The "Surthrival" Guide for the Small
Confessional Lutheran Church
Pastor Craig S. Stanford

Introduction

The LC-MS has been one of the big proponents of the Church Growth Movement since the 1980s. Like so many other denominations, the LC-MS put its eggs in the basket of the Church Growth Movement and has all but ignored the plight of their smaller congregations. Bigger churches, it was thought, are better churches. Why? Because, it is said, they can meet the needs of the people in ways that the small church cannot. For example, "Single?" "No problem! We have a single's group." "Old?" "Again no problem we have an old people's group." "Divorced?" "We've got that cover too." "Divorced twice?" "It just so happens that we have Divorce II Support Groups and 12 Step Programs to meet your needs." "So you say, your family is still intact? "Great. We specialize in family ministry." "Now if you think that our ministry is diversified, you haven't seen anything yet. When it comes to ‘styles' of worship, the big church has something for everyone: Traditional, ‘blended,' contemporary, praise, and entertainment. You want it, we have it."

Twenty years ago this approach was sold as the wave of the future and the way to grow the Church. Small churches still fill a need, they said, but the way to bring unchurched people into the Church is to market and run it like a ‘one-stop' shopping center. Bigger churches got bigger, at least as far as the membership roster was concerned, but their members did not come from the ranks of the unbelievers and unchurched. That was the plan. The reality was very different. The growth of the big church often came at the expense of the smaller more traditional/confessional congregations.

The small church is in trouble in many places. There are many reasons why the small church is struggling for its survival. Many of these factors are beyond the control of the small church. "Bigger is better." "All those people can't be wrong." "God must be really happy with them, sees how He blesses them." Everything in our culture mediates against the small and authentically Lutheran congregation. What is important is that the small church understand these factors, while at the same time remaining true to the Word and Sacrament Ministry and attempts to serve the neighbor.

The small church must examine itself in light of the Word of God and the full work of the Church. While it is true that the culture, the old sinful nature, and the big church entices members away from the smaller churches, it is also true that the small church has often failed to meet the real needs of their members and community. The smaller conservative church has often been separatistic and pietistic. They talk about "being in the Word," but never get around to serving their neighbor. The work they do is often done to make them feel like they are doing something . . . busy work. The smaller church often takes a defensive rather than an offensive posture in dealing with sister congregations and the community.

The small churches have tend also to be fighting and internal power struggles. Smaller churches have tended to distrust their pastors more than the larger church. This is so because the pastor's tenure in a small congregation tends to be shorter due to financial concerns and the opportunities offered in larger congregations.

It is not that the members of small churches are more sinful than those who join a big church. It's just that waves have a more violent effect on a small ship than they do on a larger ship. It is much easier for select families to dominate the agenda of the small church. All of these factors are further aggravate by the fact the most Lutherans, pastors and laity don't really know what is means to be a Lutheran. One is hard pressed to see much difference between the average conservative Lutheran congregation and conservative Protestant congregation.

This little booklet is titled "The ‘Surthrival' Guide for the Small Confessional Lutheran Church," and is being written to help the members of smaller struggling churches think more biblically, that is, theologically and confessionally about the full work of the Church in their own setting. It is being written to help the members of the small church examine how they think and what they do (or fail to do) in light of the doctrines of God's Word.

The word "Surthrival" is of course not a real word. It is a hybrid. It is two words spliced together. To "survive" means "to persist, to live through, or make it through" hard times. To "thrive" means "to blossom or to prosper." Here the word "surthrival" means "to prosper while at the same time making it through these hard and difficult days." This guide is a work in the making and is rooted in the theology of the cross.

The chief concern of this booklet is to help congregations thrive in and survive difficult times. This is not a "How To" book. It is not a "Church Growth Book for Dummies." It is not a "What Would Jesus Have You Do?" book. This booklet is interested in helping Christians and congregations grow in fidelity, service, and knowledge of their Lord and to make the best of a difficult situation. In this process of growing as a congregation, the congregation might also experience numerical growth. But then again it might not. What is ultimately important for a Pastor and a church is that they are trustworthy stewards of God's Word. "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy." (1 Cor. 4:7-8)

Chapter One
Does The Size of a Congregation Matter?

