Book Jacket:

Hope for the Small Church is designed for leaders in small churches. Many good people are elected to leadership positions but few get any training for their important role. It is a series of sixteen short lessons designed to give leaders the basics about leadership in the small church. It can be used for a short training session at the start fo each leadership meeting. Hope for the Small Church is about revitalizing the small church through leadership development.

"Abe Funk is no stranger to small Canadian churches, having served as the executive director of the Baptist General Conference of Canada for some 18 years and having pastored small churches as well. Funk wrote this book to give congregational leaders, especially newly elected board members, the basics about leadership in a small church. It will help small churches come closer to being – in their smallness – the very best they can be. Its wisdom and passion can also help pastors develop a leadership philosophy conducive to health and successful ministry. The first three chapters do a fine job clarifying the nature and mission of the Church, the differences between mega churches and small-town and rural churches and, finally, what it means to be a healthy church. The rest of the book is 13 lessons (short discussions about seven pages each) examining the basic, key dynamics involved in leading, growing and developing a healthy small church. It would be easy for a church board to start each of its meetings by reading and discussing a chapter from this book. Each lesson begins with anecdotal quotes (good ones at that), a pertinent Scripture passage and a reference point from Funk’s own experience before the teaching section. At the end of each chapter are great discussions sections and guided opportunities to bathe the learning process with prayer. When I look for educational materials for my church board, I am always concerned to find relevant information, and Funk’s well-designed lessons are just what we need. In fact this is a welcome resource for all small churches in Canada today."

"Sometimes we miss the most obvious. In the work of building people in faith, the popular large or mega churches not only get most of the press, but we fail into the assumption that this is where most people get their spiritual life and direction. The fact is that most Christians attend smaller congregations. What a gift is Hope for the Small Church "

Dr. Brian C Stiller
President
Tyndale University College & Seminary

"This book is a gold mine awaiting your discovery. It reflects a lifetime of accumulated wisdom gained from broad ministry experience. Seldom is so much said in so few words, yet it covers the entire scope of church leadersip. Best of all, it is written with the small-town church in mind -- a rare find in today's publishing world"

Ron Klassen
Executive Director
Rural Home Missions Association

"In this little volume, Abe Funk has produces a work which can be of significant benefit to leadership boards in small congregations. Drawing upon a lifetime of experience in and study of small churches, he has identified the key issues and challenges facing those responsible for leadership."

Dr. Jim Mason
Professor Emeritus
Bethel Seminary

"In an era mesmerized by the large church stories, Dr. Funk has distilled his passion for small churches into practical wisdom for the small church. Forty-seven years of effective church experience qualifies him to write with such heart and yet simplicity. Church board members, pastors and leaders of churches need to heed this resource."

Dr. Daryl Busby
President
Canadian Baptist Seminary