From Workshops to Worship
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How small church clarity is empowering ministries to plan, partner and proclaim the Gospel
Small churches face unique challenges: tight budgets, declining membership and the persistent feeling that “bigger is better.” But what if size isn’t the obstacle? What if it’s actually an advantage? Across three LCMS districts, a new Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) program called Small Church Clarity is proving that strategic planning, collaborative partnerships and focused ministry can transform struggling congregations into thriving ministries.
There’s something special about a small church. The family-like atmosphere, the close-knit community, the involvement of the pastor in the intricate details of parish life. It can be a tremendous blessing to be a part of a smaller church.
Of course, there’s no shortage of challenges. Finances are often a topic of discussion. The church or its pastor may have the occasional feelings of inferiority. Sometimes a small church can’t manage on its own and needs to merge into a dual or tri-parish situation. Other times, a small church might simply feel stuck.
But no matter the size, the mission is the same—LCMS churches point people to Christ and care for them through Word and Sacrament ministry. That’s one reason why LCEF designed Small Church Clarity, to help empower LCMS districts as they support small churches who are working to faithfully carry out this mission.
“Small Church Clarity represents one element of our broader, long-term strategy to serve churches and districts in a changing world,” explained Rev. John Glover, LCEF vice president of Ministry Solutions. “We’re embedded in the life of the Lutheran church, and this ongoing process is another way we’re working to continuously support districts, pastors and congregations as they adapt and thrive.”
Inside Small Church Clarity
Gathering together in a host church’s fellowship hall, congregations send both pastors and lay people to attend the Small Church Clarity series of four seminar-workshops. Each Saturday morning session lasts several hours, held with district leadership to help small congregations stabilize ministries and plan strategically.
And make no mistake: They work in these workshops.
“Each session combines education with collaborative workshop time, inviting participants to become active partners in shaping their congregation’s future ministry for the next six months and beyond. There’s excitement as congregations work at their tables, freely sharing wisdom and insights with neighboring churches,” said Glover. “The result is something special as each church develops a published plan that honors their financial realities while inspiring creative, new possibilities for ministry and meaningful partnerships.”
A Perfect Fit
In the LCMS New Jersey District, Small Church Clarity was exactly what then-new district president, Rev. Stephen Gewecke, sought.
“When I first came into office as district president, I was looking to establish a work plan and strategy,” recalled Gewecke. I’m a firm believer in ministry plans for congregations, and I came to the realization that many of ours didn’t understand the process of developing a plan.”
Gewecke wanted healthy, mature district churches but knew this required intentional yearly planning guidance.
With support from LCEF, Gewecke and the New Jersey District held the inaugural sessions of Small Church Clarity. The result was a solid gathering of pastors and lay leaders strengthening congregations and creating sustainable plans suited for smaller churches.
It was an instant success.
“There was so much excitement in the room,” shared Gewecke. “We had six different tables and lots of energy. There were times of sharing, talking about struggles and successes and the leaders discussed new and even old ideas that were inspiring to others. One church, for example, shared about a stewardship program that focused not just on financial well-being but the whole life.”
So far, 21 of 48 New Jersey District congregations are engaged with Small Church Clarity, said Gewecke, and “the number is growing as we’re constantly leaving the door open and encouraging other churches to come and participate.”
It’s been a blessing for the New Jersey District to offer something to small congregations that would help them to be strong and stable.
“A big part of having the ministry plan is that we stabilize the congregation,” explained Gewecke. “If they’re not stable in finances, membership and all the other things, then they aren’t going to be able to move forward in maturity.”
Recently, the Eastern and Ohio districts brought Small Church Clarity to their small churches.
Hope for Small Congregations
LCMS Eastern District President Rev. John Pingel spent 40 years in parish ministry before serving as a district president. He keenly remembers small congregation realities.
“Sometimes the message we received was ‘You gotta get big,’ and when you’re small, it felt like either you were going to get bigger or your church was going to die. For small churches who get that message, self-esteem begins to suffer, they feel like nothing, and they start to think ‘We aren’t worth much in the scheme of things.’”