The answer is, "Yes." For better or for worse, size does matter. It matters to the members and it matters to visitors. It matters to prospective members and it matters to sister congregations. It matters to districts and synods, which tend to pander to larger congregations and their pastors because of the money they pump into the system and the influence they have in the theological and political process. The size of a congregation matters to pastors who consider accepting or declining a call. It matters to congregations when they issue a call. The size of a congregation matters. It matters to everyone. That is the reality.

When people look for a church home, they want a church that is stable, well attended, and peaceful. People do not show up on Sunday morning expecting to sing in a quartet, trio, or duet. They want to hear the voices of people around them. They want to hear choirs. They want to know that they are not alone in this pilgrimage. They want to be in a church that will help them keep their children interested and active. They don't want to belong to a church where their offerings might make the difference between surviving and dying. They want to feel as though they are getting their money's worth. They want to be a part of a "going concern" and part of the in crowd. They want to be a part of a church where they can meet business people and socialites. This is the natural way of things and the old nature will live in and with us until the day of our deliverance.

The big churches understand some of these basic wants and needs. The problem is that the Church Growth Movement fills those wants and needs with a shallow and bad theology. They feed the people on a synthetic substitute for Christian truth and piety. They are churches devoted to emotionalism and pragmatism. They do not concern themselves with the greater and holy things of God (Hebrews 5:12-14).

What is needed is the real meat of the Christian faith, a call to repentance, and a life lived by faith not by sight. What the Christian and the congregation need is a faith that is active in love in service to the neighbor. What is needed is the pure Word of God and the Sacraments of His holy house. What is needed is a full and deep worship life, which can only come from a liturgical tradition steeped in Scripture and the finest musical traditions. What is needed are people who love, serve, and forgive one another. What is needed is Lutheran schools that feed the next generation of Lutherans on the "excellent things of God," instead of cultural junk food. What is need is the Theology of the Cross, not a Theology of Glory. The good news here is that every church, regardless of size can provide such these things.

Yes, size matters even to those of us who worship in small churches. It matters because we are, after all, weak, social, and sinful creatures. This was not the case with our Lord. Our Lord's concern is that His name be hallowed among us. "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst." Here we have our Lord's promise to be with His Church regardless of the size. What we do not have is a goal to make or keep the small church small. The size also matters because the chief function of the church in this world is baptizing and making disciples and then keeping them in the church in contact with the means of grace.

Theologically speaking, a small congregation that remains faithful to the Word and Sacrament Ministry has everything it needs for life and salvation. God's Word and Sacraments alone are sufficient for the Christian life. But the weaker one is in faith and understanding, the more he or she will "need" other things. Yet, all Christians are weak in both faith and understanding. Our Lord knows this to be true, which is why He has called us out to be children in His Church. Christians are not meant to stand alone. We are a community. The sheep are called together to be a flock, under the direction of Christ's faithful under-shepherds, pastors. We are weak, yet our Lord is the kind of God who comes to us, as to St. Thomas, and meets us in our weaknesses and tends to all our needs.

The small church must understand why people, Christians included, shy away from visiting and joining their little fellowship. The small church must examine its own history, its own weaknesses, and its own way of thinking in light of the Law and Gospel of Jesus Christ. Has the congregation been apathetic or compassionate toward the needs of its own members and its neighbors? The small church needs to rethink its beliefs and traditions in light of God's Word, the world in which we live, and the community in which the congregation is located.

As a small church "grows" smaller, there will be many temptations. Some will play the blame game. Others will look for the silver bullet, for that one thing, for that one plan, for that one leader that will turn all other things around. Some will be tempted to despair. They will retreat and perhaps leave. Some will fall prey to an attitude of self-righteousness. "If people don't join us, it's their loss." There will also be a temptation to try to compete with the larger churches on their terms (i.e., "youth ministry" or "alternative worship services").

