A young family moved to our community and was looking for a church home. In their former town, they were members of a church that averaged 2,000 in the worship service. After visiting a large church in the new town for several Sundays, they realized no one remembered their names, and the church insisted they fill out a visitor’s card each time they were there. Then a neighbor invited them to her small church that averaged about 80. Immediately, the family felt like they were important. Their names were remembered on the second visit, and church members even remembered that they owned a rescued dog.
“It was like the church of their childhood,” said the mother. “We have found our church home.”
According to a report by Mississippi’s The Baptist Record, 73% of Southern Baptist churches average fewer than 100 people in the worship service; 46% have fewer than 50 for a typical service.
Alan Goforth helped plant Glory Baptist Church, a small congregation in Winfield, Alabama.
“You can connect with the community in a more personal way (in a small church). You get to know the people,” said Goforth, a trustee and member of the church council.
We are instructed in James 1:27 and Matthew 25:32–46 to take care of widows, orphans and the poor. There are many other verses that encourage similar action. Small churches can do this well.
W. Matt Tomlin, pastor of several Baptist churches during his lifetime, once said, “A small church can be a healthy church. Small congregations are like the New Testament church in that they take care of their members and local needs as well as missions — both national and international.”
How to connect
The following list includes only a few ways small churches can connect with the community:
1. Distribute food boxes from local organizations.
2. Recommend local Christian counselors for drug, alcohol and marriage problems.
3. Provide after-school tutoring. Require background checks for anyone working with children and youth. Grants can pay a stipend.
4. Schedule a wild game dinner for men and boys.
5. Plan a weekly exercise class for women and girls.
6. Offer a Vacation Bible School in low-income areas. Focus on immigrants and ethnic groups not part of your congregation.
7. Have a cleanup day for the church building and grounds. Bring a luncheon for those working.
8. Build wheelchair ramps for people in the community who need them. Volunteer the labor. Grants can pay for materials.
9. Sew quilts or lap throws for hospice patients.
10. Collect recipes from the community for a church cookbook.
11. Provide children and youth with free music lessons taught by the minister of music.
12. Give a carnation and recognize all mothers present on Mother’s Day.
13. Present dads with a bookmark made by a child on Father’s Day.
14. Plan short, monthly trips for senior adults on the church bus.
15. Supervise a monthly activity for teens and youth in the church gym or activity room. Have them bring a friend.
16. Connect with another small church for a short missions trip.
17. Conduct a survey of your church’s neighborhood. How many people are not attending a church?
18. Place your church program and worship service on social media.
19. Participate with Disaster Relief Teams when natural disasters occur. Volunteer the labor. Grants can pay for expenses, such as lodging, gas and food.
20. Teach carpenter skills to teens and youth.
21. Celebrate summer with an outdoor picnic. Rent a bounce house for young children. Invite the community. Provide a basket for prayer needs.
22. Rent a Christian movie to show in your activity area. Serve popcorn and soda.
23. Teach children to be involved in missions by visiting a nursing home.
24. Design birthday cards provided by a children’s Sunday School class, and give them to senior adults.
25. Involve youth in decorating residents’ doors at local nursing homes.
26. Teach a skill such as writing, cooking or gardening to young boys or girls.
27. Have a fish fry for first responders in your community.
28. Celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month. Children can make cards and posters with handprints and their names.
29. Recognize the nation’s servicemen/women on Veterans Day. Children hand out small American flags and say, “Thank you for your service.”
30. Provide a meal for a church family after a funeral.
31. Deliver a meal after a hospital stay.
32. Participate in a competition among adult classes for special offerings for Southern Baptist Convention entities. Display a chart in the education area to see progress.
33. Encourage attendance for Wednesday night prayer meetings and potluck suppers.
34. Plan an annual Bible Drill for children during the Sunday night service.
35. Volunteer to remove fallen limbs or provide simple home maintenance for homes of widows and seniors.
36. Maintain church buildings and buses by utilizing skilled church members.
37. Encourage young people to use their God-given skills in worship services by playing musical instruments and singing solos.
38. Use confidential areas of social media to inform members of prayer requests and special needs.
39. Adopt a school or classroom. What are the needs of students? Has a family lost a home due to a fire or other disaster? How can your church help?
40. Plan a prayer walk around local schools.
41. Train a group and have a security plan for your church.
42. Place speakers in the nursery so volunteers can hear the service.
43. Plan for rainy days by having several large umbrellas on hand to help people from their cars.
44. Assist people on walkers or wheelchairs who need extra help.
45. Give your church kitchen a “shower” to replace items needed for church meals.
46. Send birthday and get-well cards from Sunday School classes. Donations help purchase cards and stamps.
47. Follow up by contacting all those who visit your church.
48. Schedule a parents’ night out, allowing husband and wives time together while children are cared for at a church program.
49. Give children responsibility by asking them to serve as greeters.
50. Encourage fellowship among members by having a “tree service” — visiting outdoors under the trees after the closing prayer.
Share with others: