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Winter's Last Gasp

Posted by Terry Reed on Wednesday, March 4, 2015,

As I sit here on my day off listening to the rain fall I know that as the temperature drops we will soon have ice.  It’s the time of the year I would like to be out in the yard working on spring time projects, but those will have to wait until another day.

This is winter’s last gasp…one more time to close down churches, schools, ball games, and other activities.  One more time to get the propane tank filled to avoid being caught in the cold.  One more time to make jokes about people runn...


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Is It Good to "Force" People into Duty?

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, July 13, 2014,

As many of you know our church has moved to our new building recently. For several years we met in a one room facility. Now we have space for other things than just worship, notably for our children.

This blessing brings with it a dilemma…workers to take care of the kids. One night we had several kids show up with no supervision. Who would have a class for them? Would it be the lady who already tended to them on Sunday morning or the one who runs a daycare and works with children ten hours a...


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Which Andy Griffith Character Best Describes Your Leadership Style?

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, July 4, 2014,

Something a little light for the holiday.

I love to watch old reruns of The Andy Griffith Show. The goings on in small town Mayberry keep me amused no matter how many times I may have seen an episode. The characters represent a cross section of Americana. Which one are you?

1. Andy. Andy is the star of the show—everything revolves around him. When something goes wrong the folks in the community look to him for answers. He often has good insight into a situation and is able to help everyone re...


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Weeding Out the Church--Handling Tough Members

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, June 27, 2014,

Recently I’ve been working on my lawn. I live in the country and work on a limited budget. When we moved here my wife and I sowed several patches of bermuda grass and let nature do the rest. But as time passed, weeds also began to grow and so, using a small garden sprayer and over the counter chemicals, I try to kill the weeds for the benefit of the good grass. Here are a few lessons to learn about weeding out the church.

1. The Weeds Come Up Even Though You Didn’t Plant Them. By weeds I a...


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Is Church Size a Sign of God's Blessing?

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, June 20, 2014,

I recently read a post by a Christian man who said it was incorrect to attribute doing well materially to the blessing of God. The premise was that if having things was a sign of God’s favor then a lack of things would have to be a sign of His disfavor. We thus would be spiritual snobs to imply the good things we have are thanks to God. Just think how bad we would make people feel who have less.

As you can probably tell by now I disagree with the author’s take on things. I absolutely belie...


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5 Reasons to Review Your Small Church Music Service

Posted by Terry Reed on Thursday, June 12, 2014,

Very few things can get folks worked up like suggesting a change in their church’s song format. It has been known to cause bitter fights and even church splits. So why take on so volatile a subject? Here are five reasons.

1. Your Music may be too Familiar. Sometimes we overkill a song. We sing it so often that it loses its true meaning. This can happen with new songs as well as old. I remember when our church learned one particular song that became very popular, so much so that we sang it a ...


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Does Anyone Want to be a Healthy Small Church?

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, October 11, 2013,

Recently Karl Vater, one of the most respected names in small church ministry, was asked to speak at a conference hosted by Rick Warren's mega church: Saddleback.  He did a great job and was able to touch a number of people with the need for small churches to be healthy before they grow (or even if they do not grow).

I think this is great!  In fact, when I saw that Karl was on the program I just about did cartwheels across the living room!  It has been my experience that most people are only i...


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Our Sad Society

Posted by Terry Reed on Saturday, September 7, 2013,

I don't know what made me think about it.  For some reason I started googling some odd terms.  Christian nude, Christian porn, Christian swingers...these all had websites promoting their causes.

Really?  I mean come on, how in the world are you going to justify such rubbish as being authentic expressions of the teachings of Jesus.  The answer is of course that you can't.  These, and other so called Christian terms have nothing to do with the Bible or the author thereof.

But these sites say a lo...


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My Book Finally Published

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, August 25, 2013,

Way back in November of 2011 I told you that I had written a book "Surviving and Thriving in the Small Church."  I said that I was working on getting it published.  Well a couple of years later the day has finally come.

I tried conventional publishers.  They would take my book, look it over, tell me how fine it was, and then let me know they were not going to print it.  After a while I just put it aside and moved on to other things.

But lately I got to thinking about it again and checked out se...


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Don't Have a Medicare Mentality

Posted by Terry Reed on Saturday, July 27, 2013,
Besides my work as a small church pastor I also work in a medical supply store.  One thing that has always struck me as odd is a policy Medicare has.  It's not worded this way, but what it boils down to is that you can only get worse, not better.

Let me give an example.  If your doctor sees you getting a little feeble he can prescribe a cane and medicare will help pay.  Later on if you get worse, he can prescribe a walker.  If things keep going down he can order a wheelchair.  And if things go...

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The Tree had to Go

Posted by Terry Reed on Saturday, May 25, 2013,

We recently had to cut down the gigantic weeping willow tree that sat right next to my wife's daycare (which is where our church currently meets).  The daycare is attatched to the back of our house.  It wasn't built when I planted the tree over a decade ago with the idea that it would one day give shade to our home.

It more than did the job.  It grew and grew to be one of the biggest trees around in a very short time and was something almost everybody commented on when seeing our home.

But then...


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Doing Ministry on a Small Budget

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, March 22, 2013,

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 wors...


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The $258,000 Question

Posted by Terry Reed on Tuesday, February 26, 2013,

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, ...


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Gun Control and the Small Church

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, January 20, 2013,

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 orde...


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Preparing for Culture Shock when Moving to a Small Church

Posted by Terry Reed on Thursday, January 10, 2013,

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 c...


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Teaching Biblical Values in a Biblically Illiterate Age

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, September 14, 2012,

  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 rec...


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A Little Too Cautious

Posted by Terry Reed on Thursday, August 9, 2012,

  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 ro...


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I Yelled at the Lady on the Phone

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, June 15, 2012,

  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 afr...


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Using Online Helps in the Small Church

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, May 13, 2012,

   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 ...


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Small Church Pastors Need to Pray

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, April 20, 2012,

 

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. ...


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Small Church Pastors Need Patience

Posted by Terry Reed on Thursday, March 8, 2012,

                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 c...


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Rural Church and Interracial Marriage

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, December 4, 2011,

By now most of you have probably heard of the small church in rural Kentucky that voted to ban interracial couples from membership or taking part in singing specials and other forms of public worship.  It was a slim vote--only 9 to 6, but passed all the same.  Many bloggers have commented and I now throw my hat into the ring.

The Bible is clear that it is God who adds to His church, not man.  Therefore it is wrong to place any standards for membership other than those set forth in scripture.  ...


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Keeping Life in Perspective

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, November 27, 2011,

Holding my newborn granddaughter in my arms this past week gave me pause to think about all that is right with the world.  At the same time knowing that her cousin, only a few months old himself, was in a hospital in another city to have major tests run reminded me that many of the things we think are big are actually very small.

Alli is so sweet.  She has features of both of her parents.  Looking at her sleeping peacefully in Papaw's arms, you know that God still smiles on this world.  There ...


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Of Making Many Books...

Posted by Terry Reed on Saturday, November 5, 2011,

Of making of many books there is no end.  Thus says Soloman in Ecclesiastes 12:12.  So who am I to end the cycle?  I just sent the proposal for my new bookSurviving and Thriving in the Small Church to a potential publisher today.  It is an uplifting work designed to encourage small church leaders.

You see, so many of the books on the market today deal with things going on in big churches.  While it is inspiring to read how God blesses these mega congregations, it is hard sometimes to relate th...


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Finish the Course

Posted by Terry Reed on Saturday, September 3, 2011,

  Near the end of Paul's life he stated he had finished the course.  That is, he had accomplished all that God meant for him to get done.  He did not get distracted, at least not for long.  He completed the ministry he had been born to do.

  I wonder how many of us can say the same thing.  My daughter works as cashier at a retail store.  She was talking to someone about a certain church.  The next customer in line stated that he was a member of that church but wasn't faithful to attend.  I ima...


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Individualism vs Community

Posted by Terry Reed on Monday, August 1, 2011,

I am currently reading a book that states that Western culture has corrupted the American churches.  One of the main tenets of the author is that America's fascination with the individual has been detrimental to the concept of community in the churches.

There is some basis for this view.  American society is certainly about me, me, me first and everyone else can get in line.  "You've got to look out for number one" is definitely a part of our culture's psyche.

And can anyone doubt that this has...


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The Need for Patience

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, July 24, 2011,

One thing especially needed by small church pastors is patience.  It is so easy to try to run ahead of God and the church.  We have all of these great ideas that we're itching to put into practice.  This is amplified if we are in a congregation that is need of numerical growth and we can see some of the barriers in the way.

But all of life is about learning to wait on God's timing.  Going into a church as a new pastor and trying to change a lot of things is a certain recipe for conflict and di...


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Back to the Trenches

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, July 17, 2011,

This week I returned to full time bivocational ministry.  I had quit Walmart after 10 1/2 years back in December.  I enjoyed the time off from retail but alas, the bills continue to come!  So this week I started back in retail at Radio Shack.  