It seems that whenever a district or synodical official is asked to help the small church, the prescription is always the same; "Start a family ministry." The advice is regarded as some great utterance from on high. The congregation spends the money and goes through the motions, only to find out that they are one day older, deeper in debt, and smaller than when they began.

It is true that bigger is not necessarily better, if that size is the result of a false piety, bad theology, and compromises the Word and Sacrament Ministry. But smaller is not necessarily more God-pleasing, if that size is the result of a false piety, bad theology, and neglecting the full work of the Church.

Chapter Two
The Two Works of the Church

Dr. Martin Luther once wrote, "Pray as if everything depends upon God, but work as if everything depends upon you." In this saying we once again see the divine mystery that takes place when God works through means to accomplish His will and way. Our God is a God Who works through means. He took on our flesh and died a physical death as atonement for our sins. He works through His Word and Sacrament ministry of the Church to forgive sins and give eternal life. He works through governments to hold evil at bay. He works through our neighbors to meet our daily needs. And God works through us in our respective vocations to provide for our families, communities, and congregations.

God's Word teaches that sinners are passive recipients in the process of conversion. Sinners contribute nothing to their own salvation. They do not "decide for Jesus" and they do not merit the work of Christ by their works or intentions. Christians are made by God alone through His Word and Sacrament Ministry. Faith is a gift from God. "Yes, by His grace you are saved through faith. It was not your own doing; it is God's gift." (Eph. 2:8)

Good works are not the cause of our salvation, but as the Lutheran Confessions teach, they are necessary. "What St. Augustine says is indeed true: He who has created you without yourself will not save you without yourself." (Dr. Luther) "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you." (John 15:16) We are chosen and put into service by God, but true faith is not passive. The goal of the Gospel is salvation. Good works are the second effect (the byproducts and fruit) of the Gospel.

The work of an orthodox congregation is of two kinds. The first and constitutive work of the Church is the work of the Word and Sacrament Ministry. The forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation can be found nowhere else except in the Church. The Church is found only where the Word and Sacraments are administered according to Christ's command. Many institutions feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, teach the young, and care for the elderly. But it is only in the Church that Christians are created, sustained, and finally transmitted to their heavenly home. Everything else that is done in and by a congregation is to serve this higher purpose. The responsibility for the Word and Sacrament Ministry and the spiritual care of the flock belongs primarily to the Pastor (John 20:23, Matthew 28:19-20, John 21:15-17). The Pastor is the one who is to lead the worship service. The Pastor is the one who uses the keys in Christ's stead to forgive and retain sins. The Pastor is the one who preaches and teaches.

While the Word and Sacrament Ministry is the first and constitutive work of the Church, it is not the only work of the Church. This is where many small congregations miss the boat. While maintaining the theological integrity of the worship service, they fail to translate this passion for the Word of God to works of love and service during the week. For the individual Christian these works of love are done throughout the week by faith as the Christian carries out the duties of his or her respective vocations.

Just as true Christian faith produces good works in the life of the Christian, so also good works are done by Christians when they are gathered together by the Word and Sacraments of Jesus Christ in groups called congregations. These works do not constitute the Church, but they are the natural byproduct of the faith and are necessary for a healthy congregational. These are works of charity and service.

This is where the smaller confessional/orthodox congregations tend to fall down. Believing that all things depend on God (rightly so) and that people ought to seek out those congregations that remain faithful to the Word and Sacrament Ministry (as should be the case), many conservative congregations fail to serve their members, neighbors, and communities as they ought. They pray as if everything depends on God, but they work as though they have no part in the work of God.

