A Big Gospel in Small Places: Why Ministry in Forgotten Communities Matters

by Stephen Witmer, Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. (Foreword)

Jesus loves small, insignificant places.
In recent years, Christian ministries have increasingly prioritized urban areas. Big cities and suburbs are considered more strategic, more influential, and more desirable places to live and work. After all, they're the centers for culture, arts, and education. More and more people are leaving small places and moving to big ones. As a ministry strategy, focusing on big places makes sense.
But the gospel of Jesus is often unstrategic. In this book, pastor Stephen Witmer lays out an integrated theological vision for small-place ministry. Filled with helpful information about small places and with stories and practical advice from his own ministry, Witmer's book offers a compelling, comprehensive vision for small-place ministry today.
Jesus loves small places, and when we care deeply about them and invest in them over time, our ministry becomes a unique picture of the gospel―one that the world badly needs to see.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Evangelism, Church, Nonfiction, Christianity, Discipleship

203 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 5, 2019

About the author

Stephen Witmer (PhD, University of Cambridge) is the pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship, Massachusetts, and is an adjunct professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is also the cofounder of Small Town Summits, an organization that serves rural churches and pastors.

Witmer is the author of Revelation: a 12-Week Study, Jonah: Depths of Grace, and Eternity Changes Everything. He has written for Bible Study Magazine, Reformation 21, The Gospel Coalition, and Desiring God. He lives in Pepperell, Massachussetts, with his wife, Emma, and their three children.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I loved the main point Witmer was going for in this book. In the midst of a cultural push for big city ministry, he makes a case for small place, rural ministry and why it matters. As someone who grew up in a small town and understands the realities of small places, I agree with much of what he says. I thought he might have been able to say it in less chapters, and less apologetically, but overall decent.

[Cory Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Wherever God calls us to serve, our identity and significance are secure because we’re his children. Our worth comes not from the place where we proclaim the gospel but from the gospel we proclaim.”

I read this book already feeling a draw towards small places. This book strengthens that drawing. But it also challenged and encouraged certain views I held. It was such a good reminder of the work that Christ did in small places, of the unique opportunities that ministering in small places offer to reveal God’s character, and that there should be no infighting or pride in between those who minister in small or large places for God calls people to both for seasons or life times.

[Mitchell Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Center Church" for small towns. Witmer almost exclusively deals with Keller in his book so it seems that is what he is trying to do. This is a great book that missionaries and ministers should take seriously if they feel God calling them to the small and rural.

[Nate Bate · Rating 5 out of 5]

***** Book Review Two *****
I read this book last year, and this year I decided to read it again. I tried to read it slower this time. I wanted to absorb its contents even more.

The prevailing mindset of our culture of big and impressive has so affected my thinking. Stephen Witmer lays out a gospel-centered and thorough approach to how to re-think ministry in small places. It is like loosening a knot or slowly removing a tangle of thorns. Witmer, iteration by iteration, helps us dislodge our wrong thinking in light of the Scriptures. He acknowledges and engages those who have made a strong case for ministering in the city, but he doesn’t give up. He offers some respectful counter arguments. And, he references an impressive array of references which help deepen our considerations. I would be curious to read some other treatments of this topic. I wonder if Stephen Witmer has pretty much covered it.

I might read this again next year, and I am considering buying several copies and passing it out to people. I purposefully did not read my last review of this book before writing this review of it. I wanted my thoughts from this read through to be independent of what I wrote previously.

***** Book Review One *****
I pastor a small church in a small place. Thus, when I saw this book, I was immediately interested. As Stephen Witmer points out, plenty attention is giving these days to urban ministry models, but it seems rare when somebody gives attention to ministry to small places. He challenges us to think about the desire to have a "large impact" and to think through what type of impact we are to expect in gospel ministry. I'm glad I read the book, and I might need to read it semi-routinely.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful critique to Keller's Center Church and others who have a city-priority focus for church planting and revitalization not just in North America, but also in missions contexts. The critique is grounded in research and in careful New Testament exegesis. It is also a warning that the foundation of our church planting, revitalization, and missions strategies not be based on what a few modern theologians or historians say. Rather, it must be grounded in carefully examining the Bible and all of church history. While Witmer is certainly an advocate of small town ministry, he is not so at the expense of ministry in cities. He advocates that God's people go and serve wherever he calls them, not at the expense of city ministry, but because the small places have largely been forgotten. Seminaries and those who have read Keller's Center Church would do well to read this as a companion and examine the facts themselves.