There are so many parallels to the ministries I have had through the years.  Most notably, this business is a good one, but has seen sales slip in the past year.  There is a rebuilding process that will require time and effort to bring the profits back ...


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Take Time Out

Posted by Terry Reed on Tuesday, June 28, 2011,

Everyone needs time off, a vacation, a chance to think about things other than work. This is no less true for the small church pastor than anyone else.  Pastor, you need to get away from time to time.

Many pastors have trouble with this.  After all, we are called of God to this work and He will give us the extra energy we need to function.  Our job is not like others--souls hang in the balance and we must be there if we are going to minister to people.  We just don;t have time to get away.

Some...


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The Most Important Factor to Manage Change in the Small Church

Posted by Terry Reed on Saturday, June 11, 2011,

Wow what a title!  Long titles are not usually my thing...but sometimes there is no short way to say something.  And guess what?  There is no short way to bring about change in the small church.

Too many pastors go into a small church with the idea that they are going to bring about many changes that will lead the congregation into the new century and remarkable growth.  That very seldom happens.  Instead, a few years and a lot of tears later, the pastor departs for "greener pastures" and the ...


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Preaching is Important

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, June 3, 2011,

  I recently read a post on a blog about small churches in which the writer said she loved everything about small church except she would hate to give up good Bible preaching.  There seems to be a misconception out there that a little congregation must have inferior preaching.

  Let me assure you that such is not the case.  I have been in hundreds of small churches and heard some of the finest preaching to be found.  It is true that many mega church pastors have people on staff to do extra res...


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The Small Church as a Clinic Instead of a Hospital

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, April 1, 2011,

  Most of my life I have heard people refer to the church as a hospital for the spiritually ill.  It is a good comparison as people who need spiritual healing often seek out the church just as those who need physical healing go to the local hospital.

  But there is a new breed of people in America today.  We are now dealing with a generation of folks who were not raised in church.  Many adults today have never seen the inside of a church building except for an occasional wedding or funeral. ...


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Being a Truly Friendly Church

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, February 20, 2011,

  I have never run across a church that did not consider itself to be friendly.  Ask any active member of any congregation and they will tell you that their congregation is one of the friendliest in town.

  The problem is that not every outsider sees it that way.  Many a visitor has been turned off by what they felt was a cold attitude at a church they had tried out.  So it is obvious that friendliness or at least the perception of it can be measured in different ways.

  I submit that a chu...


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Counseling in the Small Church

Posted by Terry Reed on Tuesday, February 1, 2011,

  Small church pastors are called upon to fill many shoes.  They are there at weddings, births, and deaths.  They go to the hospital to pray with the sick of the church.  Sometimes they are the only non-family member some shut ins see.  All of this is in addition to the regular duties of teaching, preaching, praying, studying, and witnessing.

  And very often they are called upon to serve as counselor.  From marital problems to sin issues, he is expected to listen to and have answers for a l...


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Why Mess with Social Networks?

Posted by Terry Reed on Tuesday, January 25, 2011,

  Many churches and religious organizations have a facebook page.  You can follow man ministry leaders on Twitter.  Other social networking sites offer a number of Christian ministry choices to view.

  But many small church leaders have to be asking “Is it worth the trouble?”  Small church pastors tend to be over extended already.  Maintaining a facebook site or tweeting your latest theological thoughts seems like a lot to ask for someone with limited time.

  You have to consider the bi...


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Why Mess with Social Networks?

Posted by Terry Reed on Thursday, January 20, 2011,

  Many churches and religious organizations have a facebook page.  You can follow man ministry leaders on Twitter.  Other social networking sites offer a number of Christian ministry choices to view.

  But many small church leaders have to be asking "Is it worth the trouble?"  Small church pastors tend to be over extended already.  Maintaining a facebook site or tweeting your latest theological thoughts seems like a lot to ask for someone with limited time.

  You have to consider the bigge...


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Can the Church Learn from Coke?

Posted by Terry Reed on Wednesday, December 8, 2010,

  In my last post I made some comparisons to the marketing strategy of Mountain Dew and the church sharing the gospel.  The main thing to remember from that article is that the soft drink maker changed their marketing but kept their product the same (although someone pointed out that the formula was changed in 1960, but that was long before the time period I dealt with).  In the same way some churches may need to update the methods they use to reach a lost and dying world with the saving gosp...


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Can the Church Learn from Mountain Dew?

