The Future of Small Rural Churches

It seems like we have some kind of gap in communication here. I am not espousing failing to preach the whole word or the whole truth at any time. The suggestions are not really mine but the model of ministry we have in scripture, the examples of Jesus himself and the apostles.

I doubt very seriously if "all" small church pastros follow these suggestions or that "all" of them remain underfed. My point is that the position of pastor in a small church is different from the larger urban church. In all cases the position is one that must be earned. You can hire anyone to preach, but before they will follow you as their pastor you have to earn that right. Not by being a buddy, certainly not by watering down the word of God, but by being consistant in season and out and proving through your life the truth you preach.

 

My point is that there is no difference. The last line you wrote is the same for a large church Pastor. It is not about time, but about truth. That should be started at day one.

 

I am fine with smaller, local congregations, as long as they are led by competent, trained people. Baptists have historically not been very good at this. As a result, you find a lot of people with some really strange, anecdotal beliefs.

 

OK, let me be more specific as what I see as the difference. It is about time. Without investing the time, they won't hear the truth.

In a big church with multiple staff members you may be sitting in your pew Sunday morning and see the pastor walk to the pulpit. He is going to open his bible and preach the word, and most of the audience are going to listen to him. Some of those people have not seen their pastor since the last church service. Many have never seen him in their homes and my have spent weeks without a one on one conversation with him. There is nothing wrong with that in an urban church. There are other ministers, there are small groups and classes, there are other church and staff members to help with those day to day needs we all have. In the rural church none of that is there. The minister is only part time but he is the only paid staff. He is all they have and the members have higher expectations. Whether or not they listen to what he has to say has more to do with the life he lives day to day and the way he ministers to his flock then it does with his education or fame.

I remember my days in 1000+ churches and I hope the Lord never leads me to repeat them. I don't want to be part of a church with over 100. If a church I lead reaches that point I am confident that the Lord will either change that desire or lead me elsewhere, probably the later. One question I remember from my ordination council had to do with my bivocational ministry and what I would do if offered a full time ministry postion. As that is not my calling I would probably decline. If a church can afford a full time pastor they probably don't need me anymore. Of course I would pray and listen.

Yes Jesus preached to multitudes, but the actual small group of believers he ministered to and discipled was much smaller.

 

The lack of spiritual maturity is across the board, whether a large church or a small church. The problem is those who hear the Word are not applying it to their lives. Additionally too many Christians are depending on what the preacher gives them and seek no spiritual food on their own.

I too have served on staff in a large church and Pastored a small rural church. They are both a different kind of animal and we could discuss the pros and cons of large versus small or small versus large all day and probably never come to a mutual agreement. The bottom line comes down to people seeking a relationship with the Lord and living by the Word. As a Pastor we are to shepherd the flock.

The example we have to follow is Jesus. He shepherded a small group while teaching the masses. I am sure that there were times when they laughed and cried together. And there were times when He rebuked them when necessary. Being a shepherd means knowing your sheep, sharing in their lives, and leading them in growth.

An observation I have made (especially in Baptist churches) is too much emphasis on numbers. We have equated numbers (attendance, baptisms, conversions, etc.) with success. While these are important there is more to measuring spiritual growth then numbers. One cause of the lack of spiritual maturity IMHO is too much emphasis on numbers and not enough emphasis on discipling.

 

Should the Pastor become friends with people in his congregation? Well YES !!!

John 15:15

15"No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. ​

If Christ called those He shepherded His friends, why can't the Pastor ,who is just a man, call those he disciples his friends?

As far as a small Churches attitude towards a Pastor goes. Can you blame them? The Preacher is just a temporary job since they don't stay long.

"The lack of spiritual maturity is across the board, whether a large church or a small church. The problem is those who hear the Word are not applying it to their lives. Additionally too many Christians are depending on what the preacher gives them and seek no spiritual food on their own."​

You hit the nail on the head with that one brother !!!!!

As a Youth Pastor in a small rural Church, and one of the founding members, I feel your frustrations in this kind of ministry.

 

It is more about living the truth than just preaching the truth. Why would anyone care to listen to a liar who does not live out what he says and teaches? More is caught than will ever be taught. Jesus did not just preach, he lived what he taught.

How many pastors teach evangelism and how many lead their churches in doing it? How many preach making disciples and how many are doing it?

I have never seen a church that did not grow where the pastor was praying for the people and making disciples.

 

Whether a church is 10 people meeting in a home or 10,000+ meeting on a super-campus, the truth of Exodus 18 will always be a reality. No one man can possibly (actually!) shepherd more than several families at any given time. For that, it takes ministers, and the Bible spells out who they are in Acts 6. We call them "deacons." Ministry to the "flock" however large that group may be is the job of the pastor. Ministry to individuals is for others.

With the biblical model, every church, no matter how large, is small in fact and able to minister to all the people God sends.

In the church I serve we've grown from an initial launch 10 years ago with 60 (many of whom were visitors not members or potential members) to over 2400 meeting at three locations for Sunday worship gatherings held over 6 services (and soon to be four locations and 7 services). We are now defined as a mega-church by most definitions. Yet, our church is only "gathered" during worship times. During the week, every member is also part of a home group where trained pastoral shepherds watch, teach, love, admonish, and edify (in other words, all the biblical commands for care of the ekklessia) in groups no larger than 20 people. We speak the gospel into each other's lives, reflect on the pulpit ministry from the prior Sunday gathered, deal with personal issues, pray, and as need be council and discipline. All is under the watchcare of an Exodus 18 plan, leaders of many, some, and individuals. I would suggest, by the observed behavior of the people of this church (reflected from my prior involvement with small churches) that our level of intimacy and connection is greater than it is in churches with a total population of 30.

One thing that I see as self evident is that the ultimate size of any single congregation is not based on some biblical model that says "this size only is proper church," but rather the ultimate size of any given congregation is based on the amount of care that the leaders can provide, the evangelistic efforts of the entire church in the community, the level of "protectionism" and "isolation" (coming apart from the "world"), and the available population in the community. There is no biblical mandate to be "small church" but there is a mandate to care adequately for all the people. The NT churches we see in Acts in both Jerusalem and Antioch numbered in the tens of thousands! Perhaps we should sit up and take notice instead of wrapping ourselves emotionally around the superiority of small congregations that mostly serve to stroke the egos of the members who hold them that way.

 

I agree one hundred percent!!!

That is what I used to like about the SBC churches or ones in towns that I was in. They had SS, on Sunday Training Union, Sunday night, RA's and GA's on Wednesday night and doctrinal study on Thursday night.

Ray Stedman's church in Ca. had meeting going on in members home all during the week.

And none of these place was the pastor a CEO he was a servant. We teach people the Bible and doctrine but they learn how to be a servant by watching a servant. Servant are great at discipling, they want to get the Word out to the lost and after they become Christians teach them how ro do the same. What a blessing.

 

At the time he was pastor and when the plate was passed if someone needed money they were welcome to take from the plate while at the same time others were giving and putting in the plate.

 

You are correct. Also Body Life is a good read.