How a Small Church Can Embrace the World: From Size to Depth

Introduction

The era when a church's size determined its influence has passed. Many churches remain captivated by the memory of past glory while feeling diminished in the present—but I am convinced that right now is the most precious opportunity to recover the true essence of the church. For the church must no longer be a place that proves its outward 'size,' but a community that builds the Kingdom of God through the 'depth' of its very existence.

The church I serve was itself once caught in a season of mere survival, and its connection to the surrounding community had gradually grown faint. But as the small longing of our members to "rise again" began to gather, we found ourselves facing an essential question: "How can the church move beyond its walls and tangibly reveal God's love to the neighbors around us?" Out of that earnest wrestling was born the Community Music Project (CMP). This is not simply a music school where people learn to play instruments. It is a healing community where broken hearts find one another through the language of music—and where God's love bears fruit in real lives.

Throughout this journey, my congregation and I have repeatedly witnessed the mystery of a 'deep influence' that no number or statistic can ever fully describe. I believe that the story of God's Kingdom unfolding in one single soul is the true influence our churches must recover today. I now wish to share with fellow churches and ministry partners who carry the same questions—five principles that local churches can practice, drawn from my own ministry experience, for moving beyond the limits of 'size' into the ministry of 'depth.'

1. Design a Structure of 'Unconditional Welcome' Rooted in Prevenient Grace.

To recover 'deep influence,' the first thing the church must consider is building a genuine structure of welcome. John Wesley emphasized that "the Bible knows of no holiness but social holiness." Here, social holiness refers not merely to personal piety but to a holiness that is completed through participation in the pain of our neighbors and society.

This is not simply a strategy for evangelism—it is the way the church joins the grace of God who is already at work in the world. The moment ministry becomes 'bait' for church growth, the genuine trust relationship with community members is easily broken.

It is therefore important not to tie participation in ministry to church attendance or a profession of faith. Make it clear that this is not 'a program for the church' but 'a ministry for the community,' and set your measures of success not by 'membership rolls' but by 'the continuity of relationships' and 'community trust.'

When the structure of welcome stands firm in this way, the church becomes a clean channel through which the Lord's grace can flow as we anticipate the work of the Holy Spirit. Let us remember: revival is not the product of manipulation—it appears naturally as the fruit of love.

2. Build a 'Self-Sustaining Stewardship Model' Independent of the Church Budget.

Many small churches say they cannot even begin ministry because of limited finances. But the bigger problem is not finances themselves—it is that the ministry structure is designed to depend solely on the internal church budget. Of course, it is a wonderful thing for church finances to support ministry. But when every ministry must be sustained by church funds alone, the ministry of a small church is bound to be blocked before it ever begins. When I launched CMP, I set from the very start the goal of a self-sustaining structure that would not draw on church finances.

To that end, I defined the purpose of our ministry not as a religious activity but as a public good for the community; I translated the church's language into words the community could understand; and I actively sought and utilized small grants available from city, state, and local foundations. CMP was able to gradually strengthen its system through initial support from United Methodist foundations and by consistently identifying and receiving resources from outside the church.

On this foundation of financial stability, our church has been able to continue offering free music education, instrument loans, and charity concerts that give back to the community. As time went on, community members began willingly donating instruments they had treasured at home, and individual donors who shared our vision began to emerge one by one.

The church must not remain a mere donor passing money through—it must serve as a 'platform' where ministry is born and expands. The process of achieving financial self-sufficiency while launching and growing ministry that serves the community not only builds the ministry's credibility; it becomes a precious avenue through which the church is recognized as a faithful steward of the community.

3. Invite Community Members as 'Active Co-Workers,' Not Merely 'Recipients.'

The chronic staffing shortage that small churches experience can paradoxically find its solution when the scope of ministry is extended beyond the church walls into the community. Rather than treating residents simply as 'recipients of our ministry,' it is important to invite them as 'co-workers who directly participate' in something meaningful. For when ministry moves beyond the church's exclusive possession to become a shared community asset, the voluntary energy of residents naturally comes together.

CMP is a free music school run entirely by the dedication of volunteers. At first it seemed reckless—yet remarkably, it is now entering its sixth year, sustained by grace. Behind this is the work of countless hands prepared to do something meaningful for their community.

A system took shape in which orchestra musicians from nearby Brown University, medical students with musical gifts, and local musicians willingly donated their talents for the students. We simply created a space where they could serve freely, shared the vision with them, and continually invited them to take ownership of the project. As a result, not only teaching volunteers but also volunteers who support the entire administration began to emerge.

When the church demonstrates authentic dedication for the community, residents come to experience firsthand that they themselves can become owners of the ministry. The neighbors who lovingly prepare lunch for volunteers each week, and who help with the charity concert reception as if it were their own—this goes beyond material support. It is evidence that residents deeply resonate with the value of the ministry and feel a deep sense of belonging as members of the community. When neighbors become agents of ministry, the church community at last comes alive and breathes together within the local community.

