Review: Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250

Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of under 250 by Karl Vaters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With Ecclesiology being my primary theological area of interest even before I started my seminary education, I have read probably about 50 books on church growth and church leadership. This being probably the first book I have read from a small church perspective, I realised my skepticism was uncalled for as I thoroughly enjoyed this wise, insightful and highly practical labour of love. How I wish that there are more like it this the market (consulting the bibliography did not help much, because as Vaters stated, the lack of such resources compelled him to this endeavour).

With my past experience pointing me towards congregational sizes of medium to large churches (>500) as compared to a (<200 member) small church community, I believe I am analysing the small church model in a relatively objective manner. They are not my preferred choice, and I have no reason to paint them in a good light. Yet I caught a little of Vaters’ passion for the church, both his and others; in this book, he seeks to give insight on the nuts and bolts of the small church's mechanisms and illustrated numerous ecclesiological principles that are unique to it.

I also grieved over how church growth principles (meant for large Churches) could be disastrous when applied to small churches. I am heartened that many of the mistakes he made in adopting cut-and-paste (large) church leadership techniques would not have to be committed again by many readers, and spare many a flock from the resulting pain. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and regard this to be a brilliant 6 star book.

I received this book from Moody Publishers Newsroom for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.

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