Principles for Building Healthy Small Churches

Who Is Building a Healthy Small Church?

When Jesus was speaking to his disciples, he spoke of how he was going to build his church: 

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon  Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:15–18, NASB).

The building of the church begins with the foundation—that Jesus is the Son of the living God. The church must be built on the truth of who Christ is, what he stands for, and what he teaches. Our teachings need to be in line with Christ’s, and so do our behaviors!  

Paul continued this idea when he spoke of the church growing: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7, NASB)

Neither of these is to say that we do not take part in the process—this is not an excuse to withdraw and be lazy. Paul planted, and Apollos watered. Both worked and were an active part in the process. However, neither could actually make the growth happen. We are responsible to be faithful to the builder and do what we have been commissioned to do. The results are up to God. 

Does Size Matter?

Many people equate the health of a church to how many people attend. This can be an extremely sensitive topic for pastors. We are immediately judged based on the number of attendees. The first question I am asked after people find out I am a pastor is “How many people attend your church?”

It feels as if it is a gauge of my value or success. Part of me wants to reply with “Jesus attends my church.” He said that when two or three gather, he is there also. So big numbers are less important than meeting in an environment where Christ will be invited and involved.  

Church size can be a result of health, but it is not a good way to measure it. 

What do we mean by a small church? For the sake of this discussion, a small church is a relationship-focused group where a single pastor will know most, if not all, members. You notice when people are not there. There are a few people in leadership, and some have to serve in multiple areas for the church to function. Most of our churches qualify.

Related: The Theology of Small Things: Why Small Churches Matter

The Early Church Is Our Example

Whether our churches are large or small, we all should strive to be healthy. We can learn about what a healthy church should look like by learning from the example of the early church. In Acts 2:42–47, we see the church that Christ’s chosen apostles started and what they devoted themselves to.

• The Apostles’ Teaching — The early church recognized the importance of the truth passed on from Christ. From their example, we see three important directives: believing that Christ is the Son of the Living God, proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom, and teaching others so that they can eventually do the same.
• Fellowship — The early church recognized the importance of gathering in Christian community. Don’t mistake that for just church attendance. They met at the temple but also shared life together, ate in each other’s homes, and grew together as a church family.
• Generosity — The early church recognized the importance of being generous with their time and resources. They gave of themselves and their possessions to make sure that everyone was taken care of. They were intentionally interested in one another and willing to sacrifice for the benefit of the group.
• Worship — The early church worked to make worship part of every moment. They sincerely praised God in all that they did through dedicating time for prayer, devotion, and praise.  
• Witness — Because of what they were doing and what God was doing in them, others noticed and wanted to be a part. Their lifestyle supported their message. When they talked about their faith and their church, they did it with excitement. It was important to them. God was working through them to add to their numbers.  

The early church was faithful, and God blessed the church with growth. The growth led to growing pains and pointed to areas of need. Things started great, and they had their priorities in order, but by Acts 6 this healthy growing church had a problem.  

Acts 6:1 (NASB) begins, “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.”

Their growth actually created problems. I love the apostles’ response. They didn’t abandon all the good they were doing. They needed to continue to lead, teach, and preach. However, they realized they could not do it all. A healthy practice for all churches is to occasionally self-evaluate. Sincerely look into areas where your church may be struggling or could be more effective, and be willing to make necessary changes.

The apostles realized they needed more helpers who could lead the areas of ministry that they were failing in. A healthy church doesn’t just grow numerically; it develops the people that are needed to carry their ministries going forward. They needed to develop leaders from the people they already had so the church could continue to grow in a healthy way.

We have established a few basic starting points: 

1. Christ is the builder of the church. Our goal is to be faithful to Christ’s teaching and example. God brings the growth in response to His people’s faithfulness to Him and His Son and according to His will.
2. Creating a gathering where Christ is invited and involved is far greater than gathering numbers.
3. The early church gives us an example of health to strive toward.  

Related: Shepherding the Flock: What is the core work of small church leadership?

5 Basic Principles for Building a Healthy Small Church

How do we build a healthy small church? Here are some basic principles that build on the foundation that we have laid. 

