The potential influence of one small church pastor is much larger than one city church pastor.
A city pastor of a large church may influence more people. His church may even have more members than the population of the small town you serve in. But he is still one pastor among many, one church among 100 or 500 churches. He may have the potential to influence more people, but a much smaller percentage of the city he is in.
A small town pastor is one among only a few. I’m actually in a small town where our church is the only church in town. People talk about “the church” and everyone knows which one they mean. When you put on an event for Easter, you are the only church in town putting one on. Everybody in town knows who you are, even if you don’t know who they are. It’s the idea of being the big fish in a small pond instead of a small fish in a big pond – or whatever terms you might want to use. Since most small town are rural I should maybe say you are one big bull in a small herd instead of a small bull in a large herd.
By your actions and by your very presence you can have an influence on a small town in a way that a pastor in a large city is seldom able to do. So enjoy the opportunity to use your influence in a positive way. You and your small church may just be able to change your whole community.
Pastoring in a Small Town...and loving it! 