Posted by Terry Reed on Tuesday, November 16, 2010,

  When i was a kid Mt. Dew had a very different marketing strategy than they do today.  Back then the soft drink maker used a hillbilly theme.  There was a picture of a hillbilly aiming a gun at a fleeing man on the front.  On the neck of the bottle was the same hillbilly holding a jug with the cork popping off and putting a hole in his hat.  And on the back was the company's profound slogan "It'll tickle your innards" (now how's that for a catchy phrase!).  Although this motif had the bevera...


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The Price of Children

Posted by Terry Reed on Tuesday, November 9, 2010,

  Every small church wants to have children...or so they say.  I mean, after all, kids are the future of the church, right?  If you don't have them, it is a sign that you are on your way down and one day your congregation will be gone.  So it is a foregone conclusion--you want to have children around.

  Or is it so certain.  You see, having children in your church comes with a price tag attached.  Things aren't like they were when you were a kid coming up in church.  They aren't even like th...


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The Glory can Return

Posted by Terry Reed on Monday, November 1, 2010,

  This is the last article in a series on the book of Ezekiel as it relates to the small church.

  1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. 3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when I[a] came to destroy the city. The visions werelike the vision which I ...


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There's Hope for Dead Churches

Posted by Terry Reed on Monday, October 25, 2010,
  This is part of a series of articles on the book of Ezekiel as it relates to the small church.

 1 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”
4 Again He ...


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Playing Church

Posted by Terry Reed on Monday, October 18, 2010,
 This is part of a series on the book of Ezekiel as it relates to the small church.

 30Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.

 31And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for ...


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The Union of Church and World

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, October 10, 2010,

  This is the third article in a series on the book of Ezekiel as it relates to the small church.

5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance.
6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you wil...


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You are a Watchman

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, October 1, 2010,

  This is the second article in a series on the book of Ezekiel as it relates to the small church.

16 Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same w...


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Not Every Church Will Grow Numerically

Posted by Terry Reed on Monday, September 20, 2010,

  This is the first blog in a series taken from the book of Ezekiel as it relates to small churches.

  I was trained in the Church Growth school of thought.  As I have stated in other places I hold to much of the training and reject part (isn't that what everyone does with what they learn in school?).  Much is said about this topic--some embrace it and some bash it.  The key is to understand that no system applies to every situation.  In the book of Ezekiel we find God giving His opening ins...


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Book Review: The Beauty of the Small Church by Les Puryear

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, September 10, 2010,

  The Beauty of the Small Church: Essays to Encourage and to Equip Small Church Leaders is the new release by Les Puryear.  He is the pastor of the Lewisville Baptist Church in Lewisville, NC.  This is a congregation on the border between being a small church (less than 200 in average attendance) and a midsized church.  His book covers a number of small church issues.

  The book is actually a compilation of Puryear’s blogs made into chapter format.  This is a very interesting approach and ...


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What About "Measurable Results?"

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, September 5, 2010,

  I was trained in the Church Growth field of study.  I read almost every major book on the subject and wrote my doctoral dissertation about church growth.  This may come as a surprise to some of you seeing that I am a small church advocate.  I mean, a guy with a webpage called “Small Church Tools” couldn’t be too much into Church Growth thinking, so what gives.

  It is really very simple.  I took away the things that were true and useful and discarded the rest.  Isn’t that what ever...


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Don't Give Up!

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, August 29, 2010,

  Discouragement is one of the greatest problems facing pastors of small churches.  There are many things that happen that can get a leader down.  Unrealized expectations, you know, when you think something big is going to happen and it doesn’t.  Another cause is unkind and unappreciative church members who don’t always treat you the way they should.  Sometimes financial problems rear their ugly head and with no relief in sight, can really be discouraging.

  The list goes on and on.  Let...


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Charred but not Destroyed

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, August 22, 2010,

  A couple of nights ago we were in town at a local restaurant celebrating our oldest son’s 25th birthday.  When we left my wife checked her cell phone and saw a missed call.  It was one of her daycare parents (my wife runs a Christian daycare) so she called back expecting some news about one of the kids.  The message she got was stunning—our friend had seen fire trucks out in the country and went to see what was up and our place was on fire!  It wasn’t our house, we were assured but th...


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That's My Pew

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, August 15, 2010,

  In one small church I pastored there was an elderly man who loved for people to visit the church but who also loved his seat.  Occasionally a visitor would get there before him and sit in his favored spot.  When he came in he would go over and shake hands and introduce himself.  He would then say “That’s my seat.  Don’t move, you can sit there today, but that’s my seat.”

