Tag: 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

  • Introductory Letter

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         Well, here you are.  You’re reading a letter written to small church pastors and their congregations by a small church pastor.  So you’ll know why I’m writing to you, allow me to introduce myself.  Who I am impacts this first letter and all that will follow.

         I live in a rural community of fewer than one hundred people.  The closest town has fewer than one thousand.  My last pastorate, which was a thirty minute drive from where I live, was in a town of about six hundred.  I understand the concept of small when it comes to population.

         My ministry journey began fifty-five years ago as an eighteen-year-old lay speaker who filled in when pastors needed a day off or couldn’t fill their pulpit for some reason.  Fast forward to an Easter Sunday delivering a sunrise message in the front yard of a neighborhood outside a large city in central Florida.  One of my friends’ sons was wonderfully saved that morning, and I knew God was calling me to do something for Him.

         That call from God has taken me to many forms of service for His kingdom.  As a “young adult,” I was called on to teach a Sunday School class.  Then came the Sunday School Superintendent title and responsibilities.  As I matured, service as a deacon/trustee/board member was brought into my life.

         I had taken piano lessons while growing up and had taught myself how to play rhythm guitar.  Those skills put me in the position to be a church musician on the platform.  My wife and I, along with another couple, became the leaders for a youth choir that traveled around our area singing for a few years.

         All this time of service for Christ’s kingdom did not fulfill the call I felt God had placed on my life.  There was a missing element.  After much prayer and seeking God’s guidance, I decided to further my biblical training and understanding of ministry by taking courses of study through a Bible School connected to a university.  The culmination of those courses resulted in my becoming an Ordained Minister of the gospel.

         It was during this period of study and preparation for my ordination that I began to serve as a pastor to small churches.  Over the next twenty years or so, I served four congregations.  My tenures at those congregations were as follows:  two years; 4 1/2 years; 5 1/2 years; 8 years and 4 months.  The congregational sizes at the beginning of these pastorates ranged from 2 (that’s right—two) to fifteen.  If memory serves me correctly, all the congregations were blessed by God and increased in number, up to 45 in regular attendance.  I understand what being the pastor of a very small congregation involves.

         Each small church pastoral opportunity helped me learn important aspects of being a pastor that are never covered in ministerial studies.  But each opportunity also helped me understand the tremendous blessings that go along with being the pastor of a small congregation. 

         I cannot speak to all the trials and opportunities that present themselves to pastors of churches that have hundreds, or even thousands, of members.  But I can speak to the small church pastor.  I can speak to the pastor who wonders if his or her ministry actually is accomplishing anything for the cause of God’s Kingdom.  I can speak to the pastor who doesn’t have an Associate Pastor or a Ministry Team or a Children’s Church Leader or a Nursery Supervisor or a Small Group Director/Sunday School Superintendent.  I can speak to the pastor of a congregation in which the average age is 60+ years.  I can speak to the pastor of the small church that has gone through a destructive split that resulted in loss of critical leadership.  I can speak to the pastor who is questioning why God sent him to a place that had not seen a new salvation in years.

         I know I don’t have all the answers.  I know I can’t give you a “one size fits all” solution.  I know my experiences have not been every experience you have faced or will face.  But I do know the one who can help me help you.

         This is who I am, and this is why I’m writing you these letters.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor