RICHMOND, Va.â€â€The Presbyterian Church (USA) urged small churches to go from "good to great," during the 216th General Assembly this year. That was the theme for the Small Church Ministry Breakfast last week.
Featured speaker Diana Stephen, the church's associate for network support of small and rural churches, encouraged small church pastors and members to initiate healthy changes.
"Are you willing to engage in vital ministry? Do you want to get well?" Stephen asked. "Vitality doesn't simply happen."
Stephen said she was impressed recently when a pastor told her his small church was involved in a building program when a member asked, "Wouldn't it be wonderful to put this much energy into missions? And they did," she said  while continuing with the building project.
Unlike some other churches in areas of declining population, she said, they weren't satisfied with just trying to survive.
"One good thing about small churches," said featured speaker Phil Tom, associate for urban ministry, "we're good at loving each other. So when you look out at the congregation on Sunday, you know who is not there."
Tom told the story of a rural congregation in a declining community of about 2,000 people, that had only 16 coming for worship.
"They went from farm house to farm house and found there was a need for a community center, because the gas station had closed where everybody could hang out," he said. "And over the next three years (the congregation) built a coalition and involved the state and built a community center in a nearby state park.
"They engaged their members in mission," he said. "They grew in spirit. They became known as a church who cared. Being old and small doesn't mean we can't do great works."
In fact, Stephen said, small churches are the "backbone" of the denomination. She noted that 73 percent of PC(USA) congregations have fewer than 100 people in worship.