These congregations tend to take little interest in supporting and building good Lutheran schools, missions, and service agencies. They avoid those circumstances wherein they might be called upon to contend for the faith (Jude 3) and fight for that which is true and right (1 Tim. 1:18-19). Often they do not provide aid to working families (i.e., after-school and summer programs), the elderly (senior day care programs), sick, poor, illiterate, orphaned, widowed, and others in need. In short, they have removed their congregations from a public and active life of love and service in the community and neighbor.

Sometimes their Pastors even find themselves in trouble with their congregations because they became too involved in the community. But, just as good works are necessary for the individual Christian, they are vital to the life of a healthy congregation. (Rom. 12:10-13, Gal. 6:2,10, Col. 4:5, Heb. 13:2, 1 Tim. 6:18, & James 2)

Through the pastoral office our Lord Jesus Christ feeds His sheep on His Word, He gives them His life-giving water (Holy Baptism), and He feeds them on Christ's body and blood (The Sacrament of the Altar). This is the constitutive work of the Church. It is through the Word and the Sacraments that true Christian growth is accomplished. But Christian faith and love must find its object, namely Jesus Christ, Whom we serve by serving our neighbors as individual Christians in our vocation and as congregations that serve our communities. A congregation that takes the Word of God seriously and that loves is a congregation that is engaged in both of kinds works.

Chapter Three
Why Are They Leaving Our Little Church?

When membership and attendance decline (and along with them the budget) panic tends to set in. "Why are all these people leaving our church?" "The Pastor, the leaders, or the congregation must have done something wrong."

When a congregation finds itself in a membership crisis, two temptations begin to assert themselves. First, the blame game is begun in earnest. Because the Pastor is the Pastor, many within the congregation will blame him. More specifically, they will blame his personality and people skills for the loss of members. "If only he were a different person, then the decline of the congregation and discontent of the people would not have occurred." "If only he was more like our previous Pastor, then things would be all right." Second, the congregation and Pastor are tempted to "play around" with the liturgy and theology of the worship service (more will be said about this in the next chapter).

The Pastor should always be prepared to examine himself and his conduct in the office of pastor in light of the full counsel of the Word of God and submit himself to its judgments of law. The Pastor has the burden by divine right to lead the congregation in the way that the congregation should go. Is he leading and teaching the congregation in both the Word and Sacrament ministry and in a healthy life of service to the neighbor (the second work of the Church)? Pastors who tend only to the preaching and teaching aspects of their office and do not lead, encourage, and participate in the charitable works of the congregation, may one day find themselves without a congregation.

Having said that, the congregation ought not to be so quick to render harsh judgments against their Pastor for his weaknesses and his personality traits. The Scripture is clear. Jesus uses us in our weakness to accomplish His will. "If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness." (2 Cor. 11:30) "For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one shall bear his own load. And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches." (Gal. 6:3-6 NASB)

Congregations have personalities too. Sometimes congregations can be pretty unfriendly, stubborn, and disconnected creatures, yet the Pastor has a divine duty to preach, teach, absolve, and commune the members, even if he does not like some of the individual personalities in the congregation. For our judgments are to be based on the Word of God alone, befriending the unfriendly, forgiving the unforgivable, and loving the unlovable. Rendering judgments on a fellow Christian's personality and driving him from a congregation on the basis of the same is a great sin, which should never be tolerated within a Christian congregation. This is to be the Pastor's disposition in regard to the congregation and this is to be the congregation's disposition in regard to the Pastor, whom God has called to serve the congregation. The temptation today is to run to psychology, personality, and temperament testing to determine where a man's personality is suitable for the ministry.

People leave one congregation for another for a multitude of reasons. Some of those reasons are legitimate, but most are the result of an unchristian spirit. In a day when people have been conditioned to think in a postmodern anti-Christian fashion, many congregations have fallen prey to a moderating Protestantism. Authentic Lutheranism is in direct opposition to how people think things ought to be. So when an authentic Lutheran Pastor shows up in one of these confused and wayward congregations and begins to correct and strengthen the theological practice of the congregation (e.g., reestablishing the practice of closed communion), those who have bought into the philosophies of our day (Col. 2:8) are offended and wage war against God's servant.

