Tag «Small Membership Churches»

The Hidden Impact of Rural Churches: An In-Depth Interview with Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrand

What is the economic impact of small congregations on their communities? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff speaks with Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrandt of Partners for Sacred Places about their report on the “Economic Halo Effect of Rural United Methodist Churches in North Carolina.” Listen to this interview, watch the interview video on YouTube, […]

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Small Church Big Impact

Blake Bradford shares how smaller congregations can use their unique giftedness to fulfill their mission. He says smaller churches can enhance their vitality by clarifying their purpose, engaging their community, leveraging relational intimacy to reach people and build disciples, and rightsizing their leadership and governance structures. To celebrate the Lewis Center’s anniversary, we are highlighting […]

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Why Small Congregation Worship Matters

Teresa Stewart has faith in the future of small congregations because she has faith in a God who shows up even in small and forgotten places. She believes that small churches are critical learning laboratories as the church navigates a future far too complex for one-size-fits-all patterns of ministry. Let’s start with this fundamental agreement […]

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When the Pastor Is Your Plumber

Lovett H. Weems Jr. writes about the long and rich history of bivocational ministry in the Bible, throughout the generations of American history and around the world today. He says bivocational ministry is one lane in the pathway to the future that needs careful and sustained attention as more churches face declining memberships and other […]

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The Rural Church’s Gifts

Michael Adam Beck and Tyler Kleeberger describe how the unique demographics of rural churches bring not only the potential for intimacy and neighborliness but also an inherent diversity that forces smaller churches to do the hard work of creating unity amid differences. Sometimes it’s easier to love the idea of people rather than the people […]

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