Brandon J. O’Brien. Ada, Mich.: Bethany House, 2010. 171 pp. (Paperback).
According to author Brandon O’Brien, 177,000 churches in the United States have fewer than 100 in attendance on any given Sunday. He cautions that before you shake your head in sorrow, you might consider that the megachurch is not the New Testament model. Instead, writes O’Brien, perhaps we should redefine ministry success in something other than numerical terms.
O’Brien is quick to point out that he is not disparaging large and even megachurches, but cites the parable of the mustard seed as scriptural evidence that “we can be part of a mighty work of God even when the results of our labor are not readily measurable and impressive. God is not limited by our resources or qualifications.”
The words “strategically small” in the title refer, O’Brien points out, to the realization by leaders and their congregations that being small has its benefits. The book contains multiple illustrations from small churches that present a compelling argument in favor of churches remaining small, or of larger churches acting in ways that promote intimacy, intergenerational worship and other characteristics of smaller congregations.
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