Small churches have always formed the majority of the Presbyterian Church. One definition of small is fewer than 100 members, and many small churches have far fewer than that. And yet, many of those not only manage to survive, but indeed they thrive. This writer’s first pastorate was to three churches in rural northeast Missouri that were “yoked” so that they could afford a full-time pastor. The four years there were simply delightful. Although no longer yoked, those churches are still alive, the oldest of which goes back to the early 19th century.
Many worry about the survivability of such small churches. While some eventually and perhaps inevitably will close, many remain alive and are very active in ministry. Many who serve these churches are either tent making pastors (pastors who make a living doing work outside the church), commissioned lay pastors, or serve as stated supply pastors.
One such church is the First Presbyterian Church in Wewoka, Oklahoma. It was organized on January 22, 1928 with 32 charter members. In 2023 there were 3,084 souls counted as residents of that town. It’s not clear what the population was in 1928, but it is probably safe to say that it was not much larger than it is now, if it was at all. On April 8, 1928 the Rev. E. G. Beckman of Charleston, South Carolina was called to be their pastor. That congregation wasted no time in constructing a building. In September 1928 two lots were purchased for $1,050 and before the end of the next year a “white buff brick church was completed” (quoted from the 1973 church directory) and it still serves as that church’s sanctuary. In 1949 an addition to the building was completed – a fellowship hall, three classrooms, a kitchen, and a pastor’s study. The current pastor of that congregation is Rev. Greg Amen and he’s employed on a part-time basis. He was kind enough to supply some of the information about the Wewoka church’s story.
One of Amen’s predecessors was the Rev. John Lively, a graduate of Austin Seminary and, after that, of the Oklahoma City University Law School. John served the Wewoka congregation’s pastor for 27 years, from 1981 to 2008 when he died quite suddenly. His service to the community not only included serving as that church’s pastor, but he was an attorney with a local law firm where he also became a partner. In addition to both of those roles, John served as a municipal judge in Wewoka and as the chief prosecutor on behalf of the Seminole Indian Nation. He served on the board of the Goodland Presbyterian Boys Home in Hugo, Oklahoma as well.
This is but one example of how a small congregation with a devoted pastor served its community in great ways. There are countless other examples that could be cited. Many of us might never have heard of Wewoka, Oklahoma. This writer surely would not have if his friend and colleague had not accepted God’s call to serve that small church in that small town and ended up doing wonderful things for the kingdom. Such churches rarely make it into church history books and seldom make newspaper or internet headlines, but their faithfulness in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, visiting the sick and those in prison, both locally and beyond, is all that truly matters.
Small churches can be a source of encouragement by their fierce determination, their stubborn perseverance, and their indefatigable faithfulness to the gospel. They are making history today as they continue to find ways to serve their community as well as the larger church.
The Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest exists to “stimulate and encourage interest in the collection, preservation, and presentation of the Presbyterian and Reformed heritage” in the Southwest. If you are not a participating member of the Society and would like to become one, the annual dues are $20 per individual and $25 per couple. Annual institutional and church membership dues are $100. Checks may be made out to PHSSW and sent to:
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