[Luke Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witmer contends, “The gospel isn’t just the message we take to small places; it’s our motivation for going there in the first place and our means of fruitful ministry when we get there” (4). For many Christian ministries, prioritizing big cities is the most strategic (and even biblical) method. But Witmer brings a thoughtful critique and perspective to such a view. To be clear, Witmer is not against pursuing ministry in big cities; rather, he challenges the view that we should prioritize big cities to the exclusion or neglect of small places. Big and small, rural and urban need one another. Witmer is fair, realistic about the strengths and weaknesses of both small places and big cities, well-researched, well-balanced, pastoral, practical, and thoroughly rooted in the gospel as he presents his compelling vision for small-place ministry today. I’m deeply grateful for his work here. A great read!

[Jonathan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad that this book has been written, and written so well. Witmer gives us a compelling theological vision for ministering in small places. He is balanced in terms of the need to minister everywhere (including cities) but is brave enough to push back on some of the prevailing 'city centric' views out there.
This will encourage small place pastors.
If you are considering where to go to minister, this is essential reading.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. I haven't read a "perspective shifter" like this book in a long time. Witmer respectfully criticizes the current trend in evangelical Christianity to focus on cities for church planting and offers another angle on church planting as well as long-term service in small places. Part 1 focuses on defining the concept of a "small place" and presenting pros/cons of small places. Part 2 focuses on challenges and joys of long-term ministry in small places. And Part 3 considers the question of should people be doing (even prioritizing) small place ministry. Chapter 12 is worth reading even if you don't want to read the whole book - Witmer asks a lot of good questions about the current evangelical trend/planning/priorities for city ministry, brings up some Biblical counterarguments, and analyzes the current evangelical leaders' motives and goals for focusing on city ministry. Side note: Witmer clearly likes and respects Tim Keller and others like him even if he does not agree with their view on city ministry as the priority for the church's use of resources/leaders.

Written more for leaders or potential leaders than laypeople, but as a parent (which certainly classifies as ministry in a VERY small place) I found this book to be a very encouraging reminder that my time spent at home with my kids and my attempts to teach them the gospel DO matter.

[Erik Bonkovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy pastors in a town 30 minutes from where I grew up. It’s about small towns, but really it’s about knowing and loving the place you are and the people in it. It’s filled with some great historical examples and anecdotes.

[Carmen Imes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in a single sitting -- seat 11A, to be exact, on a flight from Chicago to Calgary. After a week in the big city hobnobbing with intellectual giants, I was heading home to the Prairies of Alberta, where I teach at a small school in a small town. I thought my soul might need this book.

Witmer makes a strong case for gospel-centered ministry in out-of-the-way places. He corrects our nostalgia for small towns by exposing their brokenness and need for pastoral ministry. And he gently rebukes those who see small-town pastorates as "stepping stones" to bigger and better positions in the city. Witmer challenges each of us to prayerfully discern our calling without eliminating any of the possibilities from the outset. God does calls people to the cities, but he calls people to small towns, too. Effective ministry in small places requires long-term, loving commitment for those communities.

Witmer didn't set out to serve in a small town, and neither did I, but God surprised both of us with a deep love for the places he sent us. I'm grateful for this book!

[Tim Counts · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a small-town pastor, it is easy to get stuck looking at myself or comparing myself with others. “A Big Gospel in Small Places” will lift your eyes from yourself to Jesus. It will gently lift your eyes from your small self-centered dreams for yourself or your church to see that the fields are white for harvest in your small town. To use my favorite phrase from the book, it will equip you to long for God to work in your small town in a big way, but to need it less. Witmer’s book is deep but easy to read. Exactly what small-town Pastors & leaders like me need, but also would be perfect for those considering small-place ministry or those from the cities trying to understand how to help those in rural areas. Highly recommended!

