Small Church:
Webinars/Podcasts:
- Social Media For Small Churches, video: Click here
- Cultivating Change in Small Towns and Rural Communities, 7/20/2023 PRC webinar on demand: Click here
- Small Church Checkup: Assessing Your Church’s Health and Creating a Treatment Plan, a PRC recorded webinar: Click here
- Small Church, Big Mission, 9/2021 PRC recorded webinar: Click here
- Small Church Series: Thriving Rural Ministry, 9/2021 PRC recorded webinar: Click here
- Small Church Series: Big Impact, PRC Recorded webinar: Click here
- Can This Work In A Small Church? Karl Vaters podcast: Click here
- Small church webinars and other resource page from PRC: Click here
Pew to Pulpit Series:
This series from PRC (Practical Resources for Churches) is for church folks who find themselves leading worship – From Pew to Pulpit. Whether they’re stepping in for a pastor on leave, helping during a transition, or moving to stronger congregational leadership, we’re here to help. It’s part practical support (What is a lectionary? where can you find reliable exegesis online?), part art, and part encouragement. These are recorded webinars.
- From Pew to Pulpit: Preaching Your First Sermon
- From Pew to Pulpit: Liturgy – The Work of the People
- Pew to Pulpit: How to Select Music
Articles/Resource pages:
- 7 Small-Church Choices That Will Strengthen Your Ministry, 12/2023 article by Karl Vaters: Click here
- Let’s reframe vitality, 4/2023 Outlook article by Phil Blackburn: Click here
- Faith and Leadership, Allen T. Stanton, UMC, articles for small rural churches: Click here
- Congregational Capacity for Change: A Challenge for Small Churches, 4/2022 article: Click here
- The small church: a gift to its community, 10/2021 PC(USA) article: Click here
- Smaller congregations are ‘hardy and tough,’ says Stewardship Kaleidoscope speaker, PC(USA) article: Click here
- Can Small Congregations Change? 3/2015 article by Sarai Rice (Congregational Consulting Group): Click here
- What Is A Small Church? 7/2021 (Karl Vaders article): Click here
- Revitalizing church leadership: PneuMatrix joins the Holy Spirit in identifying adaptive change and positive deviance, 2/2018 (Presbyterian Outlook article): Click here
- 3 Unique Gifts of the Rural Church, 5/2021 (Lewis Center for Church Leadership article): Click here
- Leveraging Church Property Can Sustain Your Mission, 5/2021 Lewis Center for Church Leadership article: Click here
- To the Point: A New Way to View Small Church Vitality, 3/2019 article by Lewis A. Parks: Click here
- Ministry Boosts Small Church Vitality, 2012 United Methodist article: Click here
- Articles about Small Churches by Karl Vaters: Click here
Suggested Resources:
- We Aren’t Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry by Mark Elsdon, (2021)
- The Disciple Making church: From Dry Bones to Spiritual Vitality by Glenn McDonald (2007)
- Reclaiming Rural: Building Thriving Rural Congregations by Allen T. Stanton (2021)
- Small Church Essentials by Karl Vater. Click here to listen to him talk about his book in this podcast.
- Small on Purpose: Life in a Significant Church by Lewis A. Parks (2017, Abingdon Press)
- 99 Thoughts for Smaller Church Youth Workers: Doing More With Less by Stephanie Caro (2011, Group)$