Ideas for how to cope if your church is small.

If, like many churches, you have a very small congregation, don’t feel overwhelmed. There are still some things you may be able to do by listening to the stories of the people in your congregation.

What would they like to do?

What things are practical?

Maybe you only have one family attending. What would make it easier for them to come, or to bring along their friends? Find out how the regular members could be involved in the service in different ways. Perhaps you could have a clearly labelled bright box near the door of the church, with some interactive Bible story books, crayons, Bible story work sheets, soft Noah’s Ark toy, etc, so that any visiting children can dip into the box and borrow things during the service. One church kept a folder for each of the children at church. It was a bright ring binder with a pocket for pencils and crayons, etc.

Each week one of the members would find a worksheet from a photo-copiable resource, or the internet, that was on the theme of the church service. The children also wrote notes and questions to the church leader, who wrote back a few lines each week. One church let the children help in the service by collecting the offering and giving out songbooks. Sometimes the children would bring their instruments to church to play for the service. Another church had a grandparent scheme, where older members were given a ’grandchild’ in the congregation. Friendships formed between the generations, as they listened to each other, valued each other and gave each other gifts, etc. A small church could still find a small community project that they could manage within their resources, such as a coffee morning, or a monthly soup run, in rotation with other churches. In one Suffolk village there were five small churches that formed their own Churches Together network. They realised that they couldn’t all run all the different programmes they would like, so they shared the programmes between them, and pooled manpower and resources, to make use of the different skills within the churches. Between them they managed to run a well-rounded programme, with something for everyone, from Carer and Toddler Groups, playgroups, aerobics, Holiday Bible Clubs, and four midweek clubs to cover ages 7-21+, as well as Senior Citizens’ groups, and village social events. Another small church wanted to run a Holiday Bible Club, but didn’t have enough people to staff it, so they invited a team of students from a Bible College to run it for them, providing accommodation for the week, and local outings. Before you start any project, listen to everyone’s views, concerns and hopes.

Research all you can about the project, and don’t rush into it. It’s better to take your time and make sure it works well, so that your small congregation doesn’t become too stretched, or disappointed. Then evaluate the project, remembering that even though numbers may be small the first time, next time more people will know about it, or those who came may bring their friends along. It’s better to do one programme well, than try to do too much. So don’t be overwhelmed by this package. Explore the material with your church leaders and members and find fresh ways to apply it to your unique situation.