The Small Church Board: Developing a Ministry Team In the Small Church

After several meetings with the board at Townsville Community Church, Pastor John soon discovered that the majority of the board's efforts were spent discussing who would take care of the church facilities and when repairs would be made. Whenever the pastor tried to bring issues concerning the spiritual well being of the congregation, the board responded by stating: "this is the job of the pastor." At one meeting the pastor invited the board members to join him in visiting people who were ill or in the hospital. While the board agreed that visitation was important, they responded that this is the task they had hired him to perform and they did not have the time available for this ministry.

When First Bible Church hired the new pastor they were somewhat suspicious. The previous pastor had been a gifted communicator fresh from seminary and soon left for a larger congregation. He had also instituted new programs and changes without congregational or board approval. The tension mounted until finally the church was split over some of the new changes. Thus, they were suspicious of the new arrival. Even though his resume was impressive and his preaching excellent, the people wondered if he would fit into the new ministry. Since he grew up in a large eastern city, they were concerned that he would not understand and accept their small western culture. Consequently, they were reluctant to give the new pastor any freedom to develop any direction within the church.

The problems confronting these two churches are not unlike those confronting many small churches. For a variety of reasons the small church often struggles in developing a team ministry between the board and pastor. The pastor often regards the board as uneducated and stubborn and the board views the pastor as insensitive to their specific setting. However, small churches that are successful are those that not only develop a solid working relationship between the pastor and board, but they work together as a team, each understanding the importance and value of the other. Read more