By Dr. Anessa Westbrook
Welcome to Storehouse! The vision behind this blog is to provide a way for people
serving the church to help one another. The word “storehouse” is used in the Old
Testament to refer to a “treasury.” We can see this in Malachi 3:10 which refers
to the storehouse of God and in Nehemiah 10:38 we see a reference to the storehouse
of the Temple. In a similar way, we hope that this blog becomes a place where shared
experience and communal wisdom can be gathered. We hope that it is a place where
people will come to get not only insight and information, but hope.
Our theme verse, Philippians 4:19, says God will supply every need. The book of Philippians is an interesting book to consider when we think about what our churches are facing right now. Paul had a long history with the Philippians and wrote this letter to encourage them. We can see that the church was enduring suffering (1:29-30), probably receiving attacks or persecution. Paul was urging them not to argue (2:14) and there was tension in the church with two women being at the center of it (4:2). As churches face challenges today, they need encouragement as the church in Philippi did. There is also a real threat of tension within members of churches. As Paul urged the church in Philippi in 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (NIV)
Storehouse is a blog that is written with a small and rural church lens. These churches are often overlooked when conferences and resources are designed. In the January 2026 “Insight Report on Small Church Realities” from the Church Research Council, Dr. Granberg calls the Churches of Christ “primarily a small church fellowship” with 75 percent of congregations below 125 attendees. This is a number that has remained largely unchanged since 2018 (p. 2). With so many churches in this size range struggling, there is an urgent need for resources designed for small churches.
Churches in rural areas are often anchors for their communities. When hard times come, they are the first responders. Whether it be natural disaster, job loss, or helping with daily needs, they are there. Small churches are a constant presence, living missionally in their communities—seeing needs, and striving to meet them. They are part of the fabric of our communities. They are a place where religious and family values come naturally, and these values can be seen in their outreach to the community. In a way, these churches are the heartbeat of our country and guardians of family values and morality.
Due to their key positioning, when the community struggles they are often the last ones standing. Because of this we often hear stories of difficulties in finding and retaining younger members and families, as they often leave for work in other places. These churches also have to minister, in many cases, without a full-time minister. Even when churches have the funding, it can be hard to recruit someone to move to a smaller community. The people regularly serving the church get tired. To address these struggles, the need for leadership development and developing practices to avoid burnout are key. A recurring theme we hear is the desire for help in discerning meaningful ways to reach out to the community.
Small and rural churches do not, and should not, stand alone. While the physical distance between congregations in some parts of the country can be isolating, this does not have to mean relational distance with other believers. With the technology available to us today, we can still create a vibrant and supportive fellowship. A place where congregations and individuals with similar concerns can name the challenges and discern faithful solutions. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” We need each other. We are in this together. May God grant us wisdom as we faithfully proclaim his message and serve in our communities.
Dr. Anessa Westbrook is the Co-Executive Director for the Center for Ministry. She holds a Master’s degree and Master of Divinity from Harding School of Theology, and earned her Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. She is the co-author of New Birth: Conversion and Baptism and the author of Reaching and Discipling Women: A Guide to Women’s Ministry in Your Church, as well as other publications.