This was a title of a book I picked up several years ago, probably skimmed through, but have not fully read. But the title fits my thoughts today.

Pastoring is not science. Church ministry is not science. We can’t plug in numbers, figures, patterns, formulas, or anything else and get cookie cutter results. We try. We want certain things to go certain ways pretty much every time.

Pastoring is not a business. We try to make it that way. We want church to run in a paint by numbers scheme. And it seems to apply to only larger settings.

This “open letter” in a magazine really meant for church that want to grow numerically reflects that pattern. Grow, and grow the way I expect you to grow…

I also read a book by a colleague recently called When You Come Together. The first half of the book is a great help. The author is a New Testament scholar and the first part of the book shines with her skill at being able to exegete a text. But the second half of the book is about HOW a Sunday morning service should run. It’s nuts and bolts. Right down to the temperature of the room. The basis of her appeal is good and right. It’s about thinking about how we do church. I totally agree with the premise. But when the second half became so detailed it became too much for me. While the first part of the book was stressing relationships and the leading of the Spirit, the second half was full of formulas that were only one view of how the Sunday morning service should be done.

Whether it’s a diatribe of complaining about how a large church treats you like a number, or a book that gets so detailed that Sunday morning worship gets lost in so much pressure, I want to draw some thoughts from an actual pastor of a small church: me. I know it doesn’t count because I’m not published and my church isn’t large. But it’s my blog. 🙂

Pastoring is more art than science. And it’s found in relationships. I want my church to grow and pray for growth, but there is a point where I know I want to limit the number intentionally. The way I see it being limited is much like Eugene Peterson. When a certain number is reached where I feel like I can’t truly pastor that number of people, it’s time to start a new church.

I’m a shepherd. I’m not a CEO. I want to KNOW the people walking through my church doors. When we start other churches, I want to impart that love for people in those who will shepherd those churches.

So, for those who are looking for a bit more attention without getting lost, may I suggest a smaller church? There is so much stigma about a “small” church, just as there are stereotypes about large churches.

But, really, if you want to be greeted properly, why NOT a small church? At our church we take a completely insane approach to greeting time. Truth be told, it’s long and we want to talk and hug and get to know your name. So, maybe you want a large church to treat you a different way because YOU might be afraid of losing some anonymity.

The vast majority of churches in America are under 100 attendees on a Sunday morning. Why do people treat us like the plague?

I want to know you! I don’t want you to be a face or a number! I want to teach you the Word of God. Worship on Sunday is quite simple for us. It’s fairly stripped down. So, if you want to express yourself in art, poetry, short stories, and other ways, I want you to get involved with the life of the body MORE than on Sunday morning. It’s what the early church did. You should try it on sometime. It fits quite well.

There is a lot of pressure to do all these things on Sunday morning, but we’ve decided to strip them down so we can worship God. We’re here for him. And we find times of refreshing along the way.

So, here is to my fellow pastors who DON’T pastor large churches. Incredible faithful men and women who won’t get published, won’t get invited to speak in conferences and be treated like there is something wrong with them because their church is still small after all these years. I know your heart because I know my own heart. You love God. You love people. You are laying it on the line for your Savior and your people week after week.

You are loved. You are not invisible. You are an artist. Even when no one is applauding. Well… almost no one. One does notice. And he is smiling.