The Strategically Small Church, by Brandon J. O'Brian

The Strategically Small Church, written by Brandon J. O’Brian, is a vividly marked difference from the popular church-grown strategies developed or popularized by America’s mega churches and dreamed of or wished for by smaller churches. But is it God’s best for a church to be large? Could it be that a smaller church may be a better expression of God’s heart for our current world and better equipped for both believer discipleship and outreach for the salvation of the unsaved? What ought a pastor to be striving towards in regards to the people, and even more, the Lord, whom he serves?

The author speaks from his experience as a twice-former pastor to small congregations and is currently editor-at-large for Leadership Journal and their accompanying blog, Out of Ur. He is also working toward his doctoral degree in Church History, studying at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

I found his book, The Strategically Small Church, to be well-written and based and believe that it will be a welcome encouragement to the small-church pastor who is striving to serve the Lord wholeheartedly along with a congregation who keeps the Lord at the center of their worship, lives and outreach. For truly, their work is not in vain! Nor are they in the wrong, regardless of whether they experience any large measure of growth. For even though overall, there are small churches to be found that are small due to pride, a failure to keep the Lord at the center, or lack of God’s Word alive through message and lives, numbers alone cannot state the health of a church body. A church can be vibrant and God-glorifying even if the count on Sunday may only be 150 or even 20. This book also gives suggestions to the pastor who finds himself serving a larger congregation, giving him ways to keep their ministry and worship authentic and God-focused and their ministries relevant to the needs in their particular community.

A worthwhile read for every pastor or layperson desiring to serve the Lord through church involvement.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers (A division of Baker Publishing Group). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”