Category: Letters to a Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #10–Family

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

          Let’s take a look at one of the great blessings found in a small congregation.  They usually all know each other and may even be related through family ties.  I’ve discovered this “family feeling” is quite common in a small church setting.  Although it sometimes proves to have its downfalls, having a close relationship with each other can be utilized by a pastor to strengthen a congregation’s commitment to the Lord and to each other.

         It will take some time for a congregation to trust a new pastor, but when the pastor demonstrates a willingness to accept everyone and their families, that trust can be achieved, and it will enable the pastor to become more than a weekend evangelist who visits them in the hospital when they’re sick. 

         Remember to forego comparing anyone in the congregation to people in another location.  They want to talk about people they know.  Talk with the people who attend, ask questions about their families and friends and listen attentively to what they say.  Take an interest in all their relationships, even the ones they don’t talk about much.

         When the opportunity avails itself, work on projects with the people in your congregation.  Set work days at your facility and enlist as many people as possible to join in.  If they talk about working on some project at home, volunteer to help them.  Bring your spouse and children, if you have any still at home, and involve them in what’s going on at the church house and the members’ houses.  Go to their family reunions if invited.  Invite them to yours.  Attend their children’s ballgames or birthday parties when you are available.  Demonstrate to the people that you are willing to become part of their lives.

         People who work together, eat together and experience life together grow together.  They learn from each other as they learn about each other.  Those times of informally gaining personal information about each other will bring people to the point of being able to trust each other.  (Remember Letter #5 on Relationships) Allow me to give an example about learning and trusting from my own ministry.

         One of my former congregants was a cattle farmer.  He mentioned one day that he was going to run some new fencing to separate a field for grazing.  I volunteered to come help him install the fence.  As we met early the next day, I asked how he usually laid out the fence line, how he spaced his fence posts and how many runs of barbed wire he was going to put up.  He responded with the information needed to do the job, and we began.

          As we were attaching the wire strands to the posts, he commented that I was the first pastor he had met who knew anything about manual labor, especially farm fencing.  I related how I had grown up on a small farm that had livestock and understood the concept of needing good fences.  He learned I had much in common with him and his way of life.  He had also learned that if I said I was going to do something, I did it.  I learned to trust him, and he learned to trust me.  Every time I see him now, he gives me a firm handshake and a brotherly hug. 

         Remember to keep your word when you tell someone you will do something.  If you have to, write down your promises or put them on your calendar so you can remember what you promised. 

         Speaking of calendars, put birthdays and anniversaries on your own calendar, as well as on the church calendar.  If there is not already a church calendar, create one with the help of someone in the congregation who is interested in this type of activity.  (This is a good way to involve others in producing something useful for the entire congregation.) 

          After acquiring their permission, include the attenders in groups in your social media accounts.  Do everything you can to communicate about daily life with as many people as possible in as many ways as possible.  Let the congregation know you consider all of them as integral parts of your own life.

         You are their shepherd, their pastor.  You are part of their spiritual family and the diverse physical family that makes up the congregation.  Build up the physical family ties, and you will discover that you will be able to better build up the spiritual family under your care.  That “family feeling” is one of the best blessings your small church will possess.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #9–The Boss

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         The first summer job I had as a teenager was loading watermelons for a local farmer.  He was the one who contacted me to come to work, and he was the one who gave me my “job description” in relationship to all the other farmhands he employed.  He was the one who paid me at the end of the day or week, depending on the job we had to complete.  He was the boss.  (Just to let you know how long ago that was, the going rate for teenaged farm labor was $.50/hour, which netted us $5 at the end of a 10-hour day.)

         We all knew who the boss was, and we all knew we were expected to live up to his expectations when it came to handling the melons correctly as they were harvested and loaded for transport from the field to the packing house.  We knew he had the answers to any questions about our work that we might have.  We also knew any correction or discipline that might become necessary in the field would come from him.  After all, he was the boss.     

