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The unique characteristics of small member congregations pose blessings and challenges to congregational leaders. Learn how many leaders work with congregational responses to growth, stewardship, and mission in small membership settings.
CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY : Small Congregations
  Entering the World of the Small Church (Book)
Anthony G. Pappas, Author.
Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2000.
Instead of focusing on replicating the large church experience, this book explores the unique gifts and challenges presented by small congregations, offering encouragement to their pastors and guidelines to measure their congregational vitality.
Help for the Small Church Pastor: Unlocking the Potential of Your Congregation (Book)
Steve R. Bierly, Author.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.
Bierly, an experienced small church pastor, offers counsel and encouragement to small-church pastors, often with great warmth and humor.
The Indispensable Guide for Smaller Churches (Book)
David R. Ray, Author.
Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2003.
David Ray presents theology, theories, and methods that will help small congregations use existing resources to best advantage and live as authentic communities of God’s people.
 Life on the edge: A small church redefines its mission (Article)
The Christian Century. 2003. Vol. 120, No. 14, pp. 24-27.
Chicago, IL: Christian Century Foundation.
Richard Bliese presents the story of a church that became a vital missional community by focusing on what a small church can do, transforming lay members into lay ministers, and expanding its capacity for fellowship.
Small Congregation, Big Potential: Ministry in the Small Membership Church (Book)
Lyle E. Schaller, Author.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2003.
Small churches have the potential to be exceptional communities of faith. Shifting the focus from what small churches can’t be, Lyle Schaller offers a vision and suggestions for how small churches can live into their potential.
Small, Strong Congregations: Creating Strengths and Health for Your Congregation (Book)
Kennon L. Callahan, Author.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000.
Kennon Callahan counters the conventional wisdom that bigger is better. Book chapters discuss the qualities of small, strong congregations and how to develop them.
 The Smaller Congregation—Pathways in Challenging Times (Web Resource)
Alice Mann defines the "smaller congregation," explains how small congregations can be vital, and examines options for small congregations (shifting to part-time clergy, merging, clustering, securing lay pastors, growing, or "ending well).
Turnaround Strategies for the Small Church (Book)
Ronald K. Crandall, Author.
Herb Miller, Editor.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995.
Arguing that small churches can grow and flourish, the author discusses the pastor's crucial role and explores the attitudes and behaviors that inhibit growth and those that can lead to revitalization.
 Administration in the Small Membership Church (Book)
John H. Tyson, Author.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2007.
John Tyson explains the importance of administrative leadership and offers strategies for managing time, records, and appointments; developing vision; planning worship; leading volunteers; and managing building, financial, and safety systems.
All Churches Great and Small: 60 Ideas for Improving Your Church’s Ministry (Book)
Kirk Farnsworth, Rosie Farnsworth, Authors.
Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2005.
This book offers ways for small churches to become more effective in a variety of ministry areas, including shepherding, ministering, studying, worshiping, praying, giving, living in the spirit, witnessing, and committing to God and the church community.
Effective Approaches to Growth and Stewardship in the Small Church (Article)
Perry Bell, Author.
Congregations. September/October 1994. Vol. XX, No. 5, pp. 9.
Herndon, VA: Alban Institute.
This article makes the case that the unique characteristics of small congregations must be understood if efforts to grow the membership and cultivate giving are to succeed.
How to Thrive as a Small-Church Pastor: A Guide to Spiritual and Emotional Well-Being (Book)
Steve R. Bierly, Author.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.
For pastors who serve small churches, How to Thrive as a Small-Church Pastor provides down-to-earth counsel on surviving, and perhaps even thriving, in a small-church environment.
Inside the Small Church (Book)
Anthony G. Pappas, Author.
Anthony G. Pappas, Editor.
Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2002.
This is an indispensable resource for small-church leaders to learn to stimulate "leading, loving, largening, and leaving" in their congregations.
Learning to Pastor a Small Congregation (Article)
Andrew D. Hagen, Author.
Congregations. January/February 1998. Vol. XXIV, No. 1, pp. 14-15.
Herndon, VA: Alban Institute.
Andrew D. Hagen recounts the mistakes he made when pastoring a small family-size church and the revelations that helped him shift his focus and introduce new, effective practices into his ministry.
Pastoral Care in the Small Membership Church (Book)
James L. Killen Jr., Author.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2005.
This book addresses the personal relationships which underlie various types of pastoral care in small-membership churches—including care of the ill and those who are grieving. Weddings, funerals, and other occasions are also discussed.
Priestly Ministry in Multiple Parishes (Book)
Katarina Schuth, Author.
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2006.
Drawing on the experiences of Roman Catholic priests serving multiple parishes, this book offers strategies and action steps to help priests prepare themselves for multiple- parish ministry and to help dioceses better support these priests.
Single Digit Youth Groups: Working With Fewer Than 10 Teens (Book)
Marcey Balcomb, Author.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004.
Marcey Balcomb discusses the value and strengths of a youth group that has fewer than 10 teens. The benefits and struggles of small youth groups are examined, along with the qualities of an outstanding youth leader.
Spiritual Leadership in the Small Membership Church (Book)
David Canada, Author.
Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2005.
This book offers suggestions for how small membership churches can reach their full potential as Christian communities by becoming more inclusive and hospitable and by developing their own sense of God’s presence in their lives.
Where 20 or 30 Are Gathered: Leading Worship in the Small Church (Book)
Peter Bush, Christine O'Reilly, Authors.
Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2006.
This book highlights the gifts of small congregations, suggests effective and affordable ways of leading them (including lay leadership roles), and suggests worship practices that take full advantage of the gifts of the people in the congregation.
Youth Ministry in Small Churches (Book)
Rick Chromey, Author.
Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, Inc., 1990.
Author and youth minister Rick Chromey has created a practical collection of ideas to help volunteers, pastors, and youth ministers design, build, and evaluate a healthy ministry for the small church.
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