4 Lessons From the Life of a Small Church Pastor

The church I became a Christian in is probably one of the smallest churches in Singapore. I started attending it because the pastor’s wife—who happens to be my husband’s aunt—reached out to me during a period of trials. Through her, I found comfort in God’s Word and a Christian community who really encouraged me.

There’s only one pastor in this church—the senior pastor. He originally served in another church, but then God led him to plant his own church over 20 years ago. Today, he and his wife continue to faithfully minister in this little church, where the congregation has rarely grown past 30 members at a time.

The small church has no building of its own. We used to rent a room at an old bungalow, but it was demolished to make way for new developments. Because of our small size and limited finances, we could not find a permanent place to meet in. We finally settled for renting a function room in a hotel every week. We hoped that the change of environment might bring in more people, especially since the hotel environment is cosy, and the hotel is centrally located. Two years have passed, however, and people come and go.

Most visitors are tourists staying in the hotel who return home at the end of their stay. Outreach efforts to non-Christians are limited because of our few resources. Initiatives to start a church website were futile as we eventually realized that we lacked the technological skills.

At a parachurch conference or mass prayer meeting, my pastor is known only to us and his pastor friends, but unknown to the masses. He never receives invitations to speak at conferences. He is just an unnoticed small church pastor. Through his life, I saw the struggles of a small church pastor.

Pastor is even looked down upon by his own relatives, who have yet to believe in Christ. They criticize him as an unsuccessful small church pastor, and antagonize him for feeding on church member’s money instead of finding work. I tried putting myself in his shoes and mulled over these comments—they sounded so hurtful.

Despite all these difficulties, Pastor has never lost sight of God. His faithfulness and passion really inspire me to look at my own life and ask how I can better live for God. Here are a few things I have learned from my pastor.

1. Be faithful in ministry

In the face of a seemingly small ministry harvest, disappointments, and persecution from relatives, our pastor holds firm to the call of God to shepherd his flock. Pastor showed us what it means to be faithful to one’s calling even when that calling is tough. He has chosen to persevere and anchor his faith in the unchanging love of our faithful God in the toughest time. From his life, I am learning that ministry is not about popularity, fame, or success. Ministry is about trusting the Lord with obedience even in the unknown and barren times.

2. Glorify God in all we do

Pastor knows that God is sovereign over all our successes. God’s delight is not in the strength of horses, nor in the legs of a warrior, but it is in those who fear Him and put their trust in His unfailing love (Psalm 147:10-11). In everything that he does, I have seen Pastor ask himself whether his work will glorify God. This really encourages me to take the same attitude. After all, we are created for God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7), and we will not find our purpose apart from God.

3. Live out the Gospel

Even though there are only so few people in the congregation, Pastor takes his responsibility to preach edifying sermons seriously. He prays through each and every message he shares, and so speaks words that convict our hearts and transform our thoughts, that we may walk in the light of Christ.

Because Pastor demonstrates deep trust in God in all situations; he does not just preach the gospel, but lives it out and makes it real to us. This has reminded me that God’s Word is not to be taken lightly. Despite the size of our congregation, I see the power of God’s Word ministering to the hearts of people. Often members of the congregation will go forward to the altar when our pastor closes his message with a challenge or invitation. As I continue to listen to God’s Word preached and continue to study it on my own, my interest as well as my discernment increases.

4. God always provides

Because the majority of our congregation are old and retired, tithes and offerings are small. But our pastor never seeks after wealth, and instead gives generously to missions. He continues to show us that we can be content in every situation (Philippians 4:11-13). He shows us God’s sustaining grace. He makes God’s power real to us.

God has always provided for our pastor and his family, sometimes even through our church members, who are generous in supporting them whenever they can. The pastor’s wife has been offered many different job opportunities, which enabled her to provide for their daughter. Pastor has also learned to be handy with tools, and can often fix anything broken. In short, God has not allowed the family to suffer lack. From their example, I am reminded to remember and trust in God’s goodness, and to be hardworking when God provides various opportunities for us to sustain ourselves.

Though his ministry is small, this faithful pastor has really taught me a lot. I am inspired by his faith and hope to share with him how he has made faith real to me. I have learned that no ministry is too small to impact lives, and that when we are committed to living godly lives, God will display His glory and power in our lives. He never puts to shame those who walk rightly with Him. This encourages me as I continue using my gift to write and co-labor with ministries to share the gospel and impact lives.