The Strategically Small Church: Intimate, Nimble, Authentic, and Effective

by Brandon J. O'Brien

Brandon O'Brien helps pastors and church leaders understand that a smaller church is sometimes better than a big one. He demonstrates the strengths of small congregations, including that today's church "shoppers" want services that are local, personal, and intimate. Also, small churches provide space to nurture close relationships across age and lifestyle barriers, and they facilitate a higher level of commitment from laypeople. And small church budgets are often more effective because of greater efficiency. The Strategically Small Church will encourage smallchurch pastors in their ministries and challenge them to play to their strengths.

Genres: Church, Leadership, Spirituality, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Brandon J. O'Brien (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is director of content and distribution for Redeemer City to City in Manhattan. He is coauthor, with E. Randolph Richards, of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes and Paul Behaving Badly, as well as the author of The Strategically Small Church.

Reviews

[David Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Encouraging. Challenging. I am very much looking forward to the forthcoming revision.

[Darceylaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A revolution in how we look at what it means to be a small church, and since he is defining "small" as under 300, he is speaking for most churches. This really opened my mind about the purpose of my own and other small congregations. A breath of fresh air.

Note to my liberal colleagues, O'Brien is a conservative Christian, which I feel doesn't detract from his excellent thinking and years of experience as a church pastor. He does come close saying that homosexuality is unchristian at one point, so know yourself and what you are willing to translate or overlook for purposes of learning across dogmatic lines.

[Levi Moberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This brief review is over the revised edition of The Strategically Small Church by Brandon O’Brien, but Goodreads did not have the revised edition listed. I also did not read the first edition of the book, so my thoughts and considerations will not touch on what was added or removed between this and the first edition of the book.
The Strategically Small Church by O’Brien is a proud call to provide dignity to the strength that smaller faith communities are capable of. The basic premise of the book is simple. O’Brien is committed to the idea that small churches (churches under 300 people) are uniquely situated to carry out the missional activity of Christ in their communities due to being more authentic, easier to mobilize, and having organically grown connection with their communities. O’Brien then explores this thesis through eight chapters each reflecting and providing strategies for smaller churches to utilize their mobility effectively for meaningful ministry. This reflection is mostly the result of anecdotal data from O’Brien’s own experience in church and parachurch organizations and interviews with other church leaders actively ministering in small churches.
O’Brien does provide a convincing and helpful advice and models for small churches to follow, but ultimately, this book was disappointing. O’Brien often falls into the harmful “pastor as CEO” attitude, in which he seems to view the churches (especially small churches) as microbusinesses more flexible than large corporations. There is little theological and or meaningful biblical reflection on the role of pastoring or pastoring in small communities provided. O’Brien is convinced that small churches are uniquely situated to operate and share the message of Christ, but fails to connect this conclusion to any theological or biblically based reasoning. In 2025, I would hope that more Christian writings would have abandoned the “pastor as CEO” leadership model that treats the church as a small business with religious flavoring. As a firm believer that any writing on the church must first begin with thoughtful theology and solid biblical study, this book was a non-starter for me. O’Brien does provide some helpful models and thoughts, but ultimately, this book felt largely superficial and lacking.
I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley, but all opinions and views expressed are my own.

[Will Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Size matters.

O'Brien seeks to show that the number one problem with small churches is not their size, but their perception of who they are. The issue is really about identity. Too often small church pastors (all pastors really) compare ourselves with what the world - and the "christian world" says is the ideal. And in that world, large churches rule. Mega-church pastors speak at all the conferences and write all the books. When is the last time a pastor of a church with less than 50 people spoke at Together 4 the Gospel or some other large evangelical conference? It just doesn't happen.

O'Brien seeks to rescue small church pastors from this false perception that small is insufficient. He actually argues that small churches - churches that are strategically small - have large benefits. And these benefits surpass those of larger churches. In fact, he even shows where large churches are trying to re-create the small church feel in the midst of their people.

He works through five different areas of how a strategically small church is more "effective" than its larger counterparts.

First...

Second...

Third,

Fourth,

Fifth,

[Bill Hooten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a small church minister, and it took me a long time to figure out that I was. It seemed to me that I was just preaching for a small church, and wanted, and was destined for bigger things -- and that idea was not healthy for me, or the church where I preached. Ever since it became obvious to me that I was equipped for small church ministry, and that was where God had placed me, I have read every book that I could get my hands on about ministry for these groups of God's people. There was a time that I would have looked at the title of this book, and thought"Strategically Small Church", and would have known that it was about the strategy that was necessary to grow a church into a mid-size or larger church. It's not! It's about the strategy that a church needs to be a healthy and effective small church. O'Brien does an excellent job of identifying the things that needs to be targeted. I particularly appreciated the chapter about intergenerational ministry. EVERY small church, it seems, struggles with families leaving for larger churches, so that their kids can be involved in youth groups. Small churches may never have large groups, but they can involve all the kids in the church. It will take planning and effort, but it can be done. I would recommend this book for anyone that preaches for, or pastors, a small church.

