Most small churches do not want to stay small.
They simply do not want to change.
After pastoring three small churches, I’ve seen both outcomes. One did not grow. Two did. I was young, inexperienced, and untrained in that first church. I learned quickly. In the next two, growth followed. One nearly doubled. The other nearly tripled in attendance and ministry reach in just a few years.
When I talk about growth, I am not talking about numbers for their own sake. Bigger is not automatically better. Small churches are not failures. Growth means reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. A church that plants other churches may never grow numerically and still be deeply faithful. A church in a shrinking town that holds steady may actually be growing.
But churches that resist change almost always get what they want.
What follows are patterns I’ve seen repeatedly in churches that plateau and decline. These are not accusations. They are diagnostics. If any sound familiar, they are not a verdict. They are an invitation.
10 Reasons Small Churches Stay Small
1. Wanting to Stay Small
Few churches ever say this out loud. Most don’t even realize they believe it.
But it shows up in how new ideas are dismissed and new people are quietly kept at arm’s length.
Visitors are greeted. They are spoken to. They are handed a bulletin. But they are not truly included. Announcements are filled with insider language. Events are explained as if everyone already knows the people, places, and routines involved.
“Bob’s class meets at Tom and Edna’s.”
“The youth are gathering at Eddie Joe’s tonight.”
If you don’t already belong, you are left guessing.
Churches that want to grow must speak clearly and intentionally to newcomers. Use full names. Give directions. Explain expectations. Remove the unspoken barriers that signal, “This place is already full.”
No one can guarantee growth. But this much is certain: if a church does not want to grow, it will not.
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2. A Quick Turnover of Pastors
A retired pastor once told me he was supplying for a small church that had existed nearly 50 years. In that time, they had had 22 pastors.
Think about that.
Even allowing for gaps between pastors, the average tenure was less than two years.
“They didn’t really have pastors,” he said quietly. “They had preachers.”
It takes time for a pastor to earn trust, understand the congregation, and lead with credibility. Constant turnover prevents that from happening. Churches with short pastoral tenures are not led. They are managed. And management alone never produces growth.
Longevity does not guarantee growth. But instability almost always prevents it.
