ORLANDO – God sees the faithfulness of small church pastors and uses their ministry for His kingdom purposes, and during the SBC Annual Meeting, Tuesday, June 9, Southern Baptists sought to recognize their value as well.
Mark Clifton, executive director of Replant at the North American Mission Board (NAMB), addressed the Convention as messengers discussed the resolution, “On Appreciation for Bivocational and Volunteer Pastors.”
Clifton said 70 percent of all Southern Baptist churches have fewer than 100 people in attendance on any given Sunday.
“These normal-sized churches are in every community, every crossroad, every major metropolitan area of our nation, and most of them are pastored by bivocational pastors,” he said. “If we didn’t have these men, there would be communities without the Gospel and without pastors.”
Clifton concluded by encouraging messengers to approve the resolution, “to pray for these men and their families, and to support them in every way you possibly can.”
Southern Baptists overwhelmingly adopted the resolution.
During the lunch hour that day, NAMB’s Replant and Rural Ministry team hosted the Small Church Pastors’ luncheon. The event spurred pastors and their wives to continue in the work God has called them to do and reminded them of the eternal significance of their ministry.
“It is not the size of your church that matters,” said Clifton during the lunch. “It’s the size of your commitment to the Lord.”
JimBo and Audrea Stewart welcomed attendees with stories about their family’s experience serving in small churches. They also highlighted the resources available to pastors through the Replant Hub.
Loving God first
Andy Addis, lead teaching and vision pastor at CrossPoint Church in Kansas and member of NAMB’s rural ministry team, challenged pastors to prioritize their relationship with Christ, underscoring for them that ministry fruitfulness flows from personal intimacy with Jesus.
“If the greatest gift I bring my church is my walk with Jesus, then my first responsibility is not to produce anything. It’s to abide in Him,” said Addis.
He encouraged pastors to cultivate rhythms that keep their hearts centered on Christ and warned against allowing ministry demands to crowd out their walk with the Lord. Faithful ministry begins with a pastor who continues to love Jesus deeply.
Following Addis’s message, attendees learned more about the upcoming Replant Summit and other opportunities designed to equip pastors serving in renewal and revitalization contexts.
Loving the sheep
Mark Hallock, pastor of Calvary Church Englewood in Colorado and a member of Send Network’s Replan Team, urged pastors to embrace the privilege and responsibility of shepherding the people God has entrusted to them.
“Pastor, don’t shepherd God’s people because you have to. Shepherd them because you want to,” Hallock said. “Shepherd them because you get to, because the Lord Himself in His kindness has graciously called you to this sacred work.”
Some of the most significant gospel work happens through ordinary faithfulness: preaching the Word, discipling believers, caring for hurting people, and helping congregations engage their communities with the hope of Christ.
An additional ministry highlight focused on opportunities and resources available to pastors serving in rural contexts, reinforcing the strategic role rural churches continue to play in advancing the Gospel.
Loved by God
Clifton concluded the luncheon by speaking directly to pastors who may feel discouraged or weary in ministry. He shared how their value is not determined by church size, attendance trends, or ministry recognition but by their identity in Christ.
“The greatest preacher in the Old Testament was Elijah, and God put him in front of a congregation of two for two years. God has you where he wants you. Be happy there,” Clifton said. “Love the church you have because only eternity is going to reveal the results of your labor.”
Drawing on decades of pastoral ministry and church revitalization experience, Clifton told pastors to remain faithful, trusting that God continues to work through their ministries.
He also reminded the pastors that they are not serving alone. Most Southern Baptist churches are similar in size and context, creating a large network of pastors faithfully serving in communities across the Convention.
God loves His church, He loves the pastors who serve it, and no act of faithful ministry is wasted. The luncheon emphasized how their work has eternal significance and that Jesus has a plan for every church.
Learn more about church planting and revitalization and the upcoming Replant Summit and Revive Gatherings at churchreplanters.com.
Note: Brandon Elrod and Faith Wroten contributed to this report.