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Karl Vaters
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The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches and the Small Thinking that Divides Us Kindle Edition

by Karl Vaters (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 229 ratings
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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?

(This title is also available in high-quality paperback, exclusively at NewSmallChurch.com)

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 Small Church.

The title comes from the story in Numbers 13. When the Hebrews were at the edge of the Promised Land, ten of the twelve spies come back with this report: "All the people we saw there are of great size. …We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." – Numbers 13:32-33

The grasshopper myth is the false impression that our Small Church ministry is less than what God says it is because we compare ourselves with others.
The solution is for Small Churches to see themselves the way God sees them. A church of innovation, not stagnation. A church that leads instead of following. A church that thinks small, but never engages in small thinking.


If big churches are the cruise ships on the church ocean, small churches can be the speedboats. They can move faster, maneuver more deftly, squeeze into tighter spaces and have a ton of fun doing it. They just have to see themselves that way.

People are talking about The Grasshopper Myth:

“… so necessary, so solid and so real. This book has been researched, it has been lived and it expresses a heart touched by God. Every pastor should read The Grasshopper Myth and be encouraged.” – Dr. Jim Masteller, CEO of CIFT (Center for Individual & Family Therapy)

“One of the best books I’ve read in several years. This book spoke to me clearly as a small church pastor. It was also very liberating. Too often we live under a cloud of self doubt and self-inflicted pressure to constantly have to do more and get bigger. Karl has used Biblical truth to debunk these culturally caused ideas and set me free to be the pastor God has called me to be. I highly recommend this book to every small church pastor.” – Brian Fitch, Lead Pastor, Florence Church of the Nazarene, Florence Oregon

“An outstanding job on a topic that needs to be addressed. This book will prove to be an encouragement to many. This is a call to use smallness as an advantage rather than an excuse. This book could change how you view yourself and your church.” – Frank Wooden, Lead Pastor. San Diego Hope Church, Multi-site church planter

If you read this book (make that when you read it, cuz if you’ve come this far you’re hooked, right?) you’ll find your presuppositions challenged, your heart encouraged and your life and ministry transformed.

Let’s rediscover a New Small Church.

Karl Vaters has been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years, and has been the lead pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, a healthy, innovative small church in Fountain Valley California, for the past 20 years.

Karl Vaters blogs at NewSmallChurch.com.
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  1. Print length
    231 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2013
  5. File size
    464 KB
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  7. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Review


"A great and unique book. You get right to the heart of the matter."
-- John Bueno, Former Assemblies of God World Missions Executive Director

"Finally! This book has been needed for some time. So necessary, so solid and so real. This book has been researched, it has been lived and it expresses a heart touched by God. Every pastor should read The Grasshopper Myth and be encouraged."
-- Dr. Jim Masteller, CEO of CIFT (Center for Individual & Family Therapy)

"One of the best books I've read in several years. ...Too often we live under a cloud of self doubt and self-inflicted pressure to constantly have to do more and get bigger. Karl has used biblical truth to debunk these culturally caused ideas and set me free to be the pastor God has called me to be. I highly recommend this book to every small church pastor."
-- Brian Fitch, Lead Pastor, Florence Church of the Nazarene, Florence Oregon
"An outstanding job on a topic that needs to be addressed. ...This is a call to use smallness as an advantage rather than an excuse. This book could change how you view yourself and your church."
-- Frank Wooden, Hope Church, San Diego, Strategic Small Church planter

"Captivating - Challenging - City Changing. Love the flow, honesty and church-impacting style. It is brilliant! It is a must-read for struggling Pastors as well those experiencing overwhelming success."
-- David C Rees-Thomas. Founding Pastor, Calvary Community Church, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

From the Author

The Grasshopper Myth is the book I wish someone else had written years ago.

It challenges presuppositions I had about church health and growth for most of the last 30 years in ministry. My hope is that it will do for others what I wish it could have done for me - help me understand that a Small Church can be a great church.

The Grasshopper Myth includes a chapter-by-chapter discussion guide.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00AW56FI4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NewSmallChurch.com (January 1, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 464 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 231 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 229 ratings

About the author

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Karl Vaters

Karl Vaters

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Hi, I’m Karl Vaters and I spent over forty years as a small church pastor.

I have a ministry called Helping Small Churches Thrive. I also write books, host The Church Lobby podcast, and speak at conferences.

My heart is to help pastors of small churches (up to 90 percent of us) find the resources to lead well, and to capitalize on the unique advantages that come with pastoring a small church – something virtually every pastor will spend at least some of their ministry years doing. I also believe that big and small churches can and should work together more often, to the benefit and blessing of everyone.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
229 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Johnny Diaz
5.0 out of 5 stars Simple but profound truth! A must read for all pastors
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2024
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This book really helped put words to feelings. As a pastor, something about the western church just doesn’t sit right with me. This book helps us see the issue and move towards a healthy solution!
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Mike Bayer
5.0 out of 5 stars Hope For The Small Church
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2013
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When you read a book and it frees you from 40 years of guilt--that has to be a revolutionary book! That's how long I've been pastoring churches, 40 years. And from my first church to my current pastorate I've had a little voice in the back of my head that said, "You just haven't made it yet."

