Only a small percentage of churches ever grow past 200 attenders.
Enter Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig, whose podcast and blog, 200churches.com, is a resource to small church pastors everywhere. Jeff, Jonny and I discuss what small church pastors really need, and why.
Welcome to Episode 99 of the Podcast.
Guest Links: Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig
200Churches Podcast Episodes – Scroll to 126 for “Which Ministries Need the Wood Chipper ” with Dan Reiland.
The Change Series – A group of podcasts to help you lead real change in your 200church
Links Mentioned
Purpose Driven Church: Every Church is Big in God’s Eyes
3 Things You Can Do Right Away
Jonny and Jeff found that not all pastors are satisfied with the size of their churches, but there is fulfillment beyond “bigger is better.” Growth doesn’t equate to health, so Jonny and Jeff started speaking into what works for small churches how the health of the ministry can thrive.
- Find relationships that build into you. Pastors, no doubt, are beat down. They feel like because they’re small in size, they’re failing, but that isn’t necessarily true. Pastors, especially if they’re the only ones serving a small church, face loneliness and isolation because they’re in remote places and don’t have the people or resources to lean onto. Technology, primarily social media, allows you to reach out to others and find those relationships. (And if you need one bad enough Jonny and Jeff will talk to you!) You will find them, and you can find them.
- Leverage the gifts of others in your church. You can give off administrative tasks without giving away pastoral leadership. When pastors can’t share the load with others who are gifted, they’re limiting their potential. Be wise about what others in your church are capable of. If you’re doing every ministry on your team, you need to start cutting or stepping back. If people protest, it’s time to start having those hard conversations about getting stuff done.
- Do a self assessment. There are several assessments you can take online to determine your strengths and weaknesses. (See The DISC Assessment and Myers-Briggs in the links above.) Not only do they point out how to leverage your talents, but they allow you to dissect yourself in ways that are helpful to others. We step into situations unaware of how we’ll respond, but being self-aware can help you communicate and nurture relationships more effectively.
Quotes from this Episode
CNLP 099: What Smaller Church Pastors Really Need and Why – An Interview with 200 Churches’ Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig Click To Tweet
CNLP 099: What Smaller Church Pastors Really Need and Why – An Interview with 200 Churches’ Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig Click To Tweet
CNLP 099: What Smaller Church Pastors Really Need and Why – An Interview with 200 Churches’ Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig Click To Tweet
CNLP 099: What Smaller Church Pastors Really Need and Why – An Interview with 200 Churches’ Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig Click To Tweet
A New Episode Every Week…Just Subscribe
The podcast releases every Tuesday morning.
Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Ravi Zacharias, Craig Groeschel, Sue Miller, Kara Powell, Jon Acuff and many others.
Subscribe via
Appreciate This? Rate the Podcast.
Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn Radio as well.
Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.
Thank you for being so awesome.
Next Episode: Peyton Jones
Peyton Jones is a self-described serial church planter with a heart for evangelism. From being beat up for the sake of the Gospel, to starting a church at a Stabucks, to coaching leaders on reaching the most unreached people in Western culture, Peyton shares his never boring story.
