These new ways cost money. And they also required the people to do things in a whole new way. Very often they found that they would no sooner get these new programs in place and the pastor would leave for another church, leaving them holding the bag for the whole thing. With the new leader gone, the new idea fell to the side and all the church had to show for it was a lot of money spent and a lot of time invested in something that never really got off the ground.

Like it or not, you have to recognize this dynamic when you go to a small church. Why should they get all excited about your new plans when the remains of your predecessor’s brainstorms are still sitting around? True enough, you may have the idea that is going to change the church forever, helping it to grow as never before. But if it is such a great program today, it will still be good tomorrow. And if it cannot stand the test of time, then you really don’t need to put it off on your congregation anyway.

The Bible is full of admonitions to wait. If you are going to survive and thrive at a small church you must be willing to bide your time until the Lord shows you the moment is right. Sometimes you can mention something in a sermon or lesson. This will plant the idea in the minds of the people. You can then occasionally mention it again, giving the folks time to ponder and get used to the plan. Very seldom in a little congregation can you expect to just bring up something new and expect it to be accepted.

God’s work has always required patience. The apostle Paul wanted to visit Rome, but God did not let him do so until he had spent time in jail for preaching the gospel. William Carey, the father of modern missions, when speaking of the need to spread the gospel, was told to sit down because if God wanted the heathen saved He would do it on His own. Most successful ministries have had detractors who told the pastor it could not be done.

My wife runs her own Christian daycare. It is her joy to work with little children and help them develop physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. She is very good at what she does and it is not unusual for the children entering public school from her care to score high on the preschool tests. But she can tell you that things don’t happen with children overnight. You have to be patient when working with kids. But rather than getting bent out of shape saying that the daycare could move forward if this child or that would just get with the program, she waits for the light bulb to go on in their minds. Instead of beating her head against the wall in frustration because a certain child should know this rule or that, she takes the time to teach and reteach each principle until it is grasped. After all, what would be the point in getting upset with a kid who just simply did not understand?

Many small church pastors could take a lesson from my wife. Just because you get it, just because you understand the principle does not mean everybody else does. You must learn to deal with your people with patience if you want to see the results you are after.

A spider spends many hours spinning a web. It is a difficult and painstaking process. When it is complete it is a beautiful sight to behold. But a dog or cat coming by can tear it down in just a few seconds. What happens then? The spider will go back to work and build it again. Patience is built in to the laws of nature and should be a part of our lives as well. Getting in a hurry for some change you want to make will only cause you trouble with your church and give you ulcers. Try going at the pace that God chooses instead of always trying to rush things.