Maximize!: Leveraging the Strengths of Your Small Church Author: Ron Klassen

by Ron Klassen

Blending rich small-church theology with corresponding practical outcomes, Maximize! convinces small-church pastors, elders, deacons, children's and youth workers, worship leaders, and members that small size is not a liability but a trait begging to be utilized for maximum benefit to all. Readers will see that their-size church is well-suited for fulfilling God's mission and in fact has advantages. Maximize! does not pit small against big; it is not about what size is best but about how to be the best at any given size. Thirty years in the making, the lessons in Maximize! have been continually refined as author Ron Klassen has taught them in classes and dozens of seminars, counseled, encouraged, overseen, and mentored hundreds of pastors, and interacted with small-church attendees from every state in the US and most provinces of Canada. Too often, those in small churches are apologetic about their church's size, too quick to see weaknesses and limitations, too prone to compare their church with bigger churches and come away feeling inferior. Too often, those in small churches try to emulate big churches but come up short. Rather than trying to imitate large churches, small churches do well to study themselves and their communities, and then prayerfully design ministries uniquely suited for their size, place, and time.

128 pages, Paperback

Published August 25, 2022

Reviews

[Lynnette Goebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be biased as this was written by my boss, but I enjoyed the book.

Ron focuses on the strengths of being in a small church, being a part of a small family where everyone knows and cares for each other. It is the picture of my church and I'm thankful God placed me there.

If you think that only big churches are worth attending, if you think that the number of people who attend a church makes it a success or a failure, if you think small churches are limited, I challenge you to read this book.

A little in God's hands is an abundance.

[Will Dole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super encouraging book for the small church pastor. Essentially boils down to: quit trying to imitate big churches. Use the strengths God has given you as a small church, and focus on imitating Christ. With practical help along the way, and an encouragement to work out a "small theology" - I think "theology of the small" might be a more helpful term - Klassen has written a book I want every pastor of a small church to read, and that many leaders of larger churches would do well to ponder, as well.

[Ian Minielly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. I picked up this book at the Small Church Pastor Conference a couple years ago. Klassen does a great job describing how special the normal sized church is and its ability to adjust and serve its membership. Klassen does his best not to bad mouth large churches, but reading the book makes you feel sorry for the large church and its loss of relationship and nearness that is the strength of the small church.

The preaching might not be better. The music almost certainly will not be better, but just about everything else is better at the small/normal sized church. One thing about this book that is great is Klassen gives non-large churches permission to be excellent and understand their strengths far outweigh their weaknesses. When I finished the book I felt sorry for pastors at large churches who miss the kind of relationship available between pastors and members in the normal church that does not exist in the large church where the pastor is very much not likely to know your name, let alone anything about you.

I wish I had read this book in seminary. I think it would be a great addition to the seminary reading list and maybe the professors could read it too, since they seemed primarily focused on creating pastors who think climbing the church ladder until you get to a large mega church is the normal condition, whereas Klassen would argue and I agree with him the work of the pastor is best done and most challenging in the normal sized church.

[Al Halpain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and helpful book for the pastor in rural areas

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, concise and very practical helps for understanding the difference between rural and urban assumptions in ministry.