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has captured much of the tensions that I’ve been wrestling with over the pst few years. Written in a humble and irenic tone this book will be encouraging and sharpening to anyone who is doing ministry in a small town or even a big city.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Big Gospel in Small Places: Why Ministry in Forgotten Communities Matters, by Stephen Witmer.
Stephen Witmer, pastor in a moderately small place in New England, begins his book by reminding us that humility is “the secret key to everything gloriously human,” and that “all grandiosity offends God,” especially ministry grandiosity. By “small places” he means communities that are small in population, small in economic power, and/or small in cultural influence. Throughout the book, Witmer applies his lessons to small rural communities in North America. But many of the lessons he draws could be applied to other situations (including India). Any place that has “a landscape of loss” might be considered a small place.
Small places are often despised. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Yet “the farther away from cities people live, the happier they tend to be” (according to Washington Post research). Is this because God prioritizes the weak, has a penchant for showing love to those who seem least worthy of it or seem least likely to influence others? Does God think more highly of small places than we do?
Yet the Gospel is always big, big in importance, big in power, big in its effects, and in its centrality to life. Therefore, even in a small place, the Gospel can manifest God’s wisdom and glory. Because the Gospel is lavish and humanly speaking “wasteful” in its scope and influence, it is not bound by so-called “strategic” placement in human communities. Gospel carriers can more easily live lavishly and love inordinately in small places.
Although Witmer did not do this, I applied his lessons to two situations that are important to me: (1) “small places” in the Global South, where village people live almost completely cut off from the cultural currents that dominate the planet; and (2) “small groups” of gathered believers who manifest the Body of Christ almost invisibly as compared to large congregations. In both of these instances, Witmer’s principles apply:
• “Small” enables God’s grace to shine through more clearly, just as weak churches often display the Gospel that comes in weakness;
• “Slow” is better than “Fast”, especially because every successful Gospel connection grows out of interpersonal relationships. The longer those relationships, the deeper, and the deeper the more likely to impact people with God’s grace. This is why many small “local” churches are almost always better than one regional or mega church. (Witmer does not mention it, but church growth data bears this out, that many small churches grow faster than a few large churches.) This is why the so-called “house church” is the core expression of ekklesia in the New Testament, and the secret to winning the world today.
• Small places influence big places even more than big places influence small places. This is counter-intuitive, but born out in the last hundred years of evangelization of the Global South populations.
• Ministries to “small place people” such as children and seniors is biblical and effective.
I have only a few quibbles with the book:
Witmer quotes Ortland that “Jesus was an egoless nobody” (p.2). I don’t agree. Jesus had a huge ego. He talked constantly about himself and constantly pointed others to himself. Jesus’ ego was as big as God’s ego. The fact that the Son of God emerged from a very small place (Nazareth) in a very small nation (Israel) is still an argument in favor of Witmer’s thesis. The fact that Jesus focused most of his efforts on people of little influence is also relevant.
At the end of the book Witmer argues against the commonly accepted teaching that the Apostle Paul and other New Testament apostles focused on cities. He was not convincing. We don’t know that Paul or the other apostles spent much time in the small villages and hamlets. We do know that they spent a great deal of time evangelizing people in cities. Their time and culture were so different from ours, their geographic strategies are not an argument against small places. In general, Paul preached to everyone and anyone that he happened to meet, and when people of little or no influence responded, he gloried in that. That is enough.

[Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title attracted me as I have been prone to think about life and ministry.
Wanting to get away from self focus and more God and Gospel focus I appreciated Witmer's Biblical approach to his life and ministry in a small town, small church.

Moving from a larger church to a smaller church that focuses on the Gospel, I found this author's pastoral and biblical insights refreshing and encouraging. Not to say my previous church did not preach the gospel. It did. To my current pastor and church community, the gospel is not just part of the proclamation, it is always in the proclamation and the emphasis. The focus in the music and the preaching is always on the Gospel. God is the gospel.

I also appreciated Witmer's developing understanding in his rural pastoral setting of the providence and power of the Gospel, the faithful proclamation of the Gospel rather than people focus, ministry focus, growth focus. All of that is OK but I tended to hear those things more than I heard what God has already done for me; a growing deeper understanding/appreciation of the Gospel has changed my perspective and give me more joy in Him vs. disappointment in myself and others for not performing or measuring up in some way.

