Customer Reviews

Help for the Small-Church Pastor

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Within _Help for the Small-Church Pastor_ you will find that Steve Bierly seems to have firsthand knowledge of one's church and the true feelings one has about his or her congregation. As a pastor of a small church in the Northeast, Bierly speaks as one who has "been there." He does not offer various recipes for numerical growth. That is not the purpose. It seems his primary task is to encourage the correct perspectives and attitudes for the leader in the small church. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "To be blunt, the sins of impatience, jealousy, discontent, and walking by sight instead of by faith are behind some of the frustrations that small-church leaders experience. We want what other congregations have and we want it *now*!"

He encourages such ministers to rejoice with even small progress, just as a parent does with a child. Pushing one's own agenda upon the small church, no matter how pure the motives, can result in a backlash of mistrust and resentment. The minister was not called to the church to apply "prepackaged, ready-made answers. Instead," according to Bierly, " the pastor is supposed to work with the family to find solutions that seem reasonable to everyone." The small church has a culture all it's own, and the smart church leader will be dedicated to learning that culture and becoming "one of them," as opposed to an outsider whose only desire is to change things, running over long-held traditions in the process.

Reviewed by Donald W. White, minister of the Lakeview Church of Christ

This book does not provide fad-driven quick fixes. Instead it offers advice on how the pastor can maintain a proper perspective of the advantages and challenges of small church ministry. While the entire book is good, perhaps the most powerful point is the importance of celebrating small steps in the small church. We can't wait until something "big" happens to celebrate. We must celebrate the small things, and the more we celebrate them, the more things worth celebrating start to happen.

I cannot begin to tell you how much Steve Bierly's books on the topic of being a small-church pastor have meant to me. Again and again, I go back and reread his practical and useful ideas. This is essential reading for small-church pastors who struggle with the unreasonable expectations of their congregation and who need encouragement.

I am a pastor of a 200 member church and there were many things that i agreed with about this book. Loved how it encouraged you to continue on as well as offering insights on how to serve better. Made me laugh many times as it is amazing how people do say and do things that are so predictable. People almost believe that if they continue doing things the same way every week that more people will come and ministry will get more healthy. Numbers of peopl will never be something we should worry about. We need to minister to whoever shows up. If we are blessed with a tiny church great! If you have a bigger church... great too! Good read for sure!

If you are a small church pastor, this is the book to read. Good insight into what people in a small church are looking for and how to best serve them.