From the very first concept of a new ministry, let us not act independently as the church and its members alone—let us create structures where community residents participate and build it together. When we invite community members to the place of 'active co-workers,' we will witness a beautiful cycle of grace: the love that begins with God flows toward our neighbors, and that love returns as beautiful fruit.

4. Build Personal Relationships by Seeing Every Participant as Someone Entrusted to Your Pastoral Care.

When ministry appears to be the exclusive property of a particular individual or church, participants easily remain not as active agents but as 'consumers' or 'tools.' For this reason, I have always conveyed to volunteers and students the message: "This ministry belongs to you—it is a place you yourselves cultivate"—and I have worked to share ownership of the ministry.

If volunteers are treated as mere manpower and only their service is sought, that ministry can never be sustainably healthy. Instead, we must first see them as souls to be shepherded with God's love, and offer wholehearted welcome within individual, personal relationships. When participants are welcomed not as tools but as 'respected persons,' the place of ministry becomes for them not just a place of service but 'another home.'

To live out this conviction, our church carefully arranged transportation for volunteers, and at the beginning and end of each semester I invited them to my home to share the joy of a simple table together. When students had recitals, I would go in person—sometimes simply being present was enough to convey my support. Above all, when I opened my own heart first and approached them with honest sharing from my own life's journey, the closed hearts of our young volunteers began to open little by little.

The transformation of a young person with a disability who recently performed at our healing concert moved me deeply. This child, who had closed their heart after being bullied at school and had spent entire days confined to their room, took the CMP stage and came face to face with an elderly person in a wheelchair wiping away tears, and with others who beamed with bright smiles despite being unable to see. After the summer music camp ended, the child's parents came to me with emotion in their voices: "Pastor, our child has finally started coming out of their room. They said they want to play better for the grandmas and grandpas, and they picked up their instrument and started practicing on their own. Thank you so much." That one 'small desire'—to be a comfort to someone—drew the child out of their room and sent them walking toward the world again.

One student who shared that she had encountered Christianity for the first time only after entering college offered me this confession: "Thank you so much for sharing your story and the journey that brought you here, and for believing in me. I was deeply moved reading your words, and through this place I keep learning how beautiful a Christian community can be." Wholehearted welcome returns as confessions as precious as this. Young people who have stayed by my side for years call me their 'Second Mom' and share their hearts with me—and young people who have been moved by the church's genuine dedication to the community sometimes return, bringing their own friends along as new volunteers.

These encounters are not simply the product of activities—they are gifts made possible because people have experienced whole-hearted love and respect in this place. Let us not forget that more precious than any visible outcome of ministry is the warm family community of God's Kingdom that is formed at the site of ministry itself.

5. Practice a 'Little Heaven' Demonstrated Through Diversity and Equality.

I believe that social holiness is not a grand declaration—it is justice concretely experienced in the places where we live. Looking back, it was not something I planned, but God has drawn our community to become a gathering place for more than ten different ethnicities: from children of six to elders of ninety-one; from Portuguese, Cape Verdean, and Russian European and African backgrounds to Korean, Chinese, and other Asian communities; to the White and Black communities of our neighborhood. Most are first- and second-generation immigrant students who had struggled to find a place to truly belong in this unfamiliar land.

The church must actively create a small courtyard on the ground the Lord has given us—a place where age and ethnicity can naturally come together. We must make room so that those called the socially vulnerable can stand as 'agents who share love.' When the church strives to fulfill its role as Bridge Builder, the faith community becomes a precious rehearsal space for tasting the Kingdom of God right here on earth.

'Unity in diversity' accomplished within the Lord's love is the most humble yet most powerful witness to the gospel that we can show the world. One day, a nine-year-old girl and a ninety-year-old elder tore down the wall of age and played violin together in one heart, praising God—and in that fleeting moment, I witnessed the little heaven that had come among us. Let us believe that such a scene of heaven can unfold on the small courtyard the church has prepared, and tend that place with all our hearts.

Conclusion

If the ministry of the past was focused on 'how many people we could gather,' the true influence we need today lies in 'how deeply we are connected to them in love.' For ministry is not a one-directional program aimed at changing people—it is a process of restoring the sacred connection between person and person.

Even in the face of the very real challenges of limited finances and insufficient personnel, if we hold fast to the end to the gospel values of love and dignity, God will surely open a new way. When we do not treat people as means but leave relationship itself as the fruit of ministry, our ministry receives, through the work of the Holy Spirit, an even richer vitality from unexpected directions. Let us not stop before the limits of size—let us together take one small step today toward a ministry of depth, one that leaves relationship as its lasting result.

Korean -작은교회가세상을품는법:크기에서깊이로

Rev. Juhee Lee is the pastor of Haven United Methodist Church in Rhode Island.