Church Growth for Small Churches

Church Growth for Small Churches — Watch Out for Obstacles

Church growth for small churches can be a challenging thing. There are certain barriers to growth that are typical of small church settings. Here are a few examples of obstacles to watch for that will impede your ability to grow:

• Underestimating Your Potential — One of your biggest hurdles to overcome may be getting outside the box of your current "small church" thinking. Don't think small, dream big.
• Resistance to Change — Change is a necessary component of growth. Resisting change preserves the status quo and stifles positive transformation. Remove the phrase, "that's the way we've always done it" from your vocabulary and adopt a flexible mindset towards change.
• Power Families/Individuals — These are people who abuse power in a controlling way. It's usually a personality-driven issue or insecurity and may not even be purposeful on their part but can be a serious hindrance to growth nonetheless. This could be a founding pastor, a strong outspoken personality, or a major financial supporter. These people usually have a vested interest in preserving the status quo and are typically threatened by the idea that the church is moving in a new direction. Caring and discerning leadership is needed to bring them along without allowing them to "steer."
• Viewing Growth as "Worldly" — This can often be a mental block to growth. If the pursuit of growth is frowned upon as a "secular" idea in your context, shift your focus to church health as a precursor to growth. In reality, health is the more important of the two and feeds into growth as a natural outcome.

Church Growth for Small Churches — Concepts to Embrace

Church growth for small churches starts with the leadership and spills over to the congregation. Start by making small positive changes in thought and action. Here are a few ideas:

• Live Courageously — Take risks. Step out of your comfort zone. Be sacrificial about what you sense God is leading you to. Be courageous in your own spiritual growth as well and find a few trustworthy confidantes with whom you can be completely honest about the private spaces of your life.
• Be Inclusive — Have an inviting atmosphere for people outside of the immediate church family. People are turned off by an exclusive church environment and drawn in by an inclusive church environment.
• Monitor Your Health — Without soliciting feedback about the health of your church and being genuinely open hearing suggestions and implementing them, you're essentially leading with a blindfold on. Invite periodic feedback from your leadership and congregation and pursue greater health with your church's God-ordained potential in mind.
• Pray for Compassion — It's so easy to get consumed in our own day to day joys and struggles. We forget that children are dying in Africa, that men and women in our own city are without food and shelter, or that the neighborhood next to the church contains residents who are currently bound for hell. We need to pray for an every increasing supernatural compassion for the lost that will thrust us out of our own narcissism and into service.
• Become a Kingdom Builder — Broaden your horizons. Begin to see each day, activity, conversation as part of the larger story that God is telling about the redemption of mankind and His invitation for you to play a role, if even a small one.
• Stay Agile — Don't get stuck in a rut. Don't get hung up on formulas. Pursue God's unique will for your church, your community, your unique setting. Keep after your own spiritual formation and growth. Continue to learn and stay sharp.

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