[Jenni Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard this author on The Holy Post podcast, about the revised edition. As a lay-leader in a small church, I found this encouraging and helpful. Could it be more rigorous in research? Sure. Was there oversimplification of the way large churches operate? Possibly. But overall, as a means to encourage small churches to focus on formation, worship and mission, I felt it did a good job. There is no formula to follow, but discussion of multiple different small churches showed how unique each congregation can be to fulfill its role in the kingdom.

[Toby Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the leader of a small Christian school I encountered many applicable principles and applications to strategically small ministries - not just churches - that support more authentic alignment with our desired mission. As the author states, “Many of the examples in the book require a new way of thinking that runs counter to the world’s metrics for measuring value and success.” That is a key description of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Highly recommended.

[Trevor Atwood]

This is a good book for any pastor of any size church to consider. Though some of its content is a bit dated (9 years later), most is still very relevant.

O’Brien challenges the idea that the goal of a church is to grow as fast as possible or having the best preacher preach most of the time.

There are some very helpful thoughts to consider in this book.

[Sandy Pumphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped our family navigate the struggles we were experiencing over trying to connect with people in a large church environment, helping us to see that there are significant advantages to adopting a different approach to the modern "church growth movement". We've been at our new (small) church now for 4 years and are thriving.

[John Majors · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any pastor would benefit from reading through this and considering how it might apply to your church.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally someone speaks sense about the mega church movement! It felt encouraging to be equipped and inspired to embrace small!

[Tom Robson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really helpful in our context. Not seeing size as the measure of faithfulness

[Melissa Colby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be more along the lines of 9 Marks of a Healthy Church, but it was much more trendy and useless than expected.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thoughts on what the local church should be. Every church leader (vocational and layperson) should be discussing these ideas.

[Pastoralmusings · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stategically Small Church is a refreshing book. It affirms the small church in its smallness. Not the ineffective, uncaring smallness that prays for “me and my four, and no more”. It affirms the fact that smallness isn't a bad thing, but can be strategically used to honor God and minister to others.
In the Christian world bigger seems to be better. It seems that we have bought into the world's idea that size equals worth. O'Brien counters that with the fact that a small church may not be able to do everything that big churches can, but they can do things big churches can't.
Small churches can be nimble, move quickly, can be unhindered by beauracracy, and can be authentic. Not all small churches are like that, and there is no glory in being small for small's sake. The potential is there, however.
Small churches have great potential to foster relationships, reach out to the troubled with care and compassion, and minister in a way that is felt in the heart. Why? Because in small churches practically everyone knows everyone. It also means that the membership is the ministry much more than in the large church. Everyone has the opportunity to be involved.
One thing that I truly like is the emphasis made on intergenerational focus. We often feel that we MUST have youth groups. O'Brien states that we can have everyone worshiping together and working together. That is a good thing that bridges the so-called generation gap.
Many positive things could be said about this book. In fact, I must say that I intend to read it again so that I can get more out of it.
What about negatives? I think that would simply be the fact that there is a need for some “how to” on overcoming the problems that are so common to small churches: one man leadership, cliques and schisms, family rule, democratic process that sometimes equals mob rule, etc. In the end, however, I know that everything can't be contained in one book. Perhaps a sequel??????????

[Yiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pastor O'Brien understands that the success of a church cannot be measured by numbers - attendants, offerings, buildings, square feet... On the contrary, it is how much the congregation affects the Kingdom of God and gives its members the opportunity of accountability, participation, spiritual growth, intimacy and belonging. Therefore, these would be the indicators of how effective a church is and would allow its members to be confident in their own strengths, impact their community and provide continuous discipleship that even goes beyond generational differences. Moreover, within such principles, Christians will be able to fully use and develop their own skills. From this perspective, the size (whether large of small) of a church or the number of activities is has do not guarantee that people develop a personal relationship with God, nor dependence on Him.

By using examples from different churches, this book reminds us that churches cannot be affected by worldly principles and that an institution is never to be given more importance than the mission God gave for the church. It challenges Christians to achieve the opposite, affecting the world, by making church essential to people's lives.

