I make these observations not to provide an excuse for small churches to abandon ministries they ought to have, but simply to point out that a small church doesn't have to have everything. Women, teens, children and men should all be involved in the church. Small churches cannot do everything, but each one can do something, and they need to do it as best they can. Researcher George Barna has observed that the most effective churches deliberately limit their ministries, focusing on those specific areas for which they have resources and in which they have the ability to serve with excellence. Making decisions The pastor's role in a small church is more relational.
Leadership is exercised less by command and more by consensus-building.
Members want good sermons, but they want good relationships even more. They want pastors who love them, who care for them. It takes time for a pastor to build these relationships, to build the trust needed to lead. It usually takes several years. The pastor needs to learn the culture of the church and how to work within that culture.