The Small Church Shepherd: When the Problem Is People

The Small Church Leader and Dealing with Problem People

Small churches have their problems. If you are a pastor or a lay leader of a small church, you are not surprised. The list of common small-church problems seems endless. Because you are small money is an issue. The national recession only makes more painfully apparent the chronic struggle to pay the bills and supply the ministries of the small church. Staffing is another problem issue. With small attendance and membership ministries continually lack volunteers to serve. That is to say nothing of pastoral staff. If your small church has a full time pastor you are unusual. All small churches long to find additional staff to lead music or youth. But again it often goes back to money. Small churches often struggle to pay one pastor let alone provide for the multiple staff that would advance the work. For most small churches facilities are a continual challenge. Either, they are completely lacking or the demands of the facility expenses out strip the means of the small church. One particularly surprising challenge for the small church to deal with is people, “problem people.” Read more