If you belong to a congregation that is smaller today than it was just a few years ago because of a fight regain or maintain a truly Lutheran/biblical identity, then it is better to be smaller and more faithful, than larger and less faithful. But even if that is the case, there is still much that needs to be done. The Gospel still is to be preached throughout the world, starting within your own community. Works of love and service of the neighbor are still to be carried on, regardless of the size or weariness of the battle stricken congregation.

In addition to leaving over genuine differences over doctrine and practice, people leave because they want more for their families. Sometimes people leave because they want to participate in a greater variety of music and liturgical practice and they believe that the only place such variety is offered is in the "contemporary" or "blended" service. People leave because they want their children to be surrounded by other children in Sunday School and youth groups. Sometimes people leave the small church because it does not provide the kind of services they believe are essential to keeping a family active in the church.

In matters of salvation only one thing is needful, the Word and Sacrament ministry of Jesus Christ. Yet, at the same time the New Testament and Early Churches were very concerned about providing for the members' physical and social needs. They fed the poor. They gathered together daily in one another's homes. The took over the religious and educational training of the young. The New Testament and Early Churches were known by friend and foe alike for the kindness and help they showed the widow, the poor, the orphan, and the sick.

Congregations develop patterns and have a life cycle. They begin as missions. They struggle for their very existence in the early years. Yet, those early years are often marked by a busy and hard working community of believers. In due time the congregation hits its apex (in terms of membership) and from that point on it begins to decline (in terms of membership). Year after year passes and the inactive membership list grows. Eventually, transfers-out exceed baptisms, professions of faith, and transfers-in.

All too many congregations have retreated into a kind of monastic existence. They have withdrawn from the community and live apart from it. They seem to delight more in the amount of money they saved than they do in the number of souls God has saved through them. I have often told the congregation in which I serve that they have been called together as a congregation to save souls not money. If a small confessional congregation is going to change the pattern of declining attendance to increasing attendance, one of the things that it needs to do (humanly speaking) is to become active and involved in its community.

And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:44-47

Chapter Four
Keeping and Maintaining a Proper Worship Service

Perhaps the second greatest temptation that the small church faces is the temptation to replace the liturgy in order to bring in the people. Second to getting a more "likable and appealing pastor," the next suggestion is to transform the worship service into a more entertaining, "positive," and "relevant" "worship experience."

But such language in regard to the worshiper and the One to be worshiped points to the fundamental problem with this way of thinking. It turns the worship service into something other than a worship service. The service is not to be about how I feel. It is to be about the worship of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but especially about God the Son - - Jesus Christ. The doctrine and practice of the authentic Lutheran Church are based solely on the Word of God. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "An hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24 NASB)

People believe the way they worship. People worship the way they believe. This is an old and true axiom. A rush to renovate the liturgical and worship practice of the congregation in a direction that is overly concerned with anthropocentric emotions or perceived needs and away from centuries of tradition rooted in the God-ordained content and forms of the divine service is a change in the fundamental doctrine and identity of the congregation. That is to say, many congregations have become non-Lutheran because they forsook genuine Lutheran worship. Traditions (1 Cor. 11:2 & 2 Thess. 2:15) are not all man-made and we ought to be very careful to pass on to those who follow that which is good and edifying to the church. Fads, especially liturgical fads, by definition always turn out badly when measured over the long haul.

On the practical level a radical shift in the worship, music, and liturgical practice of a congregation from a traditional service to a "contemporary" one often leads to an even faster decline in attendance and membership. And given the number of churches offering entertainment, contemporary, praise, and blended services these days, it is unlikely that the smaller congregation will be able to compete with larger congregations which often have paid staff who are responsible for the production of a good Sunday morning show.