         When you were called (contacted) by God and given a job to do as a minister in His kingdom, God became your spiritual “boss.”  God is the one who established your job description.  God is the one who placed you in the body of Christ as a pastor.  He is the one to whom you answer and the one from whom you will receive any necessary discipline.  God is the one who will reward you at the end of your time in his “field.”

         Why am I making this comparison?  Simply put, we sometimes forget who the boss is.  Pastors sometimes forget whose expectations we need to meet and who it is that anoints us, equips us, guides us and, yes, even disciplines us as we move forward for His kingdom.  We sometimes forget who it is for whom we are working.

         Pastors are given to the church by God.  Church administrative boards, deacon boards, and congregations did not create the office of pastor.  God created this office, and he did so in order for the members of His church to be guided, strengthened, and motivated to become mature in faith and successful in fulfilling God’s great commission to go out into all the world and make disciples and God’s great commandments to first love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and then to love one another with unconditional love.

         In our modern church environment, pastors are often misled by social constructs and traditions into thinking man is the boss.  We are told to “read the by-laws and go by them.”  We are told the “board” has the last say on all matters.  We are separated from our ministry partners by the titles “clergy” and “laity,” and heaven forbid if we don’t follow the prescribed patterns set by our ancestors.  We’re even sometimes threatened by dismissal if we do not adhere to what has always been done in a particular church setting.  Essentially, we are deceived into believing man and his rules are our boss. 

         There is nothing wrong with traditions, by-laws, titles and patterns within the confines of a congregation.  They help to create stability and purpose in a congregation.  However, if these concepts are not used properly under the spiritual umbrellas that God places within a congregation, they tend to tempt people into trying to become “the boss” in response to those traditions, by-laws, titles and patterns.  (More about spiritual umbrellas in another letter.) 

         When a congregation understands the Biblical role of the pastor in relationship to the congregation, it is less likely to try to become the one to whom the pastor is ultimately accountable.  The expectations of the congregation will reflect the expectations God has already established for the office of pastor.  The pastor can then fulfill his responsibilities to God’s calling without having to worry about whether or not he is keeping the congregation contented because they have expectations that do no line up with God’s expectations as noted in scriptures.  The congregation and the pastor will both know who is in charge of the body of believers called the church.

         This knowledge will empower and liberate the pastor.  A congregation who understands who the pastor’s boss is will allow the pastor to flow in God’s anointing.  They will accept God’s messages that come to them through the pastor and will learn how to apply those messages to their lives.  They will be a blessing to their spiritual leader because they want to obey the boss as much as the leader does.  Such a congregation allows the pastor to bring truth into their lives, and that truth is brought without fear of rejection by those who learn it.

         That type of congregation can exist.  The Pastor will have to teach the congregation who is in control of his ministry and who is in control of the overall ministry of the congregation.  Among other concepts, the pastor will have to help everyone involved understand who the head of the church is, what the pastor’s Biblical job description is, and what the individual disciples of Christ should be doing as they all minister under the auspices of God.  The pastor who leads such a congregation will be a blessing to them, and they will be a blessing to the pastor.

         First, though, the pastor must remember who “the boss” is.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor    

  • Letter #8–Seasons

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         In the course of a year, we experience seasons as the weather changes from one general type of weather to the next.  The dormancy of Winter yields to the vibrancy of Spring.  Then the growth of Summer produces the harvest of Fall.  We continually experience these changes of seasons because God set all that into motion at creation.

         In addition to weather patterns, life has a way of flowing through seasons, too.  Childhood is referred to as the Spring of life, our working years as the Summer, retirement as the Fall and finally old age and Winter.  If we look around us, we’ll see that there are seasons in almost every aspect of life.  Some seasons are brief and some are lengthy.

         Do you remember how Moses was initially raised in the education and knowledge of Egyptian royalty?  Then he learned how to watch over and guide sheep.  Finally, God sent him to lead Israel out of Egypt.  Do you remember how long each of those seasons was in his life?  That’s right—forty years.  Those were long seasons, weren’t they.

