Top Tips for Pastors: Growing a Small Church

The small church is the American church

Seven in ten U.S. churches have 100 or fewer weekly worship attendees. The median U.S. congregation sees 65 people gather each week, a number that has dropped from 137 since the year 2000.¹ Meanwhile, seven in ten churchgoers attend a church with more than 250 in weekly attendance, which means that a small minority of churches host the majority of attendees.¹ If you pastor a small church, you are not an outlier. You are the American church.

The 2020 Faith Communities Today (FACT) study found that smaller churches have distinct advantages over larger ones: greater per-capita participation, higher per-person giving, more volunteering, and the highest percentage of budget directed toward missions and charity.¹ The challenge for small church pastors is not that their churches are inherently unhealthy. The challenge is using those strengths to reach more people.

The 2026 Lifeway Research study on pastoral attendance trends offers encouraging news: 54% of U.S. Protestant pastors report their average worship attendance has increased by at least 4% since 2023.² The average pastor reported 16% growth over two years. However, the smallest churches (those with fewer than 50 in attendance) are the most likely to be plateaued (43%) and among the most likely to be in decline (25%).²

1. Focus on visitor retention before visitor acquisition

The average U.S. Protestant church retains 81% of new commitments within the past year, and 57% of churches retain all of their new commitments.³ That retention rate is a strength. But the percentage of new attendees who are completely new to church has declined from 27% in 2016 to 20% today.²

• Implement a first-Sunday follow-up system. Every visitor should receive a personal contact within 48 hours.

• Create a welcome experience that matches your size. A church of 75 does not need a parking team. It needs a genuinely warm greeter at the door.

• Invite visitors into a meal, not a program. Small churches win on relationships, not on programs.

• Track your retention rate. How many first-time visitors return for a second visit?

The average church saw 18 new commitments to Jesus Christ in the past 12 months, with a median of 6.³ In churches with fewer than 50 in attendance, 23% report no new commitments at all.²

2. Build community engagement that goes beyond your walls

The average Protestant church has 27% of its adults serving in ministries outside the church, an increase from 22% in 2010.³ Community engagement is a growth driver because it puts your church members in contact with unchurched people in natural settings.

• Partner with a local school. Schools are the hubs of your community.

• Host a community event that costs nothing. The goal is to build a reputation as a church that cares.

• Serve a specific population. Pick one group in your community that is underserved.

• Equip members for workplace evangelism. The average church has 20% of new attendees who did not previously attend church.²

3. Create clear discipleship pathways

Lifeway Research found that on average, 44% of weekend worship attendees are involved in a small group, down from 49% in 2010.³ In the smallest churches, 39% report that less than 25% of their attendees are in a small group.³ This is a critical weakness.

Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said: "Small groups and Sunday School classes provide the relational glue that allows a local congregation to be a place where people love one another. Churches with few people participating in groups are not in a healthy position to be making more disciples."³

• Sunday worship to small group: Every regular attender should be in a small group within 6 weeks.

• Small group to service: Every small group member should be serving within 3 months.

• Service to leadership: Identify those who serve faithfully and invest in them as future leaders.

4. Develop volunteers as your primary growth strategy

Lifeway Research found that 77% of pastors identify developing leaders and volunteers as their single greatest ministry need.⁴ In small churches, volunteers are the ministry.

The data reveals an interesting paradox. Pastors at churches with fewer than 50 attendees are simultaneously the most likely to say less than 20% of their adults volunteer (24%) and among the most likely to say at least 60% of adults volunteer regularly (35%).³ Small churches tend toward extremes: either a few people carry everything, or the entire congregation serves.

• Ask personally, not publicly. Stage announcements create awareness but rarely create action.

• Start with a low-commitment entry point.

• Train on the job. Pair new volunteers with experienced ones.

• Appreciate publicly and correct privately.

5. Use the advantages of being small

The FACT study identified distinct advantages that smaller churches hold over larger ones.¹

• Higher per-capita giving.

• Higher volunteer rates.

• Deeper relationships.

• Missional focus. Small churches spend the highest percentage of their budget on missions and charity.¹

• Flexibility. Small churches can make decisions quickly.

6. Address the decline honestly

The FACT study found that 52% of U.S. churches are declining by at least 5%, while only 34% are growing by 5% or more.¹ If your small church is declining, you are in the majority.

The 2026 Lifeway Research data shows that congregations of 100 to 249 are among the most likely to be growing (64%), and congregations of 250 or more are the most likely to be growing (70%).² The goal for a small church pastor is not to become a megachurch but to break through the barriers that keep the church below its potential.

7. Measure what matters

• Worship attendance: Track the average and the median.

• Visitor count and retention rate.

• Small group participation: What percentage of your worship attendees are in a group?

• Volunteer rate: What percentage of adults serve regularly?

• New commitments to Christ: The average church sees 18 per year; the median sees 6.³

• Giving trends: Per-capita giving often precedes attendance trends.

The small church future

The data is clear: small churches are not dying. They are the backbone of American Christianity. The 2026 Lifeway Research study found that the average Protestant church grew from 176 attendees in 2023 to 183 in 2025, and the median grew from 90 to 100.² Growth is happening.

Small church pastors who focus on visitor retention, community engagement, discipleship pathways, and volunteer development are building on a foundation that the research supports. The advantages of being small are real. The opportunity is to use them with intentionality and faith.