Leading in the Small Church Series (pt 1)
Most churches in the United States have an attendance of 250 people or less. I’ve been a ministry leader in a church of 1,500 and a church of 150. The differences are light years apart. For the next few weeks. I’m going to share blessings, opportunities and challenges of leading in the small church.
Unity is easier with 150 people than with 1,500! If you ask any basketball coach, he’d rather have 13 players who were unified and knew their place on the team than 100 who didn’t buy into the vision. Jesus changed the world with 12 disciples. A small church provides the opportunity to build critical mass for the Gospel.
Unity is a vital part of every church for spiritual and numerical growth. If you are leading in a small church, don’t spend all your energy trying to boost your attendance. Instead, pour yourself into boosting church unity through vision casting, teaching, worshipping and fellowship. Then, growth will come naturally.
“Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” Phil 2:2
Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge
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Jimi,
Since we’ve followed the same trail in the past few months I have to say I agree with you regarding size of the congregation. Spiritual growth is sure a lot more interesting and compelling than the number of seats in the auditorium – or the number of services on the schedule.
But about this vision-casting thing: What exactly is that? How would you define it? How does a person go about finding a vision and how does he or she then “cast” it? Maybe I’m being overly literal here, but I’ve heard this buzzword often in church scenarios lately and I would just like to know how it applies to church unity, as you’ve stated above. Can you give any examples of other churches that do this and how it impacts their unity?
Being picky as usual.
@Dan – I’m sure Jimi will have more thoughts, but I’ll jump in as the relationship between “secular leadership” and church body leadership is something I’ve given a lot of thought to in the last few years.
Vision, like almost anything else, can be abused or redeemed. Vision is simply painting a picture of a preferable future. A redeemed vision is based on The Bible. A redeemed usage of vision is when a church leader, small group leader, discipler, etc looks at the Bible, translates Biblical principles for his church, small group, or disciple into their contemporary setting, and then communicates the result to that person in a way that makes them want to pursue that goal.
Take, for instance, loving the Scriptures.
Step 1 – the Bible says to study, meditate, pray, read, and memorize the Bible
Step 2 – in our culture that can look like writing verses on notecards and taping them to your steering wheel, downloading Biblical preaching into your iPod, journaling inductive study thoughts into your moleskin, etc.
Step 3 – I say to my small group, “Guys, how awesome would it be if our lives were saturated with The Word? What would happen if we became a small group that had steering wheels covered in Scripture notecards, iPods full of Biblical teaching, and journals full of Biblical thoughts?”
Step 3 is “vision-casting”. Truth understood (step 1), Truth applied to our culture (step 2), Applied truth communicated in a compelling way (step 3).
Good question, Dan. “Vision Casting” might be a buzz word that circulates in churches today, but it’s been happening for thousands of years.
Nehemiah was heartsick when he heard of the devastation of Jerusalem. He fasted, prayed, and formed a plan to rebuild the wall and restore the city and the people.
When he arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered the city officials, “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’” Nehemiah 2:17
Nehemiah fasted and prayed and God gave him vision for what needed to be done. He then shared (or cast) that vision to the king and to Jerusalem’s leaders. The result was people were of one mind and unified under Nehemiah’s leadership. They rebuilt Jerusalem and brought honor to God and His people.
Whether you are building a wall or building God’s kingdom (the church), shared vision equals unity.