Welcome!
The first set of entries to this weekly blog (#1–#47) is entitled “Letters to a Small Church Pastor.” These are brief letters that are focused on topics I have found important in the life of a small church pastor. The second set of entries (Beginning with #48) is entitled “Letters to a Small Church Congregation” and is directed to the lay leaders and other members of small churches.
Although I often use examples from my own ministry, the bulk of the information in the letters comes from what the Holy Spirit has taught me through many years of ministry, reading insightful books or articles and listening to people who are much wiser than I am. It is my prayer that these letters will encourage and challenge you as a small church pastor or as someone who attends a small church.
Introductory Letter (Read First)
Letter #52 (It’s Jesus’s Church)
Letter #51 (Whose Church Is It?)
Letter #50 (Inevitability of Change)
Letter #49 (First Impressions–2)
Letter #48 (First Impressions)
Letter #29 (Dare to Be Different)
Letter #27 (Remember Your Source)
Letter #24 (Changing Others–2)
Letter #23 (Changing Others–1)
Letter #22 (Changing Yourself)
Letter #17 (My Wants vs God’s Will)
Letter #16 (The Greatest Obstacle)
Letter #11 (Expand the Family)
Letter #6 (You Failed at Something)
If you would like to be notified via email when new letters and other posts are placed on this site, please let us know via a comment after one of the letters and check the “Save My Name” box before you post your comment. Your email will not be shared with anyone, and we will not clog up your email with unnecessary links, posts, ads, promos, or other “junk mail.”
If you are a Small Church Pastor and would like to receive additional encouragement beyond these letters, send me a note via the contact info supplied. By the way, this site is not designed for debates about doctrine. It is designed for mutual encouragement as you lead your small church. (Be sure to read the Introductory Letter.)
God Bless, and I look forward to helping other small church pastors to achieve all God has planned for them and their congregations.
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Letter #42 (Quicksand)
Dear Small Church Pastor, Old western shows or safari movies sometimes showed someone getting caught in quicksand. The hero usually was able to save the victim just in time. However, these videos have created a misconception about quicksand that needs to be corrected. A victim normally won’t sink completely and drown if caught…
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Letter #41 (Handle the Hurt)
Dear Small Church Pastor, It will happen eventually. Someone–a board, a committee, a congregational member, a district official, or even a whole organizational group–will eventually subject you to some form of being hurt. The hurt will come emotionally or possibly even mentally. I pray it isn’t a physical or, especially, a spiritual hurt. But…
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Letter #40 (Be an Encourager)
Dear Small Church Pastor, One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is the important, absolutely necessary, job of being an encourager to those who attend worship services. Over twenty years ago I ran across a statistic that startled me. It stated that by the time a child in this country reaches his/her…
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Letter #39 (Treasure–2)
Dear Small Church Pastor, There is a financial “rule of thumb” that deals with living within your means and has been around for a long time. It states that finances should be arranged in a 10-10-80 ratio. The idea is that, when it comes to budgeting and managing your treasure (money and other resources),…
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Letter #38 (Treasure–1)
Dear Small Church Pastor, Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 state, “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.” Notice that the statement indicates your heart goes where you put your treasure. In other words, where you invest your finances or other resources will reveal your priorities. If you will look at…
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Letter #37 (Talents)
Dear Small Church Pastor, (This one is a spiritual exercise as much as it is a letter.) Another indicator in determining your priorities is where you invest your talents (skills, abilities, God-given spiritual gifts). You haven’t just learned knowledge that you can utilize. You also have innate, natural abilities that come to you…
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Letter #36 (Time)
Dear Small Church Pastor, In the last letter, which covered the topic of Priorities, I dealt with looking at how we invest our time as one of the indicators of what we consider priorities. Allow me to continue approaching this topic of time and how we use it for a few minutes, with emphasis…
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Letter #35 (Priorities)
Dear Small Church Pastor, Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 both state, “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also”. It can also be said that you invest your time and your talents in those things that are important to you. In other words, you will put your time, skills and money into…
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Letter #34 (Personal Study)
Dear Small Church Pastor, You probably have taught or preached from 2 Timothy 2:15, that verse in which Paul admonishes Timothy to study scripture so he could confidently instruct others about their meaning. You may have done special scripture studies with your people for years, even decades. There’s a possibility you hold one or…
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Letter #33 (Take a Break)
Dear Small Church Pastor, We tell our people not to over-do-it. We tell them to pace themselves. We tell them there are only twenty-four hours in a day. We tell them they need to take a break for mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. But do we ever take a break ourselves? When…