         In my own life I’ve had some short seasons.  My first pastorate was two years.  I’ve also had some long seasons.  My wife Kathy and I became the managers of a Christian campground in April of 1993 and remained there in that ministry until the end of September of 2020.  That was a much longer season.

         During the seasons I have experienced, I realized God was teaching me some things I would need later in life.  Those lessons were expanded in succeeding years as I learned more about life and the various ministries into which I was directed by God.  He was always in control, guiding me and teaching me more about living as a disciple of Jesus.  God was preparing me in each season to deal with life and ministry in the next one.

         Jesus pulled together a small group of people and prepared them for about three years so they could enter their next season.  He taught them.  He demonstrated how to minister.  He told them how to pray.  He gave them the example they were to follow.  Then He sent them abroad into their next season.

         God is doing the same thing in your life.  Look back on where you were when you started your journey of faith.  Have you grown in faith?  Have you gained more knowledge and understanding about Jesus?  Are you better able to fulfill your calling from God today than you were when you first felt that call?  Can you see where God brought you along from one season of life into the next and into the next?

         Here’s the exciting part of this letter—there’s another season coming, and you’re being prepared for it right now.  God knows exactly what He wants you to do next, and He’s getting you ready for that something.  He’s teaching you, strengthening you, moulding you and anointing you for your next season. 

         God is getting you ready, just like He got Moses ready.  Jesus is preparing you, just like He prepared those original disciples.  Every trial, success, failure or achievement has been arranged to prepare you for the next season.  Every lesson learned, every gift sent, every moment of anointing by the Holy Spirit has been designed to get you ready for your next season.

         Get ready.  A new, exciting, potential-filled season is coming.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #7–K.I.S.S. Revisited

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         In the first installment for K.I.S.S., I suggested you include the members of your congregation as ministry partners in order to simplify your life.  I pray you are encouraging your membership as they develop the gifts and talents resident in your congregation in order to accomplish that aspect of keeping ministry simple.

         Allow me to make a second recommendation toward achieving a more simple life for yourself and your congregation.  When preparing sermons or Bible lessons, focus on Jesus.  Focus on who Jesus is, what he has accomplished, what he taught his original disciples, and what he promised to do for, in and through them.  Focus on the gospel message and how to live out the teachings of Christ.  You will find that centering your message on the good news that there is forgiveness through faith in Jesus will simplify your ministry.

         Satan will try to get you sidetracked from this central message.  Remember he is the source of confusion, division and strife.  Satan will try to get you involved in arguments over controversial doctrinal points.  He will attempt to bring factional “us versus them” thinking into your congregation, and, if he can, he will use you to create unintended factions within your attenders through what seems to be innocent questions.

         Always remember Satan is a deceiver, a manipulator and a thief, and he wants nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy the works you and your congregation are doing for the kingdom of God.  In order to achieve his insidious purposes, he works through people to bring up “What do you think about…” kinds of questions.  He uses, “I heard…,” “I’m confused about…,” or “My friend/uncle/brother/neighbor/etc. says….”

         It’s during these seemingly innocent times that your spiritual enemy is working to complicate your life and ministry by getting you to “major on the minors” in life.  To combat these deceptions, I encourage you to always use scriptures in answering any question that might be a controversial subject.  My normal response to any doctrinal issue that arises is, “Let’s see what the Bible says about this.”  Always remember that the Bible holds the truth about any situation that arises in life.  What I think about a situation does not matter when it comes to what the Bible actually says.  Taken in its proper context, scripture always has the correct answer to any question, even the ones the devil tries to use to complicate ministry.

         When those controversial subjects arise, and they will arise eventually, attempt to steer the conversation back to the simplicity of the gospel.  If that fails, allow the Holy Spirit the opportunity to speak through scriptures to those who are posing the questions.  Remember Paul’s advice to his protégé Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:20 to “…avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.” KJV (“Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge.” NLT)

         Allow me to give an example of this concept for maintaining simplicity in ministry.  A missionary we know operates in a country where the population is over 99% non-Christian.  He never compares Christianity to that national faith, nor does he debate the ideology of the other faith’s founder to that of Jesus.  He only talks about Jesus and his teachings.  His ministry is very successful, reaching over 9 million people monthly through various media avenues.  That success is influenced by the fact that he keeps his ministry focused on Jesus only.

         Focus on the simplicity of the good news about Jesus as much as is possible in every facet of your ministry.  If some divisive topic rears its head, go to scripture for guidance and rely on the Holy Spirit to deal with those topics as only he can by moving in the hearts and minds of those involved.  Remember:  KISS.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #6–You Failed at Something

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

    Congratulations, you failed at something.  Odd statement, isn’t it?  It has been my experience that failure when we attempt to do something in ministry reveals some very important information to us and about us.  Let’s look at some of that information for just a bit and see what we can learn and how we can be challenged by it.

    First, you were willing to try to achieve something, regardless of what that something was.  That means you decided to venture out of your comfort zone and attempt to accomplish something out of your usual, normal routine.  You were willing to take a chance.  You were willing to risk failing, with the hope of success.  It takes courage to do that.  Congratulations on being courageous as you minister in, for and through your congregation.

    Second, you put yourself in a position to learn what will work and what won’t work in a given situation.  It is said that if we never learn anything new, then we have stopped growing and have begun the process of stagnation, which is followed by death.  I once read that Thomas Edison tried over 10,000 items before he discovered how to make an electric light filament.  When asked about all those failures, he simply replied that he now knew 10,000 things that would not work.  Congratulations on becoming informed on what not to do.

    Next, you put yourself in the position of needing to examine why what you tried to do did not work.  Self-examination is a challenging process.  We have to determine if we had the right plan or proper resources or sufficient wise guidance or dedication to see the project through to the end or any other number of variables that might have played into our failing to achieve our goal.  We have to determine if we heard from God or was this activity something we just wanted to do. Self-examination requires honesty, humility and the willingness to correct mistakes.  Congratulations on looking in the mirror and accepting the reality it reflects.

    Finally, you moved out of the 90% who watch life happen and became part of the 10% who make things happen.  You took action, instead of sitting around and complaining about some situation.  You took action, instead of resting on your past successes.  You took action, instead of waiting for “someone” to resolve a problem.  You took action, instead of letting fear of people, fear of rejection or fear of failure keep you glued to your chair.  Congratulations on taking action.

    Failure is not a destination, unless you stay down and stop trying.  Failure in ministry is not permanent, unless you decide to make it permanent.  Failure is a springboard to new wisdom, new planning, new goal-setting, and new determined action.  Failure is the preparation for success as you continue to minister in, for and through your congregation.

    Congratulations, you failed at something.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #5–Relationships

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

                Build supportive relationships with other small church pastors.  You’ve already read my suggestions to involve other people in your ministry.  You need the help of your congregation as you minister to them and with them.  You simply cannot do everything alone.

                There is another source of help available for you, if you will make contact with that group and build meaningful relationships with the people in it.  That group is made up of all those other small church pastors in your area.  Those folks can help you, and you can help them.

                When you begin to reach out to other pastors, avoid the temptation to center your conversations on the bad stuff you encounter.  Satan would like nothing more than for you to tear each other down by constantly dragging up past or present hurts and disappointments.  Do not avoid problems, just don’t only rehearse and nurse them.  Use your time together to talk about how to reverse them.

                Ask questions to gain knowledge and insights the other pastors have.  Talk about successes and future plans together.  Listen to what’s in their hearts and share what’s in yours.  You can help each other.  You can encourage each other, pray for each other and remind each other that each one of you is not working in the kingdom of God alone.  You are on a great and powerful team, and good team members work together to win the game.  You are in the most important “game” of all time—the contest between the kingdom of light/good and the kingdom of darkness/evil.

