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Spiritual Leadership in the Small Membership Church

Reviewed by Neil Cruickshank.

David Canada is a pastor of three small to medium sized Methodist churches in Virginia, USA. His intention seems to be to help people leading similar churches to understand and practise the journey of spiritual maturity. The lesson seems to be modelling this journey to those in the local church.

It makes a number of assumptions - which, I guess, is necessary both from his viewpoint and also to give the book focus. He takes for granted that the leader of the small church is primarily pastoral, a “full-time” minister and itching to move on to bigger things! His background is also very traditional, historical and of the “maintenance” variety. Asking people to get involved in their church by folding service sheets gives some idea of the pace of the book.

There is little of the prophetic, the anointed and the radical - but for those of us who see church as a refuge and a comfort, it gives good principles of how to be content in the here and now. My guess is that it is a good short read for those people who pastor a small middle-aged to elderly congregation in a rural setting.