Books about Small Church Ministry

Interested in learning more about rural and pastoral ministry?  We have collected a number of titles that provide insight and practical guidance those involved in ministry, or preparing for ministry. 

Village Missions has teamed up with Christianbook.com to provide these resources.  Click on the titles to go to detailed descriptions on the page below.  Then, click on the book's cover to go to Christianbook.com.

Shepherding the Small Church, Glenn Daman

Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry, John Piper

Escape from Church, Inc By: E. Glenn Wagner

Help for the Small-Church Pastor, Steve Bierly

How to Thrive as a Small-Church Pastor, Steve Bierly

Rural Evangelism, K. E. Ruffcorn

The Lord's Harvest And The Rural Church, Kent Hunter

Effective Small Churches in the 21st Century, Carl S. Dudley

The Little Church That Could: Raising Small Church Esteem, Steven Burt and Hazel Ann Roper

Turnaround Strategies for the Small Church, Ronald Crandall

Small Congregation, Big Potential, Lyle E. Schaller

Developing Your Small Church's Potential, Douglas Walrath

Activating Leadership in the Small Church: (Clergy & Laity Working Together), Steve Burt

The Art of Pastoring, David Hansen

Spiritual Leadership, Revised, J. Oswald Sanders

The Wounded Minister, Guy Greenfield, Ph.D.

