The Gift of Small: Embracing Your Church’s Vocation

by Allen T Stanton

In The Gift of Embracing Your Church's Vocation , Allen Stanton argues that small-membership congregations can be faithful, vital, and viable. He encourages clergy and lay leaders of these churches to reexamine their congregation's potential and celebrate the vocation of being small. Small-membership congregations have long accounted for the majority of congregations in the United States. Despite this, church leadership resources often assume good leadership will result in church growth. Stanton shows how the assumption that healthy churches are growing churches fails to acknowledge the demographics of the communities that many small-membership churches serve and creates the perception that small congregations are failing or lack vitality. In part one of The Gift of Small , Stanton explores the importance of relationships to the theological identity and organizational leadership of the small-membership church. Part two examines the people who belong to and participate in small-membership congregations and the assets they bring to the congregation. Part three focuses on role of the small church as a place of vocational discovery and source of community leadership. The book concludes with a look at Jesus's teachings in which small objects become agents of transformation. Ultimately, this book seeks to dispel the myth that small-membership churches are failing and instead demonstrates how congregations might be faithful to a vocation of "being small." By embracing the importance of relationships, understanding the gifts of their members, and focusing their work, small-membership churches can be examples of vitality without the distraction of "church growth."

Genres: Christian

158 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2024

Reviews

[Ryan Linkous · Rating 3 out of 5]

There a few unique and helpful things in Stanton's book about smaller churches.

First, considering a church's unique vocation is significant. Stanton critiques approaches to evaluating church life that focus exclusively on bringing new people in through evangelism. I think he is a bit too pointed, but it's a fine point to make. Even more important is that church's consider themselves as failures if their faithful labors don't result in numerical growth. Considering a congregation's vocation given their make-up, time, and place, is a very helpful idea in leading a congregation and in a congregations own self-evaluation.

Second, Stanton makes regular reference to the work of Richard Thaler and the field of behavioral economics. Namely, we aren't as rational as we think we are. I think this point is epistemologically significant and true. This makes for interesting analyses. Thus, pastors/leaders should not proceed in purely logical or analytical ways, but must lead relationally. A nice point. But this analysis was a bit overdrawn, appearing in at least 3 or 4 chapters.

His discussion about small, aging congregations was helpful.

My main criticism is his construal of evangelism as including nearly everything but proselytizing. It's nice to define evangelism as discipleship and important that he acknowledged that it's the process of a person becoming a Christian. But as much as I think we shouldn't define our success purely on numbers, I do think congregations should always be thinking about reaching the lost with the gospel. That certainly is not the only thing we should do, and its tragic that evangelism is divorced from discipleship and discipleship is often divorced from pursuing forms of social justice.

I think Stanton's book is most helpful in introducing smaller congregations to minister's in training or to minister's being called to a small church and who lack experience there. I wish there was more written about the strengths of small or the yet more audacious claim that small- to medium-sized congregations ought to be more regular. I think most editors wouldn't let you take such a bold swipe at large and megachurches. But I think that case needs to be made.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book extolls what a church with a smaller membership is uniquely positioned to do through a close community bound by a strong sense of belonging. The author is a Methodist pastor who demonstrates that practices of the faith like hospitality, and forgiveness are best practiced in smaller groups.

He notes that, “whether a church is becoming larger tells us precious little about the church…..it cannot tell us if the church is helping a group of people learn the habits and virtues that Jesus commanded the church to teach or whether the kingdom of God is being enacted.”

Stanton knows how politics can play out unhealthily in small churches and writes of decisions making outside of typical committee structures, “Rather than formal meetings, where people may or may not share their opinions, or simply bite their tongue until the meeting in the parking lot, the nature of relational networks allows members of the congregation to freely express their opinions in environments where they are most comfortable.”

He gives examples of the ways a small congregation can help parishioners discover knew gifts or use existing ones in new ways that benefit the whole group and further the ends of the church in forming the lives of its members to be more like Jesus.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very good, and deserves a broad audience. As a small-church pastor myself, If found the book incredibly encouraging. But this is not merely "inspirational," as it is very well-researched. Stanton provides ample data to back up his arguments, which makes this a confident book (this is a big part of what makes it so encouraging to read). In essence, Stanton is pushing back hard on the "big and growing is better" mindset that occupies so much church leadership, and he is contending for us to reframe our understanding of the genuine gifts of small churches, as these churches actually CAN accomplish things in the realm of growth/discipleship that larger churches CANNOT (or, at least, will have a much, much harder time with). If this argument can sink into the hearts and souls of small-church leadership (beyond just the pastor) then I think the fruit will be immense. I'm considering giving copies of this to the members of my church's leadership team. It's that helpful and straightforward.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ultimately hopeful book about the future of small churches. There are things I still have questions about, but it is a good start to a conversation especially with small churches seeking to clarify their vocation and live in hope rather than fear.

Even so, it's true that some small churches WILL die. It might be good to acknowledge this and ponder what makes a small church vibrant and what might make it dying.

[Rebecca Hundley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book for small churches to read. It is uplifting and inspiring.

[Noah Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for pastors and leadership teams who want to better understand the dynamics of and lead a small congregation. I would especially recommend this to those who have church experience primarily in medium to large congregations and are moving to a smaller context. Allen is thorough in his research (at times writing a little dense for the average reader) and roots his comments in his own love of small congregations. The book is not a guide or instruction manual for leadership but a 40,000ft perspective on what makes a small church tick.