                Getting together with other pastors is an action you are going to have to intentionally make.  You must intentionally choose to associate with other pastors for mutual support.  If your fellowship/denomination has regular opportunities to gather for support, take advantage of them.  (If not, create some.)  Go to the trainings, conferences, meetings and luncheons every chance you get.  I understand you can’t attend every meeting available, but you can stop making excuses for not attending and go to some of them. 

                One last thought before I close—I used to be like Moses and thought I had to deal with everything by myself, because I was the pastor.  A fellow minister stepped up as my “Jethro” and helped me to realize that not seeking help, advice and encouragement from others was a bad decision on my part.  I’m glad I listened to him.  I chose to set aside my pride and self-sufficient attitude and get help with what I was facing.  I sometimes forget his advice, but when I follow it, I am a better pastor.

                There is help out there for small church pastors.  Part of that help lies in other small church pastors.  Build supportive relationships with other small church pastors.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #4 (K.I.S.S.)

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

                K.I.S.S. (Not the rock band.) Keep.  It.  Simple.  Stupid.  It’s been said so much that it has become a cliché.  But it’s still a great rule of thumb for ministry.  The gospel is the simple and uncomplicated news that anyone can be restored to a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus because Jesus is the Messiah.  The enemy of your ministry will do anything he can to prevent you from staying on track with that simple, uncomplicated message.

                As pastors of a small part of God’s flock, we feel responsible for any and all activities, programs, outreaches, hospital visits, encouraging phonecalls, discipleship training, prayer meetings, youth outings, special songs on Sundays, or any other “good works” that occur in, for or through our congregations.  As the shepherd of that local flock, you definitely are the leader of the flock and should be aware of what’s going on in, for and through the flock.  But you have not been called to do all the good works yourself.

                Each sheep in your flock has been given gifts, talents and strengths by the Holy Spirit.  Part of your job is to help the sheep discover the attributes God has placed in their lives and to use them to fulfill the work of the whole body in the local church.  The body won’t achieve its calling from God if the only part working is the heart.  You do not have to do everything by yourself.

                Satan tries to get you to become so busy directing all the activities of the congregation that you lose focus of what your job as pastor really is.  He tries to complicate your life with so many meetings, reports, trips, and responsibilities that you forget to focus on the good news you are to keep before them as they mature as disciples.

                The truth of the matter is that you are to help your people become mature disciples so they can take their place in ministry within the local church body beside you as the whole congregation moves forward for the kingdom of God.  The truth of the matter is that you cannot do it all by yourself, and I, personally, believe you will overload and undermine your ministry if you try to do everything alone.  Sometimes we small church pastors become so distracted in our ministry that we fail to realize this.

                We become overwhelmed by ministry because, without recognizing what is happening, we have allowed the devil to complicate what we do for God’s kingdom.  I’ll say it again—you do not have to do everything by yourself.  One effective way to uncomplicate your ministry is by including your congregation in ministry.  And teach them to keep their own ministry uncomplicated, too.

                The gospel is simple.  Ministry does not have to be so complicated that we lose sight of that simplicity. 

    K.I.S.S.  (More to come about this topic later.)

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #3–Timing

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

                Trust God’s timing.  He gave you the vision to pursue.  He promised to meet all your needs if you will seek His righteousness first.  He will bring the vision into reality if you will focus on it and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but it will happen in His timetable, not yours.

                Allow me to illustrate what I’m saying.  Our congregation was led by the Holy Spirit into creating a safe place for local youth and children to gather with their friends.  Since God uses people to achieve His works on this earth, He began to put people with the right skills, knowledge and resources into our path. 

                However, the moving of those people took time.  We had hoped to have the buildings ready in a particular time frame.  That didn’t happen.  I firmly believe it didn’t happen at the time we wanted it to happen because God had something greater in store for us than we originally envisioned.  He was orchestrating peoples’ lives to be a blessing to us and to work their own lives out for good, also.  And that takes time.

