A Little One Shall Lead | Small Congregations Create New Ways of Being Church

Shed the stigma of small

Against the widespread narrative of church decline, the small congregations in A Little One Shall Lead are alive, thriving, and full of love for their communities!

Co-authors Susan Craig and Douglas Dunlap share the encouraging stories of congregations that – despite limited worship attendance and financial resources – have outsized community impact with their ministries. Drawing from their Small Church Story Project, Craig and Dunlap have good news for the modern church: Small is mighty!

"The idea that bigger is always better is dispelled in this text, where the gifts of smaller churches are identified and shared."
~ The Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates, UCC Conference Minister

"An important book for anyone called to lead small membership churches [and] to better understand the spiritual psyche and determination of these churches."
~ The Rev. Roberto Ochoa, UCC Conference Minister

Step into the stories of A Little One Shall Lead and witness the Holy Spirit at work in local, life-giving ways!

About the Authors

The Rev. Susan McNeily Craig is a retired UCC minister, most recently serving as a long-term supply pastor to Sheepscott Community Church and as Facilitator for ACM Communities of Practice. She lives with her husband Brad and black lab Thacker on a small farm in Maine.

The Rev. Dr. Douglas Allan Dunlap is an ordained UCC minister who has served as a chaplain, educator and pastor, including participation in a worship-leading rotation model at Shorey Chapel Congregational Church. Doug and his wife Mary currently grow raspberries and tend honeybees on their farm in Maine.

Paperback
978-0-8298-0092-0
2025

Bulk Discount

Purchase 5+ of the following church vitality resources and receive a 20% discount by entering the code "Vitality Bundle" at checkout.

• Building Up a New World
• Do This: Communion for Just and Courageous Living
• The Future of American Christianity
• Glorify
• I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church
• A Little One Shall Lead
• Multi: The Chemistry of Church Diversity
• Only Work Sundays
• Real Good Church
• Remove the Pews
• Restoring Dignity, Nourishing Hope
• Weird Church