Brandon J. O’Brien, The Strategically Small Church: Intimate, Nimble, Authentic, and Effective. Bethany House Publishers, 2010.
Referenced in: Small Church Leadership
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
O’Brien brings his experience as the leader of two small churches to this text. He encourages small churches to capitalize on their uniqueness in five areas:
- Real/Authentic – Churches were once judged by their excellence and performance, but now there is a cultural migration toward authenticity, even toward small churches with their “lousy church music followed by amateur preaching.”
- Lean/Nimble – The popular mega-church movement of previous decades has led many into thinking that in order to be effective, they must be large and diverse. By contrast, there is a “scale down” culturally that respects organizations (and congregations) to cease trying to be “everything” and instead focus on the small list of their strongest suits, and at times where larger effort is needed, perhaps partnering with other local churches.
- Equipping – Church members today are more strapped for discretionary time than at any time in American history, yet the number of volunteer hours logged by citizens has actually grown since the economic recession that began in 2008. Given the fact that small churches are not able to offer “programming” like larger churches, O’Brien suggests equipping them to serve where they are the vast majority of their waking hours.
- Family/Intergeneraitonal – A considerable batch of literature chronicles the loss of and difficulty in reaching twenty- and thirty-somethings (see section on Generations). Many small churches are discovering, however, that the solution to the generation problem may be counterintuitive. Instead of providing more exciting age-specific ministries, they are finding hope by bringing the generations together.
- Leadership Training – O’brien comments on how small churches are notoriously better at developing very gifted leaders and then sending them out. Small churches afford men and women the opportunity to venture into leadership in an environment that is more nurturing, and less critical and evaluative. This allows leadership gifts to emerge and grow better than in larger congregations.
This is a very refreshing and helpful book. It is not as high on strategy as one might want, but it is excellent for raising the morale and sparking the vision of the small church. It is suitable for small groups or Bible studies, with helpful questions at the end of each chapter.
From the Publisher
Blessed Are the Small
Our culture’s infatuation with bigness—bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger businesses—has infiltrated the church. But smaller doesn’t equal second-rate. Leadership Journal editor and former pastor Brandon O’Brien shows how small churches are uniquely equipped for success in today’s culture.
Brandon O’Brien helps pastors and church leaders understand that a smaller church is sometimes better than a big one. He demonstrates the strengths of small congregations, including that today’s church “shoppers” want services that are local, personal, and intimate. Also, small churches provide space to nurture close relationships across age and lifestyle barriers, and they facilitate a higher level of commitment from laypeople. And small church budgets are often more effective because of greater efficiency. The Strategically Small Church will encourage small-church pastors in their ministries and challenge them to play to their strengths.
About the Author
Brandon J. O’Brien is editor-at-large for Leadership Journal and their popular blog, Out of Ur. He holds an MA in church history from Wheaton College and served as pastor of two small congregations. Brandon lives with his wife in the western suburbs of Chicago, where he is a doctoral student in church history at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
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