Rev. John Pingel
President
LCMS Eastern District
Small Church Clarity, he said, changes all of that.
“This says to them there is great potential in your place,” Pingel shared. “You can accomplish a lot for the kingdom. I want Word and Sacrament ministry to continue in as many places as possible, and Small Church Clarity fits what we’re trying to accomplish perfectly because we as a district are not going to give up on our small churches.”
He emphasized Small Church Clarity is “no silver bullet,” but rather it “gets back to the grassroots, engaging and empowering the people in what needs to be done at the ground level.”
Many churches truly need that encouragement and guidance.
“Sometimes churches get into a downward spiral, and they wallow,” Pingel said. “But this gets them outside themselves. It gets the creative juices flowing, a fresh perspective and new sense of identity. They start to see that ‘We are the church in this location,’ and that evokes service, outreach and new ideas.”
Numerous small congregations throughout his district, Pingel said, have been “crying out for help.”
“We hear from congregations in distress,” he added. “They have memberships declining, their population is aging, they desire to reach out and want to do the Lord’s work, but they don’t seem to know what to do next.”
Like Gewecke, Pingel said that Small Church Clarity was precisely what he sought.
“The format is just fabulous in terms of what it covers,” he explained. “It meets the needs of small churches, bringing them together when they feel isolated and think they’re the only ones feeling this way. Joy fills the room, and the sharing starts almost instantly. Our churches constantly say that it’s so good to be together, and it’s amazing what happens when they get together.”
Pingel’s goal: Inspire congregations and provide hope.
“We want them to know that they don’t have to assume they’ll just have to lay down and die,” Pingel said. “There are people without Christ—people who don’t know Jesus—living all around them. The church has work to do. They may have to adjust how they do things, things: maybe how they welcome people and what programs they’re offering to the community. Small Church Clarity encourages them to take a good hard look at themselves and think short and long term and outside the box. Otherwise, they get stuck and go in circles.”
“The district and LCEF recognized that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution to small church ministry conversations and assistance. The congregation used their workshop time to ‘seriously speak, work, plan and ask questions together in an honest environment.’”
Rev. Steven Hackman
Shore Haven Lutheran Church
Euclid, Ohio
Like Gewecke, Pingel said that Small Church Clarity was precisely what he sought.
“The format is just fabulous in terms of what it covers,” he explained. “It meets the needs of small churches, bringing them together when they feel isolated and think they’re the only ones feeling this way. Joy fills the room, and the sharing starts almost instantly. Our churches constantly say that it’s so good to be together, and it’s amazing what happens when they get together.”
Pingel’s goal: Inspire congregations and provide hope.
“We want them to know that they don’t have to assume they’ll just have to lay down and die,” Pingel said. “There are people without Christ—people who don’t know Jesus—living all around them. The church has work to do. They may have to adjust how they do things, things: maybe how they welcome people and what programs they’re offering to the community. Small Church Clarity encourages them to take a good hard look at themselves and think short and long term and outside the box. Otherwise, they get stuck and go in circles.”
A Fresh Look
Shore Haven Lutheran Church in Euclid, Ohio is another congregation thankful for their district’s Small Church Clarity invitation. Completing the series of workshops in early 2025, they valued that “the district and LCEF recognized that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution to small church ministry conversations and assistance,” said Rev. Steven Hackmann, pastor at Shore Haven.
The congregation used their workshop time, he added, to “seriously speak, work, plan and ask questions together in an honest environment.”
“It has been a positive experience,” Hackmann said. “Many of the topics were items that our congregation had not engaged with in many, many years. It has been very helpful to list out the complete ministry scope of the congregation.”
After speaking with congregational and community leaders and reviewing demographic studies, engagement possibilities broadened beyond current activities. They recognized time and efforts weren’t optimally used.
“We realized that it’s not always important to ‘dream, develop, plan and implement’ an event on our own, but to also join hands and provide people or insights to an already established ministry or work happening right in our congregation’s backyard,” he shared.