Quotes that grabbed my attention:

"Wherever we do gospel work, fruitful ministry will flow from treasuring God and His gospel." p15
When we appreciate and see 'small' places, things, people we're motivated to minister to them. p29

The gospel of Jesus Christ is BIG in four ways in terms of its:
1. importance Rom 10:13-15
2. power Rom 1:16
3. effects Matt 24:14, Col 1:5
4. centrality Col 1:15-16 (Acts 17:28...in Him we live and move and have our being)
"The gospel isn't just what gets us in, but it's also the good news that keeps us in and progressively changes us once we're in." p67

"But there is a lavishness, an extravagance, a prodigality at the heart of the gospel that can subvert our conceptions of what is strategy." p80

"'I love this town.' at the heart of every successful ministry, in communities of every conceivable size, is love: love for Christ and for the places where he has called us." p183

I liked the whole book.

[Marc Minter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aspiring pastors must take all sorts of factors into consideration when they are deciding what ministry opportunities to pursue and which ones to leave on the table. In fact, most people who enter vocational pastoral ministry do so by way of their own efforts to be recognized and welcomed as a pastor. It is not typically young or inexperienced pastors who are being invited to open pulpits, but those pastors who have already shown themselves to be capable pastors. Therefore, young and aspiring pastors are not usually considering options that are already not the table, they are pursuing what they hope will become options for them after having made a significant effort toward them.

It is possible (maybe even probable) that many of the factors in an aspiring pastor’s mind ought to be questioned or even jettisoned. If an immature man places too high a value on convenience or pleasure, then he will certainly need to have such priorities challenged before he enters into ministry. This book will help many pastors shape their perspective and how they might begin to think more realistically and compassionately about ministry in small places. For that reason, I wholeheartedly encourage pastors (young and aspiring pastors, as well as seasoned and experienced ones) to read this book. It will push against many of the assumptions we are prone to embrace without thinking much about them.

Wherever we minister, Witmer does a great job of reminding the reader that our time spent in doing good among both big and small places is worthwhile, and for that I am grateful. However, I am hopeful to discover another resource that will address the hanging questions that this book does not address. Once our emotional aversion to small place ministry is countered by Witmer’s emotional plea to take a second look, we must still evaluate more objective factors that will push us in one direction or another.

See my full review here: https://open.substack.com/pub/marcmin...

[Russell Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Balanced Look At A Needed Topic

What a fantastically encouraging book. Pastor Wittmer does an excellent job of graciously second guessing the established understanding in evangelical circles of "bigger is better."

For me the book does two things very well.

First it establishes the spiritual attitude that is necessary for ministers everywhere. We ought to be Christ loving and gracious, seeking to help believers and the lost we are surrounded by, regardless of the size of our post. The greater part of the book is concerned with this and is what I find to be the most helpful and encouraging.

Second, Wittmer challenges (with incredible grace and gentility) the extra Biblical notions that have lead to a big city first mentality. The belief that we are to prioritize the big places is nonsense, logically yes, but especially Biblically. The author says this with much more tact and grace than that, but that is really the conclusion of the thinking as recorded in this volume.

The bibliography is substantial and I look forward to exploring several of the volumes noted. I would recommend for ministers and students everywhere.

[Christie Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you go to church in any kind of small town or small
place, you NEED to read this book. With grace and kindness, Stephen Witmer pushes back on the recent push by more high profile preachers to move Christians into the city. Using scripture, Mr. Witmer shows how the gospel is the call to reach all peoples everywhere and also shows how to shines in a unique way through small town communities.

Without diminishing the triumphs and importance of inner city ministry, Mr. Witmer makes us re-examine what it means to be successful in ministry in small places and helps us to think through how to both work towards big things while trusting God with small things.

“It’s best to leave it to God to prioritize the city, suburbs, or countryside in each individual life. If God calls you to the city, throw yourself into ministry there. If he calls you to the suburb, don’t flee to the city or small town. If he calls you to the countryside, make it your priority to gladly serve him there.” - Stephen Witmer

[Nathan Wilder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen argues against (or alongside) the trend for inner-city church planting. He makes several biblical, historical, and practical arguments for his position that neither the city nor the rural communities should be neglected in our ministry priorities. His analysis of the cultural differences between cities and villages underscores the need for the gospel to reach both areas.

