Support Small Membership Church Ministries

According to “Christianity Today,” approximately 1,800 established churches close each year. With each closure, communities lose part of the fabric of their community. Small membership churches provide many important services to the community, such as a common meeting place, food banks, and support for families.

The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries  has trained over 300 lay pastors to serve the small membership church over the past 20 years. Looking ahead, the need is great and there is more to be done to help sustain and revitalize small membership churches. They need programs to help their pastors and laypersons grow and reach out to those searching for God’s love.

In the next five years, we plan to train 60 laypersons to serve as pastors for small membership churches. In addition, we will work with the membership of 30 churches to help them develop a ministry of presence to their local community.

To accomplish this goal, we need your help.

 -- Please donate to The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries’ GoFundMe Campaign to help us raise $5,000. The Ruby Murphy Trust will match every dollar raised up to $2,500!

 -- Encourage your friends and churches to donate.

 -- Help recruit laypersons interested in Lay Ministry. The Discovering Your Call to Ministry  course will be offered in January and August 2022.

If you have gifts in congregational care, preaching, evangelism, education, or missions, understand how to communicate with the small membership church, and want to develop your gifts and understanding into a class to teach others, please get in touch  with Rev. Dr. Carl K. Ellis for potential inclusion in our continuing education program.

Working together, we can help small membership churches grow and move toward greater vitality as they continue to serve their local communities.

The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries is a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Thank you for your tax-deductible support!