How Jesus Sees and Liberates Small Churches: Hope from Luke 13 and the Wisdom of Thomas G. Bandy

Rev. Bobby Musengwa

Transitional General Presbyter

Many years ago, I met Thomas G. Bandy in Buffalo, NY, when I took elders and deacons from my congregation to attend his church workshop. Bandy, a trusted interpreter of North American congregational life, has helped countless churches rediscover their worth and calling, regardless of their size. Through his work with Easum, Bandy and Associates, and books such as Kicking Habits, Growing Spiritual Redwoods, and Coaching Change, he continually uplifts the value of smaller congregations often overlooked by the wider world.

Tom was engaging and provocative, something I needed my church leaders to experience. I needed him to shake them up from their placidness. Instead, I was the one he shook to my boots, while my church leaders reveled at and loved his provocative ideas.

Tom Bandy’s message to small churches emerges not just from theology and experience, but also from his personal story. Years ago, Tom and his wife found themselves anxious about their young daughter’s apparent lack of physical growth. Like many parents, they sought medical advice, wondering if something was wrong. The doctors ran tests and explored different possibilities, perhaps genetic factors, chronic illness, or hormonal imbalance. Understandably, the parents waited anxiously in the waiting room.

Finally, the doctor came over. “Good news, Mr and Mrs Bandy!” he exclaimed with a big smile on his face. Surprised, the parents leaned in to hear this good news. “There is nothing wrong with your daughter. She is fine and healthy, and is thriving. She just won’t grow to be as tall as other children in her age group. She’s done growing.” That surprising good news inspired Tom to help small congregations to embrace their God-given gifts and identity and to serve God’s mission and ministry unapologetically in their community.

This parental concern is a fitting parable for the church, and I must confess, to me as well, as your Transitional General Presbyter. Just as loving parents worry when their child’s growth seems stunted and isn’t like everyone else’s, so too do leaders and members of small congregations worry over their church’s size or perceived lack of progress. But, as doctors look beyond charts and numbers to see the whole child, Jesus also looks past outward appearances to see the true heart and mission of every congregation. In many cases, you would find that the church may be small but mighty, thriving and flourishing, by God’s grace. I have experienced this flourishing as I visit your congregations. Each of you has your own story, bearing witness to God’s love, each in your own unique way.

In Luke 13:10-17, we find Jesus healing a woman who had been bent over for eighteen years. This story is especially powerful for small churches and perhaps to us as followers of Jesus, who are “cumbered with a load of care,” as the hymn reminds us. We need Jesus to liberate us and to help on our journey along the way.

1. Jesus Sees the Unseen - In Luke’s account, Jesus sees a woman others have ignored. Likewise, no congregation, no matter how small, escapes the compassionate gaze of our Lord Jesus Christ. He notices your struggles, your joys, and your faithfulness, even when others seem not to.

2. Jesus Liberates and Restores Dignity - When Jesus heals, he not only fixes the physical issue, but also restores dignity and standing within the community. In the same way, Jesus releases small churches from the burdens of comparison and inferiority. Your congregation’s worth is found in Christ’s love, not in numerical growth or worldly recognition.

3. Challenging False Standards of Value - Religious leaders in the story focus on rules and appearances. Jesus turns the focus to compassion and transformation. Small churches are often the first to remember that God’s Reign is about real relationships, mercy, and open hearts - not busyness or prestige.

4. Empowerment for Mission - After healing the woman, Jesus affirms her place in the family of faith. When small congregations embrace their own God-given identity, they are empowered to serve and encourage those who might also feel overlooked or bent low by life.

5. A Living Witness to God’s Kingdom - When the woman is healed, the community rejoices and praises God. The loving presence and resilience of small churches are a powerful witness to God’s ongoing, healing activity in the world. Faithfulness, not size, is what bears lasting fruit in God’s eyes.

Just as loving parents cherish a child regardless of her size or speed of growth, and just as Jesus saw, healed, and restored a woman whom others had ignored, so too does Jesus Christ see, value, and empower “small” congregations. Your faith, hope, and love are not small in the kingdom of God.

Take heart: you are seen, deeply loved, and purposefully called. Every act of faithfulness, large or small, matters in the eyes of Jesus, who knows your story better than anyone, and delights in your unique identity and growth.

Rejoice and continue to participate joyfully in the mission that God has given you. Continue to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Your faithful journey matters, and God is walking with you every step of the way!

To God be the glory!