Pastoring a small-town church comes with many bizarre moments.
Once someone brought their pet raccoon, informing us it was their service animal. We Googled it; that’s not a thing. On another occasion, someone meeting with a pastor brought a crossbow to the office. There’s no playbook for pastoring a church like this, but I hope this article will help you feel encouraged and equipped for the special place God has called you to serve.
It can be hard to know what to focus on in ministry. Perhaps you’re tempted to focus on Sunday attendance or the reach of your social media footprint. If you minister in a small town, both metrics will likely feel disappointing. But this hasn’t stopped many of us from trying to grow small-town churches into something we feel is significant. We’ve attended conferences, bought books, and jumped through hoops in the hope that something will “work.” But when was the last time we thought about what matters to Jesus?
Lead by Loving
Abounding love oozed out of Jesus at every turn. If we hope to lead like him, we must learn to love like him. Paul described his motivation for ministry like this: “The love of Christ controls us” (2 Cor. 5:14).
Love motivated Jesus, and his love should motivate us.
If we hope to lead like Jesus, we must learn to love like him.
If you serve a rural flock, there are some unique implications. Yes, the way you shepherd will bear similarities to any pastor, but how you work everything out may look different.
Where are you at right now in loving your sheep? Maybe you’re already full of affection for them. But what if you’re not? What if you’re losing love for the sheep? The solution isn’t to just stare at the sheep until you find them lovable again. Our small towns don’t need what we can give in our own strength. They need us to be filled with Jesus’s love for them.
Trying Times
The pandemic and corresponding social unrest exacerbated many struggles. Fears and addictions worsened, struggling marriages crumbled, and friendships were fractured beyond hope of repair. Many of the flock are afraid, addicted, and angry. It’ll be years before we’re fully aware of all the ways the sheep have been wounded.
Has there been a more exhausting time for church leaders in our lifetime? Impossible decision after impossible decision came at lightning speed. I don’t know if you can remember 2020 and 2021; maybe you’ve repressed those memories. Our team obsessed over every decision with the information we’d been given regarding restrictions. What could we do? How could we love and minister? Then, as soon as we’d decided and communicated it, we were hit with people’s frustrations for not doing enough or doing too much—and before the dust could settle, restrictions changed again. It was exhausting, and there was seemingly no reward for our endless toil.
Friends, we can acknowledge we’re leading in a particularly dark time. Many small-town pastors have quit and sought employment elsewhere. For those of us who remain, mental and emotional exhaustion have become part of the job. Fatigue from navigating cultural land mines is normal. If you’ve wanted to quit, you’re not alone.
Fewer Volunteers
We also have fewer people volunteering to lead in the church. In 2009, when I (Donnie) planted One Harbor Church, and in 2013 when Ronnie planted Substance Church, church planting was what all the cool kids were doing. Multitudes around the world were fired up to plant churches. Books sold like hotcakes; conferences were packed wall to wall with latte-drinking young men in flannel shirts and skinny jeans. Not so now. Denominations and networks are struggling to find potential candidates.
Understandably, those who’ve watched pastors get beat down over the last few years aren’t excited to experience this firsthand. Life coach, sure. Church planter, no thanks.
But though our love for the sheep has been tested to the limits, all these difficulties are a gift. Why? Because they expose our motives.
Why are we in ministry? Why are we still in these little towns no one knows about? If it’s not out of love for Jesus and his sheep, it’ll show.
Why are we still in these little towns no one knows about? If it’s not out of love for Jesus and his sheep, it’ll show.
Getting into ministry is a lot like getting married. At first, you know other churches have problems, but you’re sure they’ll never happen to you. You imagine you’ll always love the church, and the church will always love you, and you’ll both live happily ever after. But the longer you’re in ministry, the more that excitement starts to diminish. You’ve been disappointed and frustrated over and over. Is the relationship worth preserving?
But like in a marriage, if you grow old together, the old affection grows into a beautiful love you never imagined. Over time, you learn to endure with and serve one another in profound ways. Yes, there’ve been sicknesses and bad times, but you’re still together. Enduring has been worth it.
The Gospel Coalition