Of course that guilt and voice was man made. You see I am a `small church' pastor. And Vaters book is `liberating' for pastors of small churches. Why? Because most of us have bought into the `church growth' idea that if your church is not growing, something must be the matter with it and you. Part of the problem according to Vaters is how we measure growth.

He says, "We've discovered the benefits of thinking small. And it's got nothing to do with small thinking. ...Our small size is not something to be fixed, but a strategic advantage God wants to use."

Vaters shares his own story of pastoring a small church and attempting to grow a big church using `church growth' strategies. It's a refreshingly honest and often heart wrenching story that many pastors and church leaders will relate to.

Vaters says there is a need for all sizes of churches. But, "For the last several decades, the church leadership culture as a whole has despised small churches." The truth is that most "people want to be `pastored' not spiritually managed," says Vaters.

Vaters has a lot to say about numbers. "Sometimes what we call a plateau is simply a church reaching its optimal size, then using that size to grow healthful fruit. One of the worst things a church can do, once it has reached optimum, is to keep pushing for maximum."

Many small churches are `senders' not `attracters.' "They may not be growing numerically...but the people who are eating of their fruit are growing personally and dropping seeds everywhere they go."

No matter what size church you lead--this book will be challenging and inspiring. As Vaters puts it, "There is more to church than butts in the pews and bucks in the plate."

The title of the book is based on Numbers 13:32-33, "All the people we saw there are of great size, ...We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." The truth is that 80% of all U.S. churches are small (under 200). There are vastly more people attending a small church than a large or mega church.

Small church pastors need to be liberated from the Grasshopper Myth. Read this book and you will. I was.
18 people found this helpful
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Bonnie
5.0 out of 5 stars Karl Vaters addresses the "White Elephant in the Room" by moving it to the "Table Top Discussion"
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
Karl Vaters opens up the reality of what pastors face just simply holding the title: Pastor. Through his own experiences it is clear to see that Karl has dug deep to understand and come to the Truth of the myth that numbers reflect success. If you wrestle with the content as you read "The Grasshopper Myth" you will be immediately put to rest; squash all debate and be struck with the power of humility when you get to pages 122, 123. I admire Karl Vaters for taking a topic that causes some to cringe while others puff out their chests. Karl brings the reader to the understanding it is a sacred honor to be Called by God to Shepherd a Flock that He has given you, no matter the size. Pastoring is a responsibility that requires a shaking and trembling before God to be accountable that you are leading obediently, directed by His Holy Spirit!
Bonnie Mock
CEO/Owner The Crowning, LLC
Leadership Coaching to the Core
"Walking Alongside Leaders to the Freedom that Transforms"
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C.P.M.
4.0 out of 5 stars Large Church ≠ Success and Small Church ≠ Failure
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
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.
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Top reviews from other countries

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DMunroe
5.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable book
Reviewed in Germany on August 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
I'm so thankful for the subject that he addreses here in the book. Definitely a new perspective on the subject of Church Growth.
One person found this helpful
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Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book I encourage every small church pastor to read.
Reviewed in Canada on September 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
I was encouraged in my own ministry and I believe you will be too! Get ready to b annoyed, encouraged, and challenged as you learn to tell the truth about your church and your ministry. Most of all enjoy the freedom that will come with it.
One person found this helpful
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David Matthew
4.0 out of 5 stars At last - small churches celebrated!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2014
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This book’s title—The Grasshopper Myth—refers to the Israelite spies who reconnoitred Canaan for Joshua. They saw giants there and felt like mere grasshoppers beside them. This, says Karl Vaters, is how many pastors of small churches see themselves when looking at the megachurches that get all the media attention. By ‘small churches’ the author means up to 200 people, which describes 90% of all the churches in the world.

The book comes out of the American scene but its message is valid more widely. It agrees that there is a place for both megachurches and small churches—and all sizes in between, and that we should stop judging a church’s ‘success’ by the number of ‘butts on seats’ on Sunday mornings. The statistics show that, in the overall scheme of things, it is small churches that exercise the greatest influence in society. While it is megachurch pastors who write the books and run the seminars, it is mostly small-church pastors who get the work done.

There are no foolproof, transferable models that, if applied to any church, can guarantee its growing to become a megachurch. So small-church pastors need to accept the fact that they will probably remain small-church pastors until they retire, and that this is something to celebrate, not be ashamed of. In fact the advantages of being in a small church are significant and need to be acknowledged more widely than they are.

At the same time, small-church pastors need to stop sniping at the megachurches—and vice versa. Both models are valid, both are needed, and both can learn from each other. If that could be recognised and put into practice, the church’s witness would be transformed.

This is a delightfully simple and refreshing book and is set to make a positive difference to the church scene today. So get it!
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Dianneg plk
5.0 out of 5 stars This book will release ministers from all the unspoken, ...
Reviewed in Australia on October 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
This book will release ministers from all the unspoken, spoken and imagined expectation to grow their church numerically. The author says it is okay to be you and pastor a church that is within your capacity to pastor. He expounds the benefits of being a small or medium church which large or mega churches endeavor to reproduce by breaking their large congregation into smaller groupings of people.
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Rev. Erasmus Madimbu
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 14, 2017
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A very good read and eye opener
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