59: Yet Another Church Konference (YACK)

So, for some time now, I’ve been frustrated with the way that all sorts of ministry publications, resources, materials, etc., assume that their readers (and their readers’ congregations) have endless supplies of money, staff, facilities, and volunteers. Clearly, there is some sort of disconnect between the people who assemble these things and the 59% of American churches that are fewer than 100 in average attendance. All too often, after perusing these different resources, I find myself wondering how a church like the one that I pastor can ever hope to be excellent – let alone effective – in ministry. But then I realize something.

The megachurch is a very recent phenomenon.

More than that, for the first three hundred years of its life, it was undeniably small churches that carried the gospel to the farthest reaches of the globe.

In fact, the whole thing was started with a group numbering just twelve.

Clearly, the small church must not be all that bad. In fact, I believe that an examination of history would show that small churches have made a far greater impact per-capita than any megachurch ever could.

So this week, I’ve been playing with an idea: what if someone were to put together a conference and/or a bunch of resources geared specifically toward the equipping and encouraging of small churches for enthusiasm, excellence, and effectiveness in ministry? What would such a conference look like? When and where would it be held? What topics would be covered in the sessions and/or keynotes? Who would present?

Obviously, I can’t guarantee that we’ll do this. Rather, I guess I’m just putting out some feelers and thinking aloud. Any comments are more than welcome!