                If you can believe God has given you the vision to achieve, believe He will bring it to pass at the right time.  Exercise patience.  Keep praying.  Keep on leading your flock toward spiritual maturity.  Continue to cast the vision before your congregation and encourage them to persevere in the face of difficulties or delays.  Trust God’s timing.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #2–Vision

    Dear Small Church Pastor

                You’ve probably preached the verse that says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)   That vision, that over-riding thought, that dream for your congregation, is very likely God’s will for your church.  There’s a solid chance that the vision is that “one thing” the Holy Spirit is leading you to achieve for His kingdom.  There is something you can do in order to discover if it is.

                In order to know God’s will for your own life, you had to seek God, talk to him and then listen to His voice.  You’re going to have to do the same things in order to discover His will for your congregation.  You’re going to have to pray, pray, pray, and then, pray some more.  Then be quiet and wait on the Holy Spirit to answer you.

                I know that’s a “WELL, DUH!” statement.  Here’s the rub—Too many of us small church pastors pray and pray and pray, but we don’t stop talking and listen.  We’re too busy to be still in His presence and allow Him to talk to us.

                The enemy has convinced us we are supposed to invest our days and nights in hospital visits, making follow-up calls to visitors—if we ever have any—keeping the church yard neat, overseeing the new bathroom remodel, meetings with the Kiwanis Club or Chamber of Commerce, cooking for the benefit dinner, having board meetings, planning the every month outreach activity, prepping sermons and Bible studies, etc..  The enemy has convinced us we should be doing what everyone else is doing.  He has convinced too many of us that we should be doing that “everything” deal.  (Remember the first letter?)

                None of these activities are bad things to do.  However, they do devour our time and keep us away from being still and waiting on God to speak to us.  If you are going to discover the will of God for your people, His vision for them, then you are going to have to stop doing everything and start doing what matters the most.  Make time to get alone with God in order to have regular conversations with Him. 

                Allow me to share something one of our district leaders once said to a group of pastors.  He said, “When I was pastoring, I should have spent more time in prayer listening to God than I spent in hospitals talking to sick folks and their families.”  There’s wisdom in that statement.  He had discovered the key to being a great leader lies in being a great listener to the Holy Spirit. 

                Invest more time in sharing what’s on your heart with God, then stop talking, be quiet and still, and listen as He shares what’s on His heart with you.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #1–Everything

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

                Stop trying to do “everything” other congregations are doing.  You are not the pastor of the larger church that has several times more folks on Sundays.  You don’t have the same resources, the same members, the same calling.  Your calling is to your group of people and their community.  Stop trying to do what “everyone else” is doing.

                Please allow me to share a nugget of wisdom I received years ago from a cousin who has pastored churches of all sizes.  Seek the mind and will of God for your unique congregation, determine what the Holy Spirit is leading them to achieve, and then become experts at accomplishing that one thing.

                Your congregation is made up of people who all have different gifts and callings on their individual lives.  It takes all those differing people to achieve what God wants that unique group to do for His kingdom.  The same concept holds true for the overall body of Christ.  Each unique congregation, as a whole, has a special calling on its corporate life.  Find out what that calling is and build on it.  Help your congregation become famous for doing that one thing well.

                You will become frustrated, physically fatigued and feel like a failure if you try to do “everything.”  Your enemy wants you to think you have to be constantly busy doing stuff for God’s kingdom.  If you give in to the temptation to do “everything,” you will find yourself doing nothing well.  Find one focal point for your congregation and do that excellently.  If the Holy Spirit leads you to a second calling for your congregation, become expert at that, too.  (Notice that word “IF!”)

                Assemble your people regularly for worship.  Train them to be disciples of Christ. Commission them to go spread the gospel.  Then unite with them in ministry as you all fulfill God’s call on each life.  As you do these things, have enough faith in the guidance of the Holy Spirit to believe He will help you discover the calling for your congregation. 

         Stop trying to imitate others. 

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor