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Karl Vaters

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The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches and the Small Thinking that Divides Us

Karl Vaters (Goodreads Author)

4.09 · Rating details · 22 ratings · 6 reviews

90% of the churches in the world have less than 200 people.

What if that's not a bad thing? What if smallness is an advantage God wants us to use, not a problem to fix?

In The Grasshopper Myth, Karl Vaters takes on some of the unbiblical beliefs we've held about church growth, church size and God's will for the last several decades. Then he offers a game plan for a New Smal ...more

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Paperback, 212 pages

Published 2012 by New Small Church

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May 26, 2018 Michael Philliber rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

How do you perceive your small church? Do you see it's smallness as a problem to be fixed? Or is it possible that it is small by God's own design and in his delight? Karl Vaters, Teaching Pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, California, tackles these questions and many, many more in his heart-lifting 212 page paperback, "The Grasshopper Myth". The book's appellation comes from Numbers 13 when the twelve spies returned from reconnoitering the Promised Land, and ten of th How do you perceive your small church? Do you see it's smallness as a problem to be fixed? Or is it possible that it is small by God's own design and in his delight? Karl Vaters, Teaching Pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, California, tackles these questions and many, many more in his heart-lifting 212 page paperback, "The Grasshopper Myth". The book's appellation comes from Numbers 13 when the twelve spies returned from reconnoitering the Promised Land, and ten of them recounted how tall and big everyone and everything was, and then exclaimed, "and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them” (13.33). Viola! The Grasshopper Myth!

Without being jaundiced or jaded, Vaters challenges our self-imposed expectations that gut many a minister, and asks all of the "wrong" questions. Why is small a bad thing when an overwhelming majority of our churches in the U.S.A. and the world have less than 250 congregants? Is it possible that small churches are the normal plan of God for a host of reasons? Can a small church be a great church? "The Grasshopper Myth isn't the result of being small. It comes from feeling small and believing those feelings" (51). Instead we need to recognize that "each church has its own mission and shouldn't try to duplicate the mission of another church, no matter how successful or large that other church is" (53). And further, "there is no place on earth where a Small Church won't fit" (142).

Though "The Grasshopper Myth" is ideal for church boards, elder boards, and other leadership groups, it is especially beneficial for pastors and ministers. The book looks into our pastoral hearts through (1) the lens of Vaters' own nearly-catastrophic-congregation-destroying story, (2) the grid of the church-growth programs that have been trumpeted for over four decades, and (3) the realities of Scripture and circumstances. From Vaters' own nearly congregation-destroying catastrophe, to the probing analysis of church-growth attitudes, to the very pointed chapters to pastors, the author brings a breath of fresh air and buoyancy for sinking ministers! In fact his chapter on "Stages In the Emotional Life of the Small Church Pastor" was spot on. I saw myself clearly in those pages, remembering well the disillusionment and high dudgeon during a particular season of my ministry.

If your pastor is downhearted and defeated, hand him a copy quick, and offer to meet for the next three weeks over a cup of coffee or tea to discuss the book (there is even a discussion guide in the back to help you do this). If you're a minister and about to quit, seeing the black clouds of Mordor looming over your ministry, and disgusted with where God has you, then get "The Grasshopper Myth" yesterday and pour over it today! This handy manual would also be valuable for a pastors' retreat or a book discussion in a ministerial alliance. So, if you can't tell, let me simply say it clearly: I recommend this book with all the verve I can muster!

My thanks to Karl Vaters for sending the copy of the book used for this review. The recommendation and reflections are mine, all mine! No one put me up to them, and they are freely and happily given. ...more

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Jun 03, 2014 Christopher rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christianity

In America it is easy to become obsessed with size and to equate a large size with success. However, when it comes to the Church, Jesus never told us that a large church meant you were successfully spreading the gospel. In this short book, Mr. Vaters points out that the vast majority of churches, even in America, are small churches (he doesn't like to throw numbers around in this book, but for the sake of argument he classifies a small church as being 350 regular attendees or less). Mr. Vaters c In America it is easy to become obsessed with size and to equate a large size with success. However, when it comes to the Church, Jesus never told us that a large church meant you were successfully spreading the gospel. In this short book, Mr. Vaters points out that the vast majority of churches, even in America, are small churches (he doesn't like to throw numbers around in this book, but for the sake of argument he classifies a small church as being 350 regular attendees or less). Mr. Vaters criticizes some of the thinking behind the church growth movement of the past few decades while dedicating some space to say that he is not criticizing any one pastor specifically or personally (Rick Warren comes up a few times in this regard). He illustrates all the benefits and problems both big and small churches can have and he writes about his own struggles as a small church pastor to show how corrosive the church-growth mentality can be for those who weren't called by God to pastor a large church. He rightly points out how small churches can be more intimate and offer pastors the opportunity to counsel their congregation on a more personal, 1-to-1, basis than big churches can. And he also illustrates how small churches can be a practical testing ground for new pastors fresh out of seminary. Through it all, Mr. Vaters hammers the point that if your church is small and not growing, so long as your church is healthy, you ARE NOT a failure. In fact, your small church size is where God wants you to be at. There were two small problems I had with this book. First, every paragraph is separated with a line break, sometimes even every sentence. It is a strange way to lay out a book, but after a while I got used to it. Second, Mr. Vaters repeats the point that small church size ≠ failure so often that it can be difficult to distinguish the different points he is making in each chapter. But considering how deeply ingrained the church-growth mentality is in America, I think it is a point that does need to be repeated often. This book is geared for small church pastors, so regular church attendees may not get as much out of it as them, but it has certainly made me think critically about how I act in my small church and whether or not I am helping or hindering it by comparing its size to other churches I've been too. I would highly recommend this book to small church pastors and to their congregations. ...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Luke rated it it was amazing

So many times, churches and pastors measure themselves by their size. If they aren't big, that is an indictment of the pastor's ability or the people's faith. But this book helps show that the size of our church is what God wants it to be at that particular time. And rather than getting upset that there aren't 5,000 people in worship, the pastor should relax and love and appreciate the ones who are there. Not every church can be a megachurch, but small churches have advantages that big churches ...more

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Aug 29, 2013 Cath Martin rated it liked it

Karl had some good points that were worth consideration - but overall there was a repetitiveness that became distracting. It also appears that he does not entertain the thought of women in ministry as all of his examples were VERY gender bias. This book did give me some things to consider but it is not one that I could recommend to others.... well,for a lot of reasons!

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Dec 19, 2013 Jaclyn Wynne rated it it was ok

This book is ok, and I agree with his evaluation that small churches are just as important as their larger counterparts and they have things to bring to the table...but the book is very repetitive and at some points sounds more like the author is trying to convince himself.

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Dec 09, 2013 Eric rated it really liked it

Shelves: ministry

If you lead a small church you should check out this book. While I might not agree with everything Vaters holds, I think he is making some extremely important points that small church pastors need to hear.

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