I just turned a million years old. That's what I told myself a couple months ago. My High School French teacher taught me that trente-six (pronounced trah-cease) was a number used by the French much like we would use "a million." It was a way of saying that there were a whole bunch. So, this year I turned a million.

It seems at times, that the problems found in church life can be just like that intimidating number trente-six. Small church or large church, the problems seem to come by the millions.

Naturally, the larger the church, the more difficulties it will have. Where there are people, there are problems. Where there are more people, there are more problems. Yet, there is a unique relationship among the people of the small church, which makes it appear that there are more problems per capita.

Intimacy is the factor which seems to increase the number of problems the small church faces. The more you know about people, the more problems you are going to see. Like the number trente-six, the intimacy of the small church creates a sense in which a relatively small number of problems, feels like millions. The mega-church may have literally millions of problems, but they are hidden by the distancing of relationships. This small church phenomenon is what I call "the trente-six factor."

The leadership within the small church, may feel the burden of individual problems more acutely than the pastoral staff in the larger congregation. Whereas, the larger church often will define its mission by activities, events, and larger gatherings; the small church sees its success on a weekly basis within the context of the relationship of its members, and their individual actions in Kingdom living. In the intimate setting, the personal problems rate higher on the Richter scale of potential church quakes. Many small church pastors feel the strain of each and every difficulty, fretting over its potential to create greater havoc in the life of the congregation.

This "trente-six factor" is one of the anomalies of the small church. It is a strange circumstance, that although the problems may be fewer in number, they may actually appear to be greater. The effect of even minor problems has the potential for greater repercussions in the life of the smaller congregation as well.

Although this is an inherent weakness of the small church, the good leader will find a way to turn "the trente-six factor" around for his benefit. We will not be able to escape the fact that people problems appear larger and more in number, but we can view this problem in a different light.

Solving the problems of humanity is the role of the church. There is no area of human difficulty which is not answered by the solutions of the Gospel. God is intimately involved in our finances, our relationships, our emotions, our character, and our eternal destiny. Our struggles in each of these areas are answered by His Word. When the small church leader is confronted by the conflicts, and the struggles of the people he is pastoring, it is an opportunity to apply the solutions of the Gospel to the hurts of the people.

Discipleship is the key to kingdom growth. Without discipleship there will be little progress in one's personal growth. Unfortunately, discipleship requires familiarity with the lives of people. Their problems, their struggles, their weaknesses, must all be brought to the light of Gospel truth. Even unpleasant confrontations become an opportunity to apply the truth of the Gospel to our disagreements. When this kind of attitude finds its way into our thinking, we will be able to turn "the trente-six factor" into a strength, rather than a weakness of the small church.

John (not his real name) had a difficulty receiving "orders" from my wife. During the course of a service, he was asked by my wife to help out during an altar call. His response was a guaranteed temblor, "I will get my orders from the pastor." he said. After confronting the issue, John has been one of the most faithful workers in the church.

The struggles, and conflicts of the small church may sometimes appear to come in cases of a million, but if we can view each peculiarity of the personal relationships in the church as an opportunity for growth, then we will reverse the negative impact of "the trente-six factor."

This was the year I turned 36. I guess trente-six isn't such a big number after all.