Strengths of the Small Church

The Country Shepherd
Vol. 1, No 1
May-June, 2007

This is the introduction to a special six-week series

Strengths of the Small Church
By Glenn Daman

For those of us who live and work in the small church, we can easily start to focus upon all the things wrong and all the shortcomings that it possesses. We decry the lack of facilities. We become discouraged because of the continual struggle to make the budget. We long for the day when we would have more volunteers to implement new programs. We envy the large church for its diversity of ministries, wishing and struggling to duplicate them. It is little wonder that morale is one of the most significant problems confronting both the leadership and laity
in the small congregation. The problem lies not in the ministry of the small church but our perception both of God and of the nature of the church. We are reminded in scripture that we are given "everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us
by his own glory and goodness" (2 Peter 1:3). Furthermore, we are blessed "in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). In other words, through the knowledge of God and the sufficiency of our salvation he has provided all that we need to live
godly lives and accomplish his purpose; the purpose which he ordain and now accomplishes by his own power and sovereignty. Ministry in the small church requires that we have a firm theology of the involvement of God within the church. We must recognize that it is his church and his ministry. We do not build the church; rather he builds the church through us.

Along with our theology of God we must have a right perspective of the church. The church is not a building nor is it a program. The church is people who live in fellowship with one another and in obedience to Christ. Church is not somewhere we attend, the church is who we are.
We do not go to church on Sunday; rather we live the church in the daily affairs of life. The strength of the church is not found in the size or variety of ministry it is found in the lives of people. Consequently the church can be effective regardless of size. If we are to be effective in the small church and maintain a positive perspective of our ministry, then it is imperative that we recognize the strengths of the small church, strengths that not only point to the viability of the small church, but manifest the very nature of what the church is to do and be.

The Country Shepherd (formerly entitled Mikros) is published bi-monthly by the Center for Leadership Development, a ministry of Village Missions and the Institute for Small Church Heath a ministry of Western Seminary. Dr. Glenn C. Daman, editor. The newsletter may be obtained free of charge through e-mail by emailing the-country-shepherd-subscribe@village-missions.org with "Subscribe" in the subject Line or by visiting the web site at http://www.smallchurchleaders.org/ Permission is granted to copy the newsletter for distribution provided it is furnished free of charge. All rights reserved.

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