1. Keep the Truth of Scripture at the Center of All You Do  

As some churches cave to tickle the ears of the crowd or potential newcomers, don’t fear the effects of the truth. It may scare away some, but it creates a firm foundation in everything else you do. Stand on who Christ is and what he passed on to the apostles. It is amazing to see truth seekers travel long distances to share in that truth!  

Being centered in Scripture goes beyond the pulpit or the classroom. Let Scripture guide how you set your priorities, handle conflict, and spend your resources. Let the people see the priority of God’s Word in day-to-day actions of the church. Deuteronomy 6:4–9 challenges us to take the truth and commands of God and commit ourselves to them. We are told to put them in motion in both word and action.  

2. Promote Relationships That Go Beyond Sunday Morning 

This is actually an advantage of the smaller church. You should be a group of people who know each other, love and pray for each other, notice when people are missing, and care enough to reach out. People desire to belong. They like to be noticed and realize that people care about them. A healthy church does this regardless of size.  

Create opportunities to gather, build relationships, and encourage each other. Throw dinner parties and Bible studies. Put together regular worship nights filled with devotion, prayer, and testimony. Start a pickleball league or board game night. Get creative as you share life with one another.  

3. Get More People Involved  

It is important that we move people beyond just attending church. Get them plugged in. Create opportunities for them to learn, grow, and serve. Like the problem we see in Acts 6, one of the biggest challenges in a small church is that the same few people often do most of the work. Sometimes it is because current leaders will not let go, and other times it is because we have not asked others to step up. Either way, like the apostles, we need to be raising up new leaders.  

Not everyone shows up ready to lead. It’s our responsibility to build people up. We move attendees into serving members that eventually become leaders. The goal is the cyclical process we know as discipleship. Give young and inexperienced people responsibility. Provide them the grace to learn from mistakes and kindly help them grow in their roles.  

4. Ask Difficult Questions About Your Church’s Health 

Measure success based on your fruit. Jesus stated in Matthew 7 that a tree will be known by its fruit. A healthy tree will produce good fruit. This principle stands when talking about churches. If the Acts 2 church is a sign of health, our priorities and fruit should look similar.  

Ask yourself these types of questions: 

• Is the apostles’ teaching being taught? 
• Is your church bringing people closer to Christ? 
• Are they really learning Scripture? 
• Do you have people who pray for each other and the lost? 
• Do your church people actually enjoy spending time together outside of services? 
• Are your people generous with their time and resources?
• Do you worship with joy?
• Do you talk about your faith and church with others?
• When you talk about your faith and church, are you excited? Are new disciples being made?

5. Be Willing to Make Changes to Get the Answers You Want  

I have talked with many people who become discouraged when answering questions like the ones listed above. Knowing the problem is not enough. Are you actively addressing the problem? 

Change can be scary. I understand tradition—the good and the bad. Some traditions are great and still effective. Never change for change’s sake, but also do not continue in tradition for tradition’s sake. It is important to tactfully address these scenarios.  

Had the apostles simply acknowledged the problems but done nothing to address them, the problems not only would have continued, but they would have also caused greater discord. If what you are currently doing is not working, you have to be willing to try something else. Our message doesn’t change, but sometimes our method needs to.  

God Brings the Growth

Acts 6:7 (NASB1995) says, “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem.”  

The early church established some healthy priorities. God brought growth, and in that growth, the church started to experience problems. The early church addressed the problems, created new leaders, and their ministry continued to thrive. Specifically, the number of disciples increased! This is the healthy example we should strive to follow. 

If God’s Word is being taught, the gospel is being shared, people are engaged and growing in their relationship with God and each other, and disciples are being raised up to serve and lead, we should celebrate. That is the fruit Christ asks for. That is health.  

Building a healthy church starts with what you have. Work with these people. Love them and challenge them. Give them opportunities to serve. Build them up and enjoy working with the people God has placed in your life to further His mission.  

Healthy churches still run into problems. Health is not the absence of problems; instead, it is how we respond to them. Do your best and keep at it. Or, as Paul put it, keep planting and watering. We can then trust that God will provide the increase He desires.