Ministry in a small town

I am blessed to Pastor a church in a small town. I love small towns. Foothills Community Church has 2 campuses right now, and both are strategically planted in small towns. Our main campus is in Seneca, SC which is a town with a population of about 8,000, and our second campus is located in Toccoa GA, a town of around 9,000 which is located approximately 45 minutes from Seneca, just across the state line.. We are praying about location #3, which we plan to begin in 2010. It will also be planted in another small town.

I often get contacted by Pastors in small towns across America, that have heard of what God is doing at Foothills Community Church. I do my best to describe it, but words really don't do justice. One of the things that I try to communicate is, that what is happening here can happen anywhere.

I want to carefully write this blog post so that I don't come across as being the mastermind behind what is going on here. It is God at work. I can take no credit for that. God has however given me some insight about ministry in a small town.
I thought I would jot down a few quick thoughts.

** Small towns are under served----not because they lack CHURCHES, but because they lack CHOICES!

** To reach your small town, you must love them. Ask God to break your heart for your town.

** It's all about contextualization. You can learn a lot from other churches, but your church is unique. Small towns are unique.

** Just because you're in a small town (or in a small church), it does not excuse a lack of excellence.

** Lack of resources should not hold you back from doing things with excellence.

** Quit telling God why He can't build an effective church in a small town.

** Don't be numbers obsessed. If you live by the numbers, you will die by the numbers! Think in terms of percentages rather than gross numbers. In many ways churches in small towns are actually making more of an impact than large churches in large towns.

** Comparison is a killer.

** Small town ministry is not a lesser calling.

** Network with other churches to learn and grow.

** Don't let discouragement get the best of you. It's hard work, and sometimes it can be very discouraging.

If you want to know more, why not consider coming to the Sticks conference that we will be hosting on November 9-10 2010