Greatest strength: very relatable illustrations of the points made in the book. If you have spent time in cities and/or rural areas, you will likely relate to the material of this book.

Greatest weakness: What did Tim Keller do (other than write on city church planting) to deserve to be quoted in virtually every chapter?

[Evan Dermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

An encouraging theological vision for ministry in small towns as necessary, strategic, and an expression of the Gospel call in our lives.

I would highly recommend to anyone who is considering moving to a small town, considering leaving their small town, or exhausted by their decision to stay in their small town.

For those whose ministry context has been primarily cities and suburbs with no intention of changing, this book will give a theological framework and vision for reaching the less-thought-of places.

I appreciated Witmer’s challenge of the idea that ministry to the city 1.) must be priority to achieve societal Gospel advancement and influence, and 2.) the proper model in reaching the “countryside” with the Gospel.

[Matthew Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witmer’s book was the most affirming of God’s call upon my own life for pastoral ministry in a what he terms a “small place.” I've been pastoring Lanse Free Church, a rural church parked along the interstate, now for going on 23 years. I'm in it for the long haul, and it's because of the bigness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Witmer does a stellar job of developing a clear-eyed theological vision of ministry in small places. In my opinion, "A Big Gospel in Small Places" should be required reading for seminarians in their last year before the pastorate and for those 10 years into a small place ministry (with booster shots every 10 years afterwards).

[Joel Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapters 4-11 of this book are genuinely excellent, so practical and useful.

Chapters 1-3 I struggled to relate to as a lot of the stats and examples were very American (which is totally fine) just found it hard to relate them to my own Scottish context.

I felt Chapter 12 could have been left out, didn’t add a whole lot.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book though, highly recommend to anyone in smaller church ministry. Helped me achieve a balanced perspective on my own context but still made clear the importance of relentless gospel living in our communities.

“Get Stuck in” would be my one sentence sum of the book.

[Mark Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

I thought this book was excellent! It did a great job of positively stating the importance of ministry in rural communities while also critiquing the prevalent “theology of the city” and the assumptions that cities are more strategic and therefore more important. The generous spirit in which this book was written made it even better and hopefully will allow greater receptivity to the challenges it presents.

[Chrys Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent call to doing ministry in small places. He challenges the dominant views that city ministry is best. He does it lovingly while fully supporting city churches. If you're a person considering ministry in small places, please get this book and pray through some of the application portions. If you're not considering small place ministry, read this book and see if the Lord may be calling you to take the gospel to small places.

[Bledar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gospel is big, though we may lose perspective in view of small (size, influence, and economics). Witmer argues again prioritizing "big" and "small" and calls for a theological vision that honors the Gospel wherever God has called you to minister. If by God's design you are serving in a "big" setting, be careful of your comments and appraisal. If by God's design you are serving in a "small" setting, do not lose sight or heart in view of the "Big Gospel".

[Jonathan Ginn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a pastor at a small revitalization, I especially resonated with the middle section. And the final chapter, while a bit out of place within the book (in my opinion, it should have been the first chapter), offers up a compelling apologetic for why small-town and rural church ministry matters, given much of the urban ministry literature that has come out over the past decade-and-a-half. Overall, a helpful book on an overlooked subject.

[Katharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is a gentle, compassionate take on how to change the world. I love Dr. Witmer's humble prose, his excellent scholarship and his graceful urging to seek God in the unexpected. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to invest in their community and serve a Big God in modest places.

[LMG · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have read on pastoral ministry. Even though the theme is about ministering in small places (defined as either small communities or small churches), the book focuses on loving the people that God places in your church and community.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great encouragement, incredibly gracious

Witmer does a superb job of drawing out the unique opportunities and challenges of small-place ministry, good and bad reasons to pursue (or avoid) small-place ministry, and a really helpful balance regarding how crucial ministry in all sizes of places is. This was a greatly encouraging read for me as a full-time-paid ministry person in a smallish place...reaffirmed my belonging right where I am right now.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Everyone in or considering ministry should read it.

[Eric Pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful for dignifying and providing theological grounds for small town ministry but not specific enough to bring great innovation.