Small Church Essentials, Karl Vaters - Fall 2020

Book: Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of Under 250

Author: Karl Vaters

Publisher: Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL - 2018

Format: Paperback, 255 pages

My vacation from the gigantic NT Wright & Michael Bird book, The New Testament in its World continued due to the fact that I added a church-leader conference (Catalyst by CEM) to my calendar and my desire to read the book being discussed there by Karl Vaters, the speaker. It was a worthwhile and quick read (low word-count per page). Here is what I took away:

(implied) Thesis (because there really wasn’t one I could underline)

Small Churches don’t need to be big to be great - and there are unique factors to success in small-church ministry which differ greatly from large-church ministry.

Notes

Small Churches Can Be Great Churches

Karl Vaters defines a small church as one with an average weekly attendance under 250. He points out that most Christians belong to small churches with nearly half (47%) of all American churchgoers attending a congregation of 100 or fewer! He argues that the term “small” when used as a descriptor of Churches should not be a pejorative because the size of the congregation often has very little to do with whether or not the church is “healthy,” on-mission, or evangelistic. It is just as possible for a large church to be unhealthy as a small one, and there are a number of factors which could lead to a congregation being small that have nothing to do with that congregation’s faithfulness to the gospel or great commission. Factors like population density, population turnover, localized denominational preference, economic conditions, and unique ministry giftedness/callings can lead to a church being small even though that Church’s leadership and laity are faithful kingdom workers.

The Law of Large Numbers

“The law of large numbers” is a principle which Vaters highlights that severely differentiates effective large-church ministry principles from effective small-church ministry principles. In a large pool of people, almost any effective and good ministry strategy can be effective - when well-implemented - because the you’re statistically likely to find some critical mass of people with whom a particular ministry “clicks.” In small churches however, many effective and good ministry strategies can fail terrifically, even when well-implemented because of the uniqueness of the individuals in the small pool of people to whom you’re ministering. The smaller the congregation, the more unique the pool of people, and thus fewer general ministry practices / opportunities will find success.

The law of large numbers is not a handicap for small churches that limits their faithfulness/ministry, but it is a factor that will require small-church leadership to behave in a certain way in order to have success in ministry. The law of small numbers says that the most important organizational step is identifying the groups unique strengths/abilities as opposed to identifying the most broadly effective strategies/programs/structures. In a small-church setting Vaters suggests finding the “nitch” for your congregation and riding it into ministry. Large church ministry is more about finding the right program, while small church ministry is about identifying and emphasizing strengths and core competencies.

How to Regard Your Small Church Building

Vaters argues that small Churches must buck their stereotype by being willing to update outdated décor, furnishings, & appearance, and present a building that is low-clutter (p. 121 & p.238)

“We need to be careful not to let our church buildings kill our church. Too often, we allow our church buildings to control us when we treat them as holy places… Facilities should facilitate. That is, they should serve a purpose beyond themselves. Form should follow function, not vice verse. If church facilities have any spiritual value at all it is to the extent that they facilitate worship of Jesus and service to each other.” (P. 238-239)

Always Be Changing Something

Vaters believes that leaders in Small Churches should ABCS “Always Be Changing Something” a small church that is stuck and static is* unhealthy. But a Church that is adapting to meet the needs of the congregation and the community is on mission and fulfilling their calling. Culture, society, families, media, décor changes, The Gospel and God’s Word do not, but the ways that we present them to this changing target can and should if we wish to be effective participants in the great commission.

One advantage of a Church and ministry that is always changing is that it presents a more welcoming opportunity for new participants. This principle really jumped out to me as a servant of a Church with a rich, wonderful 140-year legacy surrounded by century farms. I have often told people that when I’ve Madison for 15 years, I’ll still be the new guy. Providing new, fresh, and iterative ministry opportunities can be a way to ameliorate this dynamic of “otherness” for newcomers and is probably something we should focus on as a church.

“one of the reasons new people find it hard to integrate themselves into the life of a church with a long heritage is that they feel like an outsider at a family reunion. When we’re trying new ideas, more opportunities exist for newcomers to get in on the ground floor, contribute in significant ways, and put their own stamp on the life of the church.” (P. 163)

Small Churches must be visitor-interaction superstars

Small churches must be greeting/welcoming superstars. Vaters points out the differences between visiting a large church where you can (and will) get lost into the crowd, and a small Church like Madison:

“walking into a small church for the first time can be and act of great vulnerability; they (the visitor) konw there won’t be anywhere to hide. people come to a small church hoping for personal connection. They may want it so badly that they feel frightened and exposed by the mere act of driving into the parking lot. When someone feels ignored in a big church it stings, but when someone feels ignored in a small church it can be devastating, even scaring to their heart and their spirit.” (p. 192). Small churches must be greeting/welcoming superstars

Conclusion

This book and the conference where I heard Karl Vaters (the author) speak were an encouragement to me. Much of this book is an appeal to not* be frustrated or saddened by the fact that many Churches are small. Small churches can be great churches, many of them are, and I believe that I serve at one currently. This is a forehead-slappingly obvious observation, but I often need to slap my forehead, and this one stung just right. Our goal as a church should not be “to get big,” but to be faithful and to do* big things for God’s kingdom. If I, as a pastor at Madison Church, were to set my sights on making Madison a big church, I would run the risk of treating the Church (group of people) I’m ministering to now as a stepping-stone to something else. Our Church is not a stepping stone, it is a blessed family of faithful Christ followers and a team I’m lucky to be a part of.

The remainder of this book offered some really helpful paths forward to leading in ways more suited to small church ministry than the others sets of church leadership principles that are typically available. I look forward to going through them with the Madison Church leaders as we continue, humbly, to try to be a great small church.

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