Breaking the Small-Church Myths
ozens of times I get asked, “How big is your church?” My response is: “Under 50.” And each time I’m left standing immediately alone, not given the opportunity to rejoice over the incredible effectiveness of a small church in a rural community, turned inside out for Jesus.
Mike Brubaker, pastor
Christian Life Chapel, Colchester, Conn
ecause of the relational rootedness, there’s a web of relationships through which the gospel can flow with tremendous efficiency. If you can keep track of who is related to whom, and make no faux-pas, then the fact that one person is reached could very well mean that his or her whole clan will be.
Judy Brower, director of women’s ministry
Riverview Community Church, Ashland, Neb.
ome outsiders may think that the quality of the preaching or teaching is inferior in rural churches. But having grown up in them, I can testify that I have never had a conflict between what I learned there and what I learned at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, under the greatest teachers.
Larry Pearson, pastor
Rose City EFC, Eagle Bend, Minn.
he people here are just as busy as anywhere else in America. There are crunch times in farming when the men will work 12- to 15-hour days to get ’er done. In small schools, the students need to be involved in everything, or else there won’t be a football team or a basketball team or a Fellowship of Christian Athletes. So it’s really a challenge to schedule things.
Christopher Barnes, pastor
St. Luke EFC, Wellington, Mo.
ere in rural America, most everybody is affiliated with some kind of church, somewhere, in some way, maybe a long time in their past; if someone dies, there will be some church that will have their funeral, and most people know which church that will be. Yet there are a lot of people who are not practicing their faith at all. So there are lots of people who need to be reached.
Kerry Relihan, pastor
Stromsburg (Neb.) EFC
ome people say Vermonters are closed, cold and all the rest. Yet they will lend you their car before they know your last name. The problem is that we (outsiders) don’t take the time to learn how they make friends. We are too busy judging how they aren’t doing it right (meaning our way). I spoke once to an EFCA pastor in Salt Lake City; they have a special class for those who have moved to Utah from the outside, so they can better assimilate. I have often thought of doing that same thing here.
Neal Laybourne, pastor
Barre (Vt.) EFC
Breaking the Small-Church Myths
No. 1
Dozens of times I get asked, “How big is your church?” My response is: “Under 50.” And each time I’m left standing immediately alone, not given the opportunity to rejoice over the incredible effectiveness of a small church in a rural community, turned inside out for Jesus.
Mike Brubaker, pastor
Christian Life Chapel, Colchester, Conn
No. 2
Because of the relational rootedness, there’s a web of relationships through which the gospel can flow with tremendous efficiency. If you can keep track of who is related to whom, and make no faux-pas, then the fact that one person is reached could very well mean that his or her whole clan will be.
Judy Brower, director of women’s ministry
Riverview Community Church, Ashland, Neb.
No. 3
Some outsiders may think that the quality of the preaching or teaching is inferior in rural churches. But having grown up in them, I can testify that I have never had a conflict between what I learned there and what I learned at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, under the greatest teachers.
Larry Pearson, pastor
Rose City EFC, Eagle Bend, Minn.
No. 4
The people here are just as busy as anywhere else in America. There are crunch times in farming when the men will work 12- to 15-hour days to get ’er done. In small schools, the students need to be involved in everything, or else there won’t be a football team or a basketball team or a Fellowship of Christian Athletes. So it’s really a challenge to schedule things.
Christopher Barnes, pastor
St. Luke EFC, Wellington, Mo.
No. 5
Here in rural America, most everybody is affiliated with some kind of church, somewhere, in some way, maybe a long time in their past; if someone dies, there will be some church that will have their funeral, and most people know which church that will be. Yet there are a lot of people who are not practicing their faith at all. So there are lots of people who need to be reached.
Kerry Relihan, pastor
Stromsburg (Neb.) EFC
No. 6
Some people say Vermonters are closed, cold and all the rest. Yet they will lend you their car before they know your last name. The problem is that we (outsiders) don’t take the time to learn how they make friends. We are too busy judging how they aren’t doing it right (meaning our way). I spoke once to an EFCA pastor in Salt Lake City; they have a special class for those who have moved to Utah from the outside, so they can better assimilate. I have often thought of doing that same thing here.
Neal Laybourne, pastor
Barre (Vt.) EFC