Eight Practical Principles for Really Effective Ministry in Small Churches

June 26, 2023•2 min read

Why plan ministries? Can’t we all just show up? Well. . . we suppose that’s possible, but it is certainly not the best stewardship of everyone’s time and valuable ministry funds. The small church often operates on a thin margin of sustainability and accountability to the mission Jesus Christ has given us. The church is called to be stewards of Jesus’ people and resources, all for the building up of the Kingdom of God. We believe those are reasons enough to invest in some simple planning! As you consider the different expressions of ministry, take note of some common principles for simple, practical, yet effective ministry planning in the small church. Following, you will find the quick list of principles outlined in our newest book, Mission Possible for the Small Church: Simplifying Leadership, Structure, and Ministries in the Small Church. You’ll find a more detailed dive into each principle in the book.

We, Not They – “All Hands on Deck” is the rule, not the exception, so plan with all active attendees of all ages being involved in implementing the ministry, and include the assets of the larger community.

Get Face-to-Face – Focus on building relationships, not complex systems.

Evangelism is not an Extra – Embed evangelism (reaching new people for Jesus) into every ministry, every event, and every opportunity.

Dream Up and Team Up – Partner with local institutions and nonprofits, especially for organizing the infrastructure for community ministry, leaning on their expertise and organization.

Deep, Not Wide – Who is God calling you to build relationships with? Choose one niche and go deep relationally and with ministries for this one group. You’ll reach more people using fewer resources without burning your volunteers out.

When in Doubt, Experiment – Allow yourselves to try ministry experiments. In a season when many of our inherited ways of doing ministry are no longer effective, try something new every season or at least twice a year.

Simple with a Signature – Instead of having multiple low-impact ministries, take a simple approach by discerning and focusing on one or two signature ministries.

Keep Accountable – Be good stewards of God’s people and resources by pruning ministries regularly and using the Accountable Leadership Cycle (found in Mission Possible for the Small Church) to keep the church on track and always learning.

If your small church is looking to simplify your ministry to provide a deeper community impact, gather a small team to study Mission Possible for the Small Church. Your team will find applicable small church resources, suggestions, practical tips, and next steps. Each chapter includes team questions to help your leaders process the information in the chapter, apply it to your context, and make decisions towards faithful next steps for your church to be more missionally focused to reach more people.

If you are interested in a Mission Possible for the Small Church workshop or fall cohort experience, let us know Here.

small church church leadership

Kay Kotan

Kay’s purpose is to Equip and Empower Leaders of Faith Communities How to Engage in More Effective Ministry. Kay Kotan is the founder of You Unlimited (coaching, consulting and training company) and The Greatest Expedition – a collaboration of more than twenty thought leaders providing resources and insights for a congregational journey to develop new MAPS (ministry action plans) to reach new people in your community. Kay also launched Multipliers’ Movement – a gathering of kingdom multipliers for sharing, equipping, and encouraging. She is a CoachU and Advanced CoachU Graduate, an accredited coach (PCC: Professional Certified Coach) with the ICF, International Coaching Federation, a Certified Path 1 Coach, and once served on the faculty at Coaching4Clergy. As a passionate lay person, she has a banking background and has been a business owner for more than 25 years. Kotan has served as a church developer for conferences and worked with churches, pastors, conferences, and judicatory leaders across the country for more than a decade. She is most proud to be the wife of Bob for over 30 years and the mother of their adult son, Cameron. Kay is the author of multiple books, workbooks, and resources including Gear Up: Nine Essential Processes for the Optimized Church, Cry From the Pew, Full Schedules, Barren Souls, Being the Church in the Post Pandemic World, and Journey Preparation: Surveying Your Church’s Landscape, as well as the co-author of the books titled: IMPACT!: Reclaiming the Call of Lay Ministry, Small Church Check-Up, Insights on Productivity, Renovate or Die – Ten Ways to Focus Your Church on Mission, Ministry 3.0 and Get Their Name , Ten Prescriptions for a Healthy Church, Necessary Nine – Nine Things Effective Pastors Do Differently, Launching Leaders: Taking Leadership Development to New Heights, Strategy Matters: Your Roadmap to Planning a Strategic Ministry Planning Retreat, Voices of Christmas: A Daily Devotional for Advent and Expanding the Expedition Reach Through Marketplace Multipliers. Mission Possible for the Small Church. Inside Out: Everting Ministry Models for the Postmodern Church, and more. Kotan and her co-author Bradford published their third version of the best-seller, Mission Possible: Simple Structure for Missional Effectiveness. Mrs. Kotan spends her time investing in pastors, laity leaders, congregations, and judicatory leaders through equipping, coaching, and creating resources to help them discover and live into their fullest missional potential of effectiveness and fruitfulness to reach people for Jesus Christ. Through her enthusiasm, truth-telling, and passion, she challenges those who encounter her in both their thinking and their doing.

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