The worship service is a great and wonderful mystery. In the divine service God comes to us in the word and sacrament ministry and forgives our sins. He comes to us to serve us. We in turn come into His presence and confess our sins and offer our praise and thanks for all that He has done and continues to do for us in Jesus Christ. Lutheran worship more than any other liturgical and musical tradition keeps this relationship in its proper place. God does for and to us and we reply in faith and thankfulness, both of which are created and sustained by Christ. In order words, the worship service is not about our feelings, likes, or dislikes. It is to be about Jesus Christ and His gifts.

Yet, there is always room improvement in the worship, musical, and liturgical life of the congregation. Lutheran worship is far more varied, beautiful, and rich than most Lutherans know. Through the influence of an unhealthy pietism, much of our rich musical and liturgical tradition has been forgotten. Today we are at the beginning of a liturgical renewal, that is a rediscovery of this rich tradition. This is a tradition that began in the Old and New Testaments themselves (Neh. 12:27, Eph. 5:19, & Col. 3:16).

Many conservative congregations have created some of their own problems in this area. Due to the unhealthy influence of pietism, many congregations reduced their liturgical diet to two services and a basic selection of hymns. They have no interest in developing a worship life that reflects the full body of the Church's doctrine, the church calendar, or the full range of human experience. The Lutheran Reformers adorned their church buildings with beautiful architecture, windows, and pictures. They used liturgical colors, sacred images, sights, sounds, and smells that involve all five senses in the act of worship. They created a "holy" other environment that set the church and its worship apart from all other earthly activities.

As a result of the narrow and shallow diet, many became bored with the "same old music, words, and settings." God's Word is food for the Christian. Christian hymns, liturgy, (invocations, graduals, introits, the Psalmody, responses, Creeds, and blessings) and prayers are Scriptures. To reduce the number of church services to just a few and to refuse to use the full body of our liturgical and musical tradition is to withhold from the sheep of Christ's flock, the full counsel and wisdom of God's Word. The liturgy teaches and instills in the hearts and minds of God's children (young and old alike), Bible verses, prayers, doctrines, and words of beauty and comfort.

The same narrow diet week after week shackles the Christian and stifles Christian faith and spiritual growth. People might be leaving the confessional small church because they are hungry for more substance. The Church Growth Congregation promises them a fuller plate and a greater worship life. But it delivers of plate full of junk food.

The small confessional church is often limited by talent and resources. This means that the smaller confessional congregation needs to work harder at developing a fuller and richer worship life. In addition to "Page 5" and "Page 15" of TLH or Divine Service II, the congregation needs to learn good versions of Vespers, Matins, and The Order of Confessional Service. If TLH congregations simply used the prayers, Psalms, canticles, and liturgical settings printed within its own cover, it would be well on the way to a healthy and fuller liturgical life. There is a place for chanting and there is a place for spoken liturgy. Choirs can be very helpful in teaching and leading the liturgical responses. A cantor would add a whole other dimension to the worship life. The guilds can create banners and works of art that help set the mood appropriate for the liturgical season.

Being a small confessional congregation does not mean that the worship service must be deprived of a fuller, more beautiful, and more dignified worship life. It does mean that the worshipers, especially the remaining members of the congregation need to make a conscious effort to sing more clearly and to participate more confidently in the divine service. It means the pastor needs to be more deliberate in the hymns and liturgies he uses.

Rebuilding a congregation's membership is hard work. In an age when the Law and Gospel, Word and Sacrament ministry is not honored by the average "church goer", rebuilding a congregation's membership and attendance is a long process when it is done according to the doctrines of Holy Scripture. Today the average congregation has become addicted to emotionalism, egoism, mediocrity, and informalism. Churches that move in the other direction, toward reverence, purity of the Word and Sacrament ministry, beauty, sound liturgical and musical traditions, and into the mysteries of the divine service, will offer the worshiper the Living Water that wells up to Eternal Life and the food of God's Word that ends the hunger for righteousness.

Chapter Five
Going it Alone And Working Together

Additional chapters of the "Surthrival" Guide will be published on Reformation Today's webpage