Help for the Small-Church Pastor: Unlocking the Potential of Your Congregation

By Steve R. Bierly

Churches of less than 150 remain the rule rather than the exception in American Christianity. However, seminaries don't equip their students in every way that's necessary to effectively lead smaller congregations -- despite the fact that most seminary graduates will becomes small-church pastors. Help for the Small-Church Pastor offers pastors of small churches the guidance and encouragement they need. In this common-sense book, Steve Bierly draws from his eleven years in ministry to show what makes smaller congregations tick. Help for the Small-Church Pastor provides practical insights on uniquely "small-church" issues, such as-- The characteristics of small churches - How to work effectively as an "insider" within the small church - How God is at work in powerful ways in smaller assemblies - How to motivate your church toward positive change and true growth - How to invest your own time and energy in the right directions - How your church can reach out to the community in ways that are practical and productive -- "There are many ways for even the smallest congregation to be true to the church's calling," says Steve Bierly. Help for the Small-Church Pastor will steer you through the strengths and weaknesses of your small church to unearth its true riches.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310499518
• ISBN13: 9780310499510
• Release Date: August 1995
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.3" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up

Customer Reviews

great book

If you are a small church pastor, this is the book to read. Good insight into what people in a small church are looking for and how to best serve them.

Essential reading

I cannot begin to tell you how much Steve Bierly's books on the topic of being a small-church pastor have meant to me. Again and again, I go back and reread his practical and useful ideas. This is essential reading for small-church pastors who struggle with the unreasonable expectations of their congregation and who need encouragement.

Encouragement and guidance from one who has "been there".

Within _Help for the Small-Church Pastor_ you will find that Steve Bierly seems to have firsthand knowledge of one's church and the true feelings one has about his or her congregation. As a pastor of a small church in the Northeast, Bierly speaks as one who has "been there." He does not offer various recipes for numerical growth. That is not the purpose. It seems his primary task is to encourage the correct perspectives and attitudes for the leader in the small church. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "To be blunt, the sins of impatience, jealousy, discontent, and walking by sight instead of by faith are behind some of the frustrations that small-church leaders experience. We want what other congregations have and we want it *now*!" He encourages such ministers to rejoice with even small progress, just as a parent does with a child. Pushing one's own agenda upon the small church, no matter how pure the motives, can result in a backlash of mistrust and resentment. The minister was not called to the church to apply "prepackaged, ready-made answers. Instead," according to Bierly, " the pastor is supposed to work with the family to find solutions that seem reasonable to everyone." The small church has a culture all it's own, and the smart church leader will be dedicated to learning that culture and becoming "one of them," as opposed to an outsider whose only desire is to change things, running over long-held traditions in the process. Reviewed by Donald W. White, minister of the Lakeview Church of Christ