Turnaround Strategies for Growing the Small Church
Rev. Dr. Ron Crandall

Workshop content:

1. Establishing a biblical respect for “small” - without falling into the “grasshopper” mentality.
2. Appreciating the uniqueness of the small church – while embracing openness toward growth.
3. Strengthening congregation self-esteem – and rejecting the extremes of thinking “bigger is better” or bigger is bad.
4. Valuing longtime members and healthy church traditions – while introducing positive changes.
5. Affirming the importance of pastoral leadership – while involving laypersons in decision-making and ministry.
6. Deepening pastoral relationships with members – without falling into the “beloved chaplain” syndrome.
7. Building a strong spiritual focus – without using methods suited only to larger churches.
8. Clarifying the necessity of a transforming vision – without insisting that all congregations arrive at a “mission statement”.
9. Making worship more attractive to young adults – while retaining its meaning for older members.
10. Overcoming obstacles to outreach and growth – without trying to change the small-membership church into a large congregation.
11. Sharing effective approaches to reaching new people – without limiting congregational creativity and responsiveness to the Holy Spirit.
12. Emphasizing small groups and gifts for ministry – without copying models that fail to recognize the family nature of small congregations.

REV. DR. RON CRANDALL was born and grew up in Michigan. He graduated with honors from Michigan State University, attended Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. where he received his doctorate in pastoral theology in 1969.

Rev. Crandall is an ordained elder in the Kentucky Conference of the UMC. He has published numerous articles in periodicals and journals along with two books on the small church: There's a New Life in the Small Congregation: Turnaround Strategies for the Small Church and The Contagious Witness: Exploring Christian Conversion. His latest publication is Witness: Exploring and Sharing Your Christian Faith, a 25 week small group resource for local churches.