Encouragement from a “Small Church”

By: Pastor Jerry Richards

At a point of more than thirty years in Church Ministry, and having begun in our mid-thirties, my wife and I thought it was all over for us. Surely God is still raising up leaders to bring vision to the Church of the 21st century? But, we discovered that this is not necessarily the case. The Church in general appears to be losing the fight against secularism. Pastors we know moved from a Biblical Model of Church to adopt secular models of success. Bible Schools began to lose enrollment and eventually to close. Even denominational centers of learning began to fail in raising-up their own leaders, and there has been a homogenizing of denominations where pastors from all kinds of denominations are leading local Churches into some kind of general theology, where denominational “distinctives” are washed-out, and popularism is taking over. Because of these things, Church is becoming less and less relevant.

Two years ago we moved into the role of the lead pastoral couple of our current Church. It has been two years since “taking the reins,” and leading our small congregation from being a typical small Church which was already facing defeat in the fight against the trends, into a body of believers who are able to identify who we are, and what we believe. And herein lies the way forward for the Small Church.

True Pastors — Shepherds who are called to lead the Sheep into “green pastures, and beside still waters” (Psalm 23) are becoming difficult to find. At Bay Park Baptist Church in Saskatoon, we have experienced growth because our people are moving from a sense of hopelessness and a resultant steady decline, to a growing Church under the leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ. From a congregation of 30-45 each Sunday, we have topped more than 95. Our summer attendance is 60-70, which seems phenomenal given current Church trends. But people want to be with their brothers and sisters — unwilling to lose touch with the family just because the summer is here. Our sanctuary was designed to hold a maximum of 120 people, even though recently a funeral for one of our Saints hosted a crowd of approximately 200.

How did our Church move from one facing mediocrity to a gathering that can anticipate years of growth and success for the Kingdom? The answer is simple, and no news to gatherings in Canada who are experiencing success. We changed from an inward focus to an outward focus; being unwilling to accept the inevitable, and reaching our own people first with an expansion of Bible Studies, small groups, and specific ministries to Children and Youth. We are not finished with change! In the fall we are initiating a Young Adults Bible Study Group, and a Seniors’ Social Outreach. As well, we are exploring ways of developing a “Moms and Tots” social group, with each ministry underpinned with solid Evangelical teaching. In other words, these first two years have been preparation for expansion. Within this expansion, I have made it my missions to remind our people that we are Baptists, and have taught our theological distinctives from the pulpit. The hope is to become an every person ministry team with each person finding a ministry purpose.

But wait. How are we going to house all of this? By the wise use of space in our building. We have a sanctuary that is quite limited for a city Church, but we have lots of fellowship space.

Church growth experts suggest that when a sanctuary is 75% full, then visitors will move-on after one or two Sundays. This appears to be true. So, now our leadership team is faced with the “What’s Next” puzzle. And this is where we begin to understand how to be a Church that follows a New Testament Model.

We have a sign over the main exit that says, “The harvest is ripe, so go and gather disciples!” Many pass under that sign, and though unaware of its existence (because the novelty has worn-off) we are still absorbing the subliminal message.

One of the great truths about the Western Church is that no one comes to Church any more without an invitation. Another great truth is that people will not remain unless they hear something new — even revolutionary from the Pulpit. And this does not mean entertainment, it means “world-changing.” This kind of reaching does not come from gimmicks, nor from changing the message to suit the “audience.” If we preach to an audience, then we are speaking into a vacuum.

A man named Cal Netterfield wrote a book entitled, “The Small Church is Different.” I believe it was an extraction from his doctoral dissertation. It is a good read because (although written in the later 20th century) it speaks to the Church of 2025.
If you are reading this “blog,” and you are part of a “cathedral Church,” of a few hundred — even thousands, then God Bless your ministry. But if, like me you lead a Church of fewer than a hundred attenders, then this might be valuable encouragement.

I am constantly reminded by one or two of my leadership team that ours is a “Blue Collar” Church. I remind them that we have a unique Church that is populated with people from at least six nationalities, and we are called to shepherd them all. Truly, when I stand to speak each Sunday, I am looking at the people of the earth, of every tribe and nation (at least that is how it appears to me). So this is one of the ways forward: Become a multi-national Church; which means build an appeal for all of the people groups who surround the Church. We must
create ministries that appeal to the broader population around our immediate community.
For the country pastor, this could mean developing a vibrant children’s ministry that will create opportunities for moms, dads, grandparents, and even siblings to come into your Church building.


What’s Next?

This is the quintessential question! When we stop asking, “What’s next?” we already are admitting defeat. For our Church, we are moving to a two service model (probably this Autumn) for a brief period while we stabilize our folks under a new model. Then we plan to send-out a Church Plant of up to 40% of the congregation to begin our second phase. And the philosophy is not to build a new Church building, but the rent space until we outgrow the two facilities — our existing Church building and the rental space, and then to replicate this plan over and over again.
Of course we face the objection, “But I don’t want to lose touch with my friends.” The answer is that, as we evelop, we will gather once per quarter in a bigger venue such as an auditorium or stadium if needed in order to worship together, and appreciate the things God is doing with us, and among us.
Church growth can no longer be assumed or taken for granted. The greater challenge facing the Church today is, “How can we remain relevant in an ever changing, and more godless world?” Where Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20), He was instructing His followers to become “a People of Vision,” so as to join Him in building a Church against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. I pray that God is moving amongst all of us in similar ways, and that we can truly celebrate as the Church Victorious!