Antagonists in the Church, Kenneth C. Haugk

Well-Intentioned Dragons By: Marshall Shelley

Shepherding the Small Church By: Glenn Daman	Seventy-five percent of America's churches have an average weekly attendance of 150 or less, yet they often find themselves in the shadow of a few megachurches with boundless entrepreneurial skills and ministry resources. Glenn Daman is an experienced small church pastor and ministry director who knows that effectiveness is not determined by numbers, programs, and buildings. Instead it is defined by faithful service that results in transformed lives--one person at a time. He offers several keys to effective church ministry--no matter the number of members--including: understanding the cultures of the community and the church, laying a theological foundation, and uniting the body through vision. Shepherding the Small Church is an indispensable source of advice and encouragement for the pastor of the majority of American churches.	return to top
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry By: John Piper	Should a church be run like a business? Piper says no. In this provocative critique, he takes aim at the widely held managerial/therapeutic model of ministry---warning that Christlike traits such as childlikeness, tenderheartedness, and dedication to prayer clash with the secular "professionalism" we mistakenly seek to emulate. Sure to spark lively debate!	return to top
Escape from Church, Inc By: E. Glenn Wagner	Escape from Church, Inc. calls pastor-leaders away from the business executive model of doing church and back to the model of doing church and back to the model of a caring shepherd who tends his sheep. Wagner offers a practical and biblically sound view of how pastors can become all God intended them to be and guides them into new vision, new values, and a new way of pastoring that begins not with doing, but with seeing and being.	return to top
Help for the Small-Church Pastor By: Steve Bierly	Help For The Small-Church Pastor offers pastors of small churches the guidance and encouragement they need. In this common-sense book, Steve Bierly draws from his eleven years in ministry to show what makes smaller congregations tick. Help For The Small-Church Pastor provides practical insights on uniquely "small church" issues, such as: The characteristics of small churches, How to work effectively as an "insider" within the small church, How God is at work in powerful ways in smaller assemblies, How to motivate your church toward positive change and and true growth, How to invest your own time and energy in the right directions, and How your church can reach out to the community in ways that are practical and productive.	return to top
How to Thrive as a Small-Church Pastor By: Steve Bierly	Having served small churches for 12 years, Bierly knows firsthand the needs and concerns of pastors with congregations of 150 or less. Now he offers an upbeat, practical approach to spiritual and emotional well-being for small-church pastors. His seasoned, fatherly counsel will help you face the rigors of your vocation, and reclaim your love of ministry. 160 pages, softcover from Zondervan.	return to top
Rural Evangelism By: K. E. Ruffcorn	Responding to the need for a new vision of evangelism for small towns and rural areas, Kevin Ruffcom presents lively suggestions and new understandings gleaned from his workshops on rural evangelism and his own experience. He emphasizes that the vision of evangelism held by those in suburbia and other densely populated areas usually does not fit rural settings. The author looks at the possibilities and the problems typical of less densely populated areas, reviewing some concerns many of them experience; small memberships, frequent turnover of pastors, decreasing population of surrounding communities, and the challenge of facilitating need changes.	return to top
The Lord's Harvest And The Rural Church By: Kent Hunter	"This is the book for understanding today's rural church. Kent Hunter was pastor of a rural church when he studied church growth and rose to prominence as a consultant. Today he is one of the top five church growth authorities in the English-speaking world. In this book he brings to bear on the rural church both theory and his practical experience of consulting with hundreds of churches." - Bill M. Sullivan	return to top
Effective Small Churches in the 21st Century By: Carl S. Dudley	In a complete revamping of his much admired Making the Small Church Effective, Dudley tackles such recent developments as shifts in institutional loyalty and how individuals identify with large groups and organizations. Enunciates those key components for building mature, faithful, unified Christians. 192 pages, softcover.	return to top
The Little Church That Could: Raising Small Church Esteem By: Steven Burt and Hazel Ann Roper	Small congregations often feel left behind because of the challenges they face. Here's a prescription for staying healthy and growing. Providing customized advice based on sound theology and case studies, Burt and Roper address everything from congregational life cycles to size-related dynamics. Their practical insights will help your church build self-esteem and confidence in God's will. 128 pages, softcover from Judson.	return to top
Turnaround Strategies for the Small Church By: Ronald Crandall	In Turnaround Strategies for the Small Church, the author shows what kind of leadership, evangelism, and outreach will bring about a desirable turnaround. He provides specific actions that will develop the skills of those who minister in the life of a small church, and helps pastors and other church leaders evaluate their ministry objectively, thereby enhancing their daily practice of ministry.	return to top
Small Congregation, Big Potential By: Lyle E. Schaller	Is the small congregation with only a few dozen members present on Sunday morning what God really wants? You bet it is, says Schaller, who identifies peculiar strengths and weaknesses, then outlines ways to maximize effectiveness. By one of the country's most respected consultants. 208 pages, softcover.	return to top
Developing Your Small Church's Potential By: Douglas Walrath	Dynamic possibilities for churches struggling to survive despite dwindling memberships and population changes. New ideas for making positive use of community transition, absorbing newcomers into the church family, reshaping the church's image, resolving cultural conflict, and developing programs to reflect community needs.	return to top
Activating Leadership in the Small Church: (Clergy & Laity Working Together) By: Steve Burt	Activating Leadership in the Small Church explores the unique interaction between pastor and congregation in the small, close knit church. Especially helpful are twelve guidelines for assessing small church ministry, mission, and programming.	return to top
The Art of Pastoring By: David Hansen	Plenty of books explain the many practical skills of pastoring, but Hansen focuses on the heart of ministry: living and serving as a "parable of Jesus" on a daily basis. His stories of nearly a decade of ministry in the mountains of Montana will inspire and enlighten both veteran pastors and seminarians. 180 pages, softcover from InterVarsity.	return to top
Spiritual Leadership, Revised By: J. Oswald Sanders	A classic just got better! Sanders's timeless work is now completely revised with modern language and a study guide. Sanders teaches you the principles of spiritual leadership through Scripture and the biographies of godly men. He challenges you to place your talents at God's disposal, so you can become a leader used for his glory! 224 pages, softcover from Moody.	return to top
The Wounded Minister By: Guy Greenfield, Ph.D.	Every church experiences occasional personality conflicts and discord. But in a growing phenomenon, normal clashes have escalated into pastoral abuse---often with devastating consequences. Greenfield takes a compassionate, provocative look at the reality of evil in the church; how "pathological antagonists" emotionally and spiritually batter their pastors; and offers preventative guidelines for pastors and lay leaders. 224 pages, softcover from Baker.	return to top
Antagonists in the Church By: Kenneth C. Haugk	One of the most popular and widely used guides to that recurring problem in all organizations: complainers who are out of control. How to tell the difference between healthy and destructive conflict, reduce the pain and suffering caused by antagonism, and help prevent its future occurrence.	return to top
Well-Intentioned Dragons By: Marshall Shelley	Every Church has them - sincere, well meaning Christians who leave ulcers, strained relationships, and hard feelings in their wake. They don't intend to be difficult; they don't consciously plot destruction or breed discontent among the members. But they do often undermine the ministry of the church and make pastors question their calling. "Well Intentioned Dragons" guides those on church staff in facing the strenuous task of dealing with difficult people-even ministering while under attack. Based on real-life stories of battle scarred veterans, Marshall Shelly presents a clear picture of God's love for those on both side of the problem. He describes tested strategies to communicate that love and turn dissidents into disciples. Here is a book that will not only help pastors and church leaders preserve their sanity (and maybe their jobs); it will help them minister more effectively even to those who make life difficult.	return to top