The impact of small churches is more about influence than attendance

If we’re not focusing on numbers, why not start looking at the impact that we can have and the advantages of being small.

You might not see that numerical growth that coincides with the growth of influence.

The pastoral Prime Mandate: to equip God’s people for works of service (Eph 4:11-12)

The three essential elements of a healthy, effective church: The Great Commandment, Great Commission and Equipping God’s people

Unhealthy churches aren’t doing the Great Commandment, the Great Commission or equipping the saints
Loving, but ineffective churches are doing the Great Commandment, but not the Great Commission or equipping God’s people
Overworked pastor and passive members when we’re doing the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, but are not equipping God’s people
Healthy, effective churches and pastors are doing all three

Karl- When our church was unhealthy, we focused on the Great Commandment: Love God (worship services), Love others (potlucks). That was all we did. We healed to the point of moving towards the Great Commission.

If you do all the work for your church, they’ll let you.

Greatest way to increase influence: mentoring. Equip the people you have to reach the people you don’t have

Do ministry from the church, not just in the church. In practice, we are actually trying to get people into our seats.

Influential small churches do:

fewer events- If we add something in the week, we need to give them something that they aren’t getting on Sunday morning (worship, teaching, fellowship). In small churches, they can’t get ‘outside the walls’ ministry on a Sunday morning. Big churches push small group ministry because people can’t get fellowship on Sunday morning. But in small churches they can get all of that on Sunday morning.

simpler structures- we need to develop a strategy for our church of how we grow people in maturity

deeper relationships-

What does your church do that your phone can’t do? We have to do what only the church can do. Physically be in the same room with other people who love Jesus too. Swing back to ‘analog’ over ‘digital’ - what an opportunity for church.