Say the words, “small church” and stereotypes like “struggling,” “out-of-date,” “backward” and “scattered” come to mind. However, there is a silent explosion happening on the Internet among small church pastors and denominational leaders. A search on Google reveals 52 million hits just on the phrase “small church.” “Small church pastor” and “small church ministry” produce 18 million and 10 million hits respectively. There is even a hashtag on Twitter for small church discussions, #smallchurch.

So what's happening? The simplest answer is that the stereotypes are being challenged. The Rev. Les Puryear, who's been blogging since 2006, says, “Just because a church is small doesn't mean that the church is unhealthy.” His blog, “Joining God in His Work,” is a prime example of the growing movement of small church pastors who are writing about their experiences. He identifies four issues at the heart of this movement.

1. More equitable small-church representation on denominational boards and committees.

2. Production of material specifically for the small-church environment.

3. A change of heart about the small church as valuable and not unhealthy.

Puryear along with other pastors see a growing need for smaller sized churches. “On a percentage basis, small churches baptize more annually than do larger churches. I believe

that for the postmodern generation, the small church is a better fit for their relational needs than larger churches.”

Is there a audience for these ideas? Depending on the statistics you read, 70 to 85 percent of Protestant congregations in the United States are small. A small church can be urban, suburban or rural, and have an active membership of 100 or fewer. The majority of churches that fall into this category have an average worship attendance of 70 or fewer.

The audience is growing. Puryear says the small-church minister is hungry for material that fits. “It's important that small churches communicate with each other because we can learn from one another. Most of the denominational church health material is written by large church people who promote large church ideas. Most of these materials do not translate easily into the small church environment. We need to learn from each other in the small church.”

I couldn't give you all 52 million hits on “small church,” but here are just a few of the blogs and web sites focused on small church ministry. Forgive me if I left your favorite one off the list:

• “Confessions of a Small Church Pastor” at www.chuckwarnockblog.wordpress.com is a great site with lots of Warnock's thoughts about everything from sermons to community ministry. You'll also a find link to a web page he writes for called SmallChurchPROF at www.jprof.com/smallchurchprof.

• Energizing Smaller Churches Network at www.escnetwork.com is a Web page sponsored by Standard Publishing. The purpose of this page is to support Standard's Energizing Smaller Churches Conferences. You can find schedules and speaker information about the conferences but not much else.

• “Heart of the SBC: Conversations About the Small Church” at www.heartofthesbc.blogspot.com is a blog coauthored by three small church pastors. The Blog focuses on issues and experiences of the small church in a big church world. Mainly geared to Southern Baptist pastors, the blog has links to SBC sites.

• “Joining God in His Work” at www.lesliepuryear.blogspot.com is Puryear's site, which is updated several times a week and focuses on small church issues from a Southern Baptist perspective.

• “Rural American Pastor” at www.ruralamericanpastor.wordpress.com is a blog written by the Rev. Josh Phillips. He focuses on issues learned by pastoring the small rural congregation. His page contains links to other blogs and sites.

• “Rural Route Church” at www.ruralchurch.wordpress.com is “dedicated to the wonderful world of rural life and ministry.” Filled with links and photos this is a fun page to read. It is a very encouraging site for a ministry role that is admittedly difficult.

• SmallChurch.com at www.smallchurch.com is a web site maintained by the Rev. Jim Thomas. He writes on the front page, “SmallChurch.com exists in order to help small churches understand the struggles and opportunities facing rural ministries.” You will find links to other sites and information for small church ministry.

• Small Church and Community Ministry at www.pcusa.org/smallchurch/ is a Web site maintained by the Presbyterian Church USA. Links include their blog for small Presbyterian churches, “Vital Signs” and a page called Small Church Stories.

• “Small Church Development” at www.episcopalchurch.org/smallchurch.htm is a Web page created by the Episcopal Church. This site contains useful statistics, articles, resources and links all dedicated to the small Episcopal congregation.

• “Small Church Joy” at www.smallchurchjoy.org is published by the United Methodist Church for their small congregations. This site contains information geared for the Methodist congregation. It has no outside links.

• “Small Membership Church” at www.gbod.org/membership/default.asp is sponsored by GBOD an agency of the United Methodist Church. This is a wonderful site filled with research, resources, links and articles.

• “Through the Veil” at www.hebrews1019-20.blogspot.com is a blog written by Rev. Scott Hart. Hart shares his thoughts about everything from Southern Baptist life to political commentary.

So, what is the impact of these sites on the current church conversation? Puryear thinks they are already making a difference. “Now I hear our leaders asking, 'How will what we

are about to do affect the majority of our churches, which are small churches?' I think that is a huge step forward.”

The growth of this Web presence is no accident, and it continues to build. Small church pastors are using the Internet to have the discussion publishing houses and denominational leaders have avoided for years. The small church is an integral part of the church conversation in America.

The Rev. David B. Smith is the pastor of Creek Road Baptist Church in Cincinnati. You can read his blog, “Small Church Strong,” at http://smallchurchstrong.blogspot.com. Reach him at dave@allthesewords.com or 513.563.7324.