Challenges of Pastoring Smaller Churches

Author: Ray Gilder

THE CHALLENGES OF PASTORING
A SMALLER MEMBERSHIP CHURCH

A smaller membership church is one whose pastor is fully-funded and which averages 125 or less in Sunday School.

In our article last month, I listed many of the advantages of pastoring a smaller membership church.

Today, I want to list some challenges this pastor faces:

1. Being responsible for most of the ministry that is done by the church.

2. Struggling to live on a salary that is often less than adequate.

3. Having difficulty finding sufficient leadership for all that the church is attempting to do.

4. Attracting prospective members who are looking for more than your church can offer.

5. Often dealing with a key leader who has practically run the church for many years.

6. Leading the church to assimilate new members instead of focusing on their small group of friends.

7. A tendency to become content to maintain the present status instead of leading the church to the next level.

8. Recruiting and training volunteer or part-time lay ministry leaders.

9. Guarding against the temptation to look for a position that looks more promising.

(Rare is the man who says God led him to a smaller or more obscure ministry.)

10. Staying where you are until God accomplishes what He sent you there to do.

These are a few of the challenges that the pastor of a smaller membership church faces.

Every pastor could add to the list.

Every pastor must realize there is no perfect church.

That is a good thing because there is no perfect pastor.

With God’s help, we all can become better pastors and lead our churches to be more like Christ intended.

Blessings,

Ray Gilder

National Coordinator

Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network

Tennessee Baptist Convention