The Strategically Small Church: Intimate, Nimble, Authentic, and Effective
Ebook
Overview
Brandon O’Brien helps pastors and church leaders understand that a smaller church is sometimes better than a big one. He demonstrates the strengths of small congregations, including that today’s church “shoppers” want services that are local, personal, and intimate. Also, small churches provide space to nurture close relationships across age and lifestyle barriers, and they facilitate a higher level of commitment from laypeople. And small church budgets are often more effective because of greater efficiency. The Strategically Small Church will encourage small-church pastors in their ministries and challenge them to play to their strengths.
From the Back Cover
Blessed Are the Small
Our culture’s infatuation with bigness--bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger businesses--has infiltrated the church. But smaller doesn’t equal second-rate. Leadership Journal editor and former pastor Brandon O’Brien shows how small churches are uniquely equipped for success in today’s culture.
O’Brien celebrates churches that are taking full advantage of their small size and analyzes how other churches can learn from their strategies. For example, strategically small churches:
facilitate a higher level of commitment from laypeople
focus attention on fewer programs, increasing effectiveness
nurture close relationships across age and life-experience barriers
But perhaps most important, O’Brien asks churches to rethink what it means to be successful. Sometimes small is just right.
"Kudos to Brandon O’Brien for reshaping the small-church brand. Using real-life examples of ‘small’ as an intentional ministry strategy, O’Brien gives hope to small churches everywhere. A must-read for church leaders!"
Chuck Warnock, Author of Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor
"Every page paints a picture of the strategic potential for kingdom ministry that flows from smaller churches."
Kara E. Powell, PhD, Executive Director, Fuller Youth Institute
Fuller Theological Seminary
Top Highlights
“small, simple churches are better positioned for evangelism and church reproduction.” (source)
“The kingdom must grow. But that doesn’t mean that every church will be growing numerically all the time.” (source)
“We have allowed the ministry experience of 6 percent of pastors to become the standard by which the remaining 94 percent of us judge ourselves.” (source)
“equipping the saints for service outside the church privileges the mission over the institution” (source)
“And for every small church that fails to grow despite its commitment to outreach and disciple making, there is another that continues to shrink because it is petty, mean, and uninterested in the mission of God. Until we stop measuring our success in terms of numerical size and growth, we may be unable to accurately analyze the faithfulness of our ministry. To paraphrase 1 Corinthians 3:7, the church leader’s job is to plant and water, but the increase of the crop is up to God.” (source)
Product Details
- Title : The Strategically Small Church: Intimate, Nimble, Authentic, and Effective
- Author: O'Brien, Brandon J.
- Publisher: Bethany House
- Publication Date: 2010
- ISBN: 9781441212146
Brandon J. O'Brien is editor-at-large for Leadership Journal and their popular blog, Out of Ur. He holds an MA in church history from Wheaton College and served as pastor of two small congregations. Brandon lives with his wife in the western suburbs of Chicago, where he is a doctoral student in church history at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.