Connecting and Resourcing small ministries to serve in big ways
Unpacking Faith for an Unstructured Future
Connecting Faith and Community
Resources and support for small churches doing big things
The power of small- the unopened boxes
My Story
Welcome, I am Tonya Stout, a family ministry director who specializes in small church faith- based community connecting. What is that? It is the re-visioning and refocusing of ministry efforts that changed the landscape for me in how I do ministry. And I want to share my story with you. More than that I want to share all my resources. I want to create a space where we as small church ministry leaders can collaborate and support each other. Maybe you have heard that before, at multiple conferences and meetings. I admit every time I heard that it was an empty promise. I would find myself surrounded by mega church types with unlimited budgets who could not relate to my lack of resources. I would return to my church with little to share and less to motive my team with for the coming year. But I think together we can do more and build more.
Unpacking the boxes
Here is a snapshot of my church:
A bedroom community with rural ties. Worship attendance is less than 200 a Sunday. Our church is an older traditional style with a building boasting beautiful handcrafted stain glass windows. We regularly hold children and youth programming. And for many years creating and implementing those programs fell under my supervision.
Now, today’s Christian landscape is changing in big ways we have all read the statistics. Regular attendance for families has dropped to once every 6 weeks. Creating a chasm hard to bridge when teaching little hearts. And while regular attendance was changing, I also realized that the number of special needs in our classes was increasing. The concerns began to outweigh the positives and I knew I had to find alternate ways to build the kingdom. This is the journey of that realization and the actions both fruitful and not along the way. (And it is far from over.) You will hear my successes and more often my failures. I will share the programs that worked and how my team launched them.
Building community- Outside the box
I truly believe that smaller congregations have more to offer our communities in need. Our society is in crisis. Our friends and family members live in a state of anxiety. How does that make small churches perfect? Think about it….. what do we want when we are hurting? Those closest to us. Not a large group where we are exposed, but a small loving few who will accept us as we are. We can provide deeper relationships and connections. These are the niche of small churches. Community connection is the number one reason for families to choose to move further outside a metropolitan area. We hunger for relationships. We form them both good and bad out of a need to belong. We in small churches just must step outside of the box. The normal “way it has always been” model needs to be shaken and foam packing peanuts shifted allowing us the chance to see our communities differently and make new programs and plans to fit the community we live and serve in.
In The Box Together- COVID 19 response
Sharing Materials
During this time of social distance this site will be focused on supporting and sharing current resources. All other resources sections are paused.
Connecting - Getting outside the box
Blue Crew Movement
Bible & Brews - Outrageous Outreach
Bible & Brews - Outrageous Outreach
How tater tots connected a church and a school
Bible & Brews - Outrageous Outreach
Bible & Brews - Outrageous Outreach
Bible & Brews - Outrageous Outreach
The willingness to be uncomfortable to build the kingdom
Blowing up the Box
Bible & Brews - Outrageous Outreach
Blowing up the Box
Sometimes you have to blow it up to build it better.
Resources- lets share
Contents of the Box
Vacation Bible School programs
Kids Night Out Programs
Special Events
Outreach Programs