  Most people saw the humor—I mean he was an older guy and he was trying so hard to be friendly.  He just co...


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Fort Apache Pastors

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, August 8, 2010,

  I love John Wayne movies.  From the earliest black and whites to the final blockbusters before he died, the Duke was a masterful actor.  Although he played plenty of different roles, most of his movies were westerns and that’s how we tend to remember him.

  My favorite of the older ones is Fort Apache.  In this film, Wayne’s character is a captain in Apache territory serving under a colonel  (played by Henry Fonda) who needs to be somewhere else because he doesn’t understand the nati...


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The Urgent Need for Prayer

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, August 1, 2010,

  “Ask and it shall be given unto you.”  Those are the words of Jesus.  A promise with amazing implications.  Limitless resources available not because we work so hard, but because we ask.  It couldn’t get any better.

  So if all of that is true, why don’t our churches pray?  Many churches advertise a midweek prayer meeting but when you get there they take prayer requests, say one prayer over them, and then go on to other things.  Prayer is supposed to be a priority, but it is talked...


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Bass Pro Shop vs Walmart vs Local Bait Shop

Posted by Terry Reed on Sunday, July 25, 2010,
Talk to a fisherman about the best place to get a good lure and you will get various responses according to the turn of the angler.  Some will tell you to go to Bass Pro Shop because they have such a huge selection—everything you could ask for your fishing experience as well as a bunch of stuff you hadn’t even thought about needing before you walked in the door.

  Others would tell you to go to Walmart.  They have a decent selection of lures for many different kinds of fishing.  And of c...


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Bivocational Pastoring--a Blessing or a Curse?

Posted by Terry Reed on Thursday, July 8, 2010,

  More and more small churches are unable to provide their pastor with a full time salary.  This has meant that many ministers are entering the secular work place in greater numbers than ever.  Is this a bad thing?  Or can it actually be good for the church?

  First of all let me point out that the goal of a  small church being able to have a full time pastor is actually a fairly recent phenomena.  When I was a kid in the sixties, many churches could not afford to pay a pastor enough for the...


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What Kind of Preaching is the Most Effective?

Posted by Terry Reed on Wednesday, June 30, 2010,
  To reach people they have to hear and they cannot hear without a preacher.  So if we want our churches to be effective in touching a lost world for Jesus, what is the most effective kind of preaching?

  A deacon friend of mine told me he received a call from a member of another church.  The person was inquiring about a preacher my friend knew and was a candidate for pastor at the caller’s church.  One of the main questions asked was: “Is he a preacher preacher or a teacher preacher?”...


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Three Tips for Dealing with Hard to Handle Church Members

Posted by Terry Reed on Thursday, June 24, 2010,
Three Tips for Dealing with Hard to Handle Church Members

  Every pastor enjoys working with the people in his congregation that are full of joy and cooperative.  There is great pleasure in working together to get a task completed.  But every pastor also knows that not all church members are this way.  Some are down right hard to handle.  Below are three tips to help deal with these difficult situations.

  1.  Never let them see you sweat.  This was the advertising slogan for a major deod...


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The Forgotten Tool

Posted by Terry Reed on Saturday, June 19, 2010,
  One of the best tools to help a small church grow is already in place in 99% of all churches.  That means much less stress on the folks set in their ways than in bringing in a whole new program.  It also means a minimal outlay of funding which is often an important consideration, especially in churches running less than 50.

  So what is this tool for growth?  Don’t tune me out til you’ve heard what I have to say.  The tool is Sunday school.  I know, I know, you’ve heard this before...


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THE Missions Strategy of the 21st Century

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, June 18, 2010,
THE Missions Strategy of the 21st Century

  The most effective mission strategy that could possibly be adopted for this new century is the multiplication of small churches.  Americans have been taught that bigger is better.  A super size burger must be better than a regular size.  A mega church should be the goal of a missions minded church planter.

  But the facts beg to differ.  The majority of churches in this country run fewer than 100 people in attendance.  People as a whole apparent...


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Small Churches are Unique

Posted by Terry Reed on Friday, June 18, 2010,
Small Churches are Unique

  Small churches are unique institutions.  They are not mini versions of big congregations.  They are a special breed of their own.  This is why many churches fail to grow when trying to put into practice the latest program used in the mega churches.  Those plans are wonderful and work in the right environment.  But all too often trying to put them to use in the small church meets with dismal results.

  Small churches have their own identity.  They have a differe...


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About Me

Terry Reed
Wynne, Arkansas
Terry Reed

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