Shawn McMullen, Releasing the Power of the Smaller Church. Standard Publishing Company, 2007.
Companion volume: McMullen, Unleashing the Potential of the Smaller Church
Referenced in: Small Church Leadership
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
McMullen is a founding member of the Energizing Small Churches Network. He edits this collection of insightful articles from twelve leading small church practitioners among Churches of Christ/Christian Churches such as Jerry Reeves, Steve Mahoney, Barry Klein, Barney Wells, and others. David Faust and Jeff Walling write the foreword.
Authors cover a variety of topics, all from the perspective of developing congregations with membership of 200 or less – personal growth, preaching and teaching, home/family life, elders, team ministry, conflict management, Sunday School, mens/womens ministries, media/public relations, building programs, etc. As in the companion volume, the contributors draw from their own experiences in rural, small town, and urban settings. Most chapters begin with a description of the congregational setting and history, followed by a narrative of circumstances which were especially pivotal for development of an aspect of ministry in their contexts. These allow leaders to “learn from leaders across the country whose smaller churches are having a dynamic impact on peoples’ lives and changing the spiritual landscape of their communities. These congregations have found ways to release the power that resides within the church.” (27) The stories and principles are based on the philosophy expressed by McMullen in the opening chapter of the book, that smaller churches embody unique opportunities to know and be known, for intergenerational relationships, to use gifts and talents, for leadership development, for direct contact between preacher and people, and to impact communities. Any small church leader would be encouraged by reading this book.
From the Publisher
Smaller churches are doing more to shape the spiritual landscape of America than most of us realize. If you were to ask, you would discover many of today’s Christian leaders are products of smaller churches. Many were raised and came to faith in smaller churches, some served smaller churches in the early days of their ministries, and others have stayed with smaller churches tat have grown into larger ones. Whether nurturing future Christian leaders or future Christian parents, turning out a great product is still something smaller churches do faithfully and well. Addressing eleven key areas of ministry, this book shows how any smaller church can prepare its people for effective ministry and have a lasting impact on its community.
Churches we incorrectly label as “small” are filled with potential to reach the lost, equip the saved, and send Christian workers to the ends of the earth. Thank you, Shawn McMullen, for helping us find the mystery of the power of God amid this marvelous mess we call ministry. – Dr. David Faust, President, Cincinnati Christian University, Cincinnati, Ohio
While small group ministries in larger churches strive to achieve the closeness and depth of relationship we all seek, it happens most naturally in the kind of churches Shawn McMullen seeks to serve through this helpful book. Dig into these insightful pages and rediscover that there is nothing small about the power and wonder of smaller churches. – Jeff Walling, Minister, Providence Road Church of Christ, Charlotte, North Carolina
About the Author
Shawn McMullen, editor of The Lookout magazine, also ministers with the Church of Christ in Milan, Indiana. He is a newspaper columnist, the author of several books, and a founding member of the Energizing Smaller Churches Network.
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