Church is Changing: Episode 91 - Kathi McShane, Allen Stanton & Nathan Kirkpatrick

Flourishing Small Churches: Rethinking Innovation, Leadership, and Hope

Small churches are often framed as fragile, declining, or in need of rescue. But what if they are actually some of the most innovative, relational, and spiritually grounded expressions of church today?

In this episode of Church is Changing, Beth is joined by Rev. Kathleen McShane, Nathan Kirkpatrick, and Allen T. Stanton to reflect on what they’ve learned through the Texas Methodist Foundation’s Flourishing Small Churches cohort. Together, they explore the real markings of thriving congregations, the surprising strengths of small churches, and why this moment may be less about survival—and more about imagination.

For leaders navigating complexity, fatigue, and possibility, this conversation offers grounded wisdom and a hopeful reframe: small does not mean insignificant. It may, in fact, be where the Spirit is most at work.