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Center for Small-Membership Churches

A Center for Small-Membership Churches has been established at Kansas Wesleyan University. The center is a partnership between KWU and the Kansas West Conference. The center’s purpose is to help educate and train lay leadership for small congregations in Kansas.

Leadership for the center will be provided by Rev. Carl Ellis. For the past 10 years, Ellis has worked with lay people moving into ministry and provided programs for church growth designed for the small membership church.  "My passion for ministry is in the small membership church,” Ellis said. 

The Center for Small-membership Church Leadership was created to help train and develop lay leadership for small-membership congregations throughout the state. The Center offers a number of resources for small churches, as well as church consultation and training events.

Ellis has a number of projects in their infancy. The first is a Kansas Area Small Church Bank. Bank deposits will be stories of successful ministries in small-membership churches throughout the Kansas Area. Ellis also will be building a list of contacts in small membership churches to receive information about leadership programs, share the successes and struggles of the small membership church and receive periodic leadership letters.

A program called "Fresh Start” will be offered to pastors and laity serving small membership churches. The program will help the pastor and a group of four to six lay people develop a team and establish growth strategies for their congregation.

We are asking each small church to nominate one member who will represent the church. The qualifications are:

  • The member loves the small membership church
  • The member is willing to fill out an occasional questionnaire and be available for an occasional phone interview to help the Center develop programs that are relevant to the small membership church
  • The member will pass on the information sent from the Center to the local church
  • The member will share with the center programs where the local church has been successful
  • The Center will send out information to the representative which will include:
  • Articles and information on small church growth and vitality
  • Upcoming workshops that are small church friendly
  • Articles about programs that are working in other small churches
  • Information about resources, i.e. books, magazines on church growth
  • List of whom to call for help at your church

Send the nominees name, address, phone, email address to the Center for Church Leadership, Kansas Wesleyan University, 100 E. Claflin, Salina, KS 67401, Phone 785-827-5541, Cell 785-445-2595, or email cellis@kswestumc.org.