This is the second of two very special episodes that we’re doing in back-to-back weeks instead of our usual bi-weekly schedule.

This episode features the message I preached in January 2024, on the day our church honored Shelley and me for our 31 years of serving the church on staff.

In this message, I talked about what we’re doing next, including why God has called us to the ministry of Helping Small Churches Thrive.

It includes some of the key points we teach to Small Church Pastors, like:

• The Theory of the Long Tail
• The Grasshopper Myth
• The Pastoral Prime Mandate
• and more.

 It also includes how people can support us in this new era of ministry.

We will no longer be receiving a salary from the church, but we’re raising all our own funds to be missionaries to the small churches in need. But the churches that need the help the most can afford it the least.

To become a financial supporter, please visit https://karlvaters.com/support/.

The message ends with one of the most touching stories I’ve ever heard about a Small Church Pastor who, like so many others, is one of the unsung heroes of the faith.

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