Hopefully, people's hearts will be open to learn and be refreshed by what Pastor O'Brien has shared through this highly recommendable book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for a review. This has not influenced my opinion on the book nor on the author.

[John Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone in a small church should read this book. It's a quick, confidence-boosting book about the qualities that all small churches naturally have that are often overlooked or purposely forgotten. Instead of overlooking these qualities and trying to act like a megachurch, O'Brien argues, small churches should accept and build upon the natural characteristics of a small church. Growth should be a non-factor as long as we are acting like a church, and indeed the small church is extra churchy.

Small churches are authentic because they have to be; small churches are nimble because they don't have a cumbersome structure; and small churches are intimate because, obviously, they're small. These are wonderful characteristics that small churches need to build up.

O'Brien also includes a lot of funny examples from his own ministry. After reading those examples, small church members should think, "Hmm, maybe we aren't so awful, after all." Hopefully no small church member is thinking that the church is awful, but if you are, first be uplifted that church life isn't as bad as it could be and then remember that the small church has a lot going for it. We should be strategically small--as in, we should take advantage of the good qualities of a small church. No reason to be purposely small, necessarily, but we can be strategically small.

[Joe Cassada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brandon J. O'Brien is a pastor of a relatively small church. He is also a pastor with whom I would have many, many theological disagreements. Which is why I was surprised that so much of what he said resonated with me - perhaps because I also pastor a small church.

In a day and age when the mega-church is presented as the ideal ministry model, and celebrity pastors crowd the conference scene and monopolize American Christianity's attention, and small churches are viewed as not reaching their potential (or worse: as languishing do-nothings) O'Brien's book is a breath of fresh air. No. It's better. It's real encouragement.

Without criminalizing the mega-church, or demonizing big-time preachers, or even suggesting small churches are the only legitimate church model, Brandon shows the strategic advantages that small churches have. Not just advantages like fewer people problems or less debt, but strategic advantages in fulfilling the Great Commission.

I heartily recommend this book to every pastor of a church running 300 or less. For my more conservative brethren, there will definitely be some bones you're going to want to spit out, but there is enough meat to make it a worthwhile choice.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, this book might sound like it's making excuses for being ineffective. But, it actually makes a strong case that a small church holds many inherent advantages over a large church that's doing real and effective ministry.

Interestingly, I have been simultaneously reading another book that lays out strategies and structures for large churches to employ in order to build authentic community. But "the strategically small church" is ready-made to accomplish this already!

Rather than focusing on polished excellence to attract a crowd from a narrow demographic, the strategically small church can be flexible, diverse, genuine, and a wonderful breeding ground for new leaders.

My personal experience in multiple churches confirms many of the author's arguments. And perhaps the strongest point is about leadership development: if one celebrity leader calls the shots and preaches to a large crowd, the church may struggle to give space for leaders to develop, and for their people to incarnationally scatter and spread into the world. Personally, I am grateful for the small church communities that have raised me and given me space to grow.

[Eric Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone leading a small church (under 300 in attendance) needs to read The Strategically Small Church. Very likely, it will be one of the most encouraging things you've read about leading a small church.

The prevailing model of church growth is "do as much of what mega-churches are doing as possible, and if you can't, then let a mega-church do it for you." Very likely, this idea has been a source of self-deprecation for many small churches and their leaders. Ironically, small churches are now what mega-churches seek to imitate.

O'Brien gives small churches permission to disregard the prevailing model along with invigorating ideas for how to exist and thrive as small churches.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really couldn't decide whether this book deserved 3 or 4 stars. Guess I would give it a 3 1/2. Some valuable insights, but felt like he still used the larger & "cooler" churches as examples--which bothered me. That said, I agreed with much of what was written about the intergenerational ministry potential of the smaller church, as well as opportunities for leadership development. I suppose we have discovered much of this at City's Edge, and it bothers me a bit that I didn't write this book :-)

[Lyndon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid starter book on the strategic strengths inherent in the small church. This is not a book advocating churches remain intentionally small, per se, but a call to change our perspective and realize that God has big plans for the small church if we make ourselves available for Kingdom purposes. Full of anecdotes and real-church situations that illustrate the main points. Good book for discussion with your church board. 4 1/2 stars.

[Jessie Lowry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is worth reading for every minister of a small church or every active member who loves their small congregation. It is not necessarily saying to give up the vision for growth but to stop waiting to be who we are (a small church) and playing on the strengths of that. Some people really are looking for what we've got!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a thoughtful, provocative, encouraging book. I really think anyone involved in church ministry should read this.

[Debbi]

Interesting perspective on the "small" church and it's strengths