With encouragement through their work and discernment with Small Church Clarity, Shore Haven held their own leadership retreat, examing history, current ministries and revitalization opportunities.
“The Small Church Clarity workshops helped us to hone our focus to review goals from last year, track the progress we have made and establish next steps for the coming year,” said Hackmann. “We also began serious discussion on our mission/guiding statement and core values that will guide each work the congregation does.”
Joining Forces
The collaborative nature of Small Church Clarity allows churches to not only strengthen and stabilize themselves but also bolster relationships with area sister churches.
“Congregations are talking to each other, apart from the district, in ways they hadn’t before,” said Bruce Sutherland, executive director for the LCMS Eastern District. “They’re talking about partnering in ministry, sharing a pastor and alternate ministry plans that wouldn’t have happened without Small Church Clarity. This made them comfortable enough to get to know each other, and they figured out that they need each other. Years ago, churches were almost competitive with each other, but they aren’t anymore.”
Shore Haven’s Hackmann echoed this sentiment.
“As we continue to discuss our different plans, there will be coming a time for us to intentionally reach out to invite or to collaborate together on the planning and implementation,” he mentioned. “We are not in competition with one another. Instead, it’s an opportunity for us to ‘do together what we cannot do alone.’”
In the LCMS Eastern District, Small Church Clarity connected approximately 12 congregations, with eight continuing a joint ministry program after the workshops. They genuinely wanted to be together.
This kind of relationship nurtures the body of Christ while establishing groundwork for future joint ventures, especially dual or tri-point parish.
“We wanted our congregations to be intentional in choosing which path to take,” said Rev. Kevin Wilson, president of the LCMS Ohio District. “Dual parishes were not the norm in Ohio, but we have 13 now, and the congregations are healthier for it.”
Small Church Clarity was a natural step for the Ohio District, Wilson said, because he was “looking for a partner that would treat churches as God’s people, no matter the size.” The district has had eight churches participate so far, and the momentum is encouraging.
“We really needed congregations to take a good look in the mirror and consider who they are today,” explained Wilson. “It can be tough to take the time and stop and say, ‘Here is where we’re at right now.’ Small Church Clarity allows our churches to have a greater focus on things that are truly important, like Word and Sacrament ministry, caring for one another and reaching out in the community.”
District Support
Small Church Clarity enhanced district-congregation connections. And with LCEF as a partner, they maintain long-term vision.
“It really opened up communication between congregations and the district office,” Pingel shared. “We ended up traveling throughout the district hosting “listening sessions” and invited congregations to come and respond to things they need and want. Now we hear from a lot more people who have questions or are in need of resources. This was an investment on our part to bring Small Church Clarity into the district, but it’s really improved our relationships.”
Gewecke, who has been involved with Small Church Clarity the longest, affirmed how it’s transformed the relationship between the district and congregations.
“It’s really helped us in discovering new ways we can support congregations,” he said. “As we discover their needs, we’re able to plan how we can help meet those needs with the congregations.”
More than Dreams
“For our district, we wanted to give our churches the freedom to stop trying to be a large church and instead be the best small church they can be in their communities,” Sutherland said. “That way they can see what God does. Small Church Clarity puts the work in workshop; it’s really about working.”
Hackmann sees the hard work’s benefit. Far from theoretical, Small Church Clarity workshops provided concrete action items for consideration, discussion and implementation.
“Our church council and board leadership have been able to focus our direction as a congregation,” he said. “As we work on the items of the workshops together, we find we are all facing the same direction. We recognize the need to work together across boards and committees, giving help and aid, even if a different committee is spearheading the overall work.”
Indeed, small churches are special. Carrying out the work of Christ’s Church, they should know they have a place in sharing the Gospel too.
“I was hoping to see our leadership have discussions beyond dreams and visions,” added Hackmann. “It was important to have our people see that being a congregation with smaller numbers in active participation does not hinder us from reaching out, from teaching, from partnering or from proclaiming the Good News of Jesus.”
