# MinistryPlace

> Free practical ministry resources for small and rural churches in the United States. Covers bi-vocational pastoral ministry, church leadership, pastoral transitions, children’s ministry, youth ministry, Sunday school curriculum, small groups, outreach, and AI tools for ministry. All resources are free. No email or subscription required.

MinistryPlace serves the 60% of US churches with fewer than 100 people in weekly attendance. Content is written for bi-vocational pastors, volunteer ministry leaders, small church boards, and pastoral candidates navigating ministry transitions.

## Core Resource Hubs

– [Bi-Vocational Ministry Resources](https://ministryplace.net/bi-vocational-ministry/): Complete resource library for bi-vocational pastors covering compensation, time management, sermon prep, peer community, burnout prevention, and ministry transitions.
– [Church Leadership Resources](https://ministryplace.net/church-leadership/): Practical guides for small church leaders covering governance, bylaws, board meetings, volunteer management, and church health.
– [Pastoral Transition Resources](https://ministryplace.net/pastoral-transition/): Resources for churches and candidates navigating pastoral transitions, including pastor search guides, interim pastor resources, and candidate preparation tools.
– [Children’s Ministry Resources](https://ministryplace.net/childrens-ministry/): Free Sunday school curriculum, VBS resources, and children’s ministry guides for small churches.
– [Rural Church Leadership](https://ministryplace.net/rural-church-leadership/): Resources specifically for rural and small-town churches covering outreach, community partnerships, and rural ministry challenges.
– [Small Groups](https://ministryplace.net/small-groups/): Small group ministry resources including leader training, discussion guides, Bible studies, icebreakers, and multiplication guides.
– [Outreach Ministry](https://ministryplace.net/outreach-ministry/): Community outreach resources for small churches including VBS curriculum, evangelism guides, and community partnership strategies.
– [AI for Ministry](https://ministryplace.net/ai-in-the-church/): Ethical AI tools and guides for pastors and small church leaders.
– [Ministry Forms](https://ministryplace.net/ministry-forms/): Free downloadable ministry forms for small churches.
– [Volunteer Management](https://ministryplace.net/volunteer-management/): Volunteer recruitment, training, and retention resources for small churches.

## Free Sunday School Curriculum

– [Sunday School Curriculum Hub](https://ministryplace.net/sunday-school/): 600+ free Sunday school lessons organized by age group and testament.
– [Old Testament Lessons](https://ministryplace.net/sunday-school/): Free OT lessons for nursery through 7th grade.
– [New Testament Lessons](https://ministryplace.net/sunday-school/): Free NT lessons for nursery through 7th grade.

## Bi-Vocational Ministry

– [Bi-Vocational Pastor Compensation Guide 2026](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/06/bi-vocational-pastor-compensation-guide-2026/): What to pay a bi-vocational pastor including housing allowance, SE tax offset, and mileage reimbursement.
– [Sermon Prep for Bi-Vocational Pastors](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/09/sermon-prep-bi-vocational-pastor/): How to preach well in 5 to 7 hours per week.
– [Time Management for Bi-Vocational Pastors](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/11/time-management-bi-vocational-pastors/): A practical weekly system for pastors managing ministry and marketplace work.
– [Bi-Vocational by Choice](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/bivocational-by-choice-intentional-long-term-ministry-model/): Why more pastors are choosing bi-vocational ministry as a long-term calling, not a stepping stone.
– [Ministry Burnout: Warning Signs and Recovery](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/12/ministry-burnout-warning-signs-recovery/): Warning signs, causes, and a path to recovery from ministry burnout.

## Pastoral Transitions

– [When the Church Asks You to Leave](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/pastor-forced-out-church-involuntary-termination-guide/): Guide for pastors who were forced out of a ministry position.
– [Severance, References, and Legal Rights](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/pastor-severance-references-legal-rights-let-go/): What pastors need to know when a church ends their employment.
– [How to Help Your Church Find the Right Next Pastor](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/how-to-help-church-find-right-next-pastor-search-committee-guide/): Guide for pastor search committees.
– [What Families Need to Know Before a Pastoral Move](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/pastoral-move-family-guide-pastor-spouse-children/): The real costs of a ministry move for pastor spouses and children.
– [The Elephant in the Room: Pastors Who Left Ministry](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/pastors-who-left-ministry-marketplace-bivocational/): Honest stats-driven piece on pastors who left full-time ministry and where they went.
– [Ministry in the Marketplace](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/ministry-in-the-marketplace-former-pastors-serving/): How former pastors serve through parachurch work, chaplaincy, and lay leadership.
– [Entering Ministry in Your 40s](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/entering-ministry-40s-second-career-pastor-guide/): Guide for second-career pastors.
– [Is Chaplaincy Right for You?](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/chaplaincy-right-for-you-pastor-transition-guide/): Hospital, military, prison, and workplace chaplaincy as ministry paths.
– [What Small Churches Get Wrong About Staffing](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/18/small-church-staffing-model-rethinking-full-time-pastor/): Rethinking the full-time pastor model for churches that cannot afford it.
– [The Shared Staff Model](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/19/shared-staff-model-two-small-churches-one-ministry-leader/): How two small churches can share one ministry leader.

## Church Leadership

– [How to Write Church Bylaws](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/06/how-to-write-church-bylaws-small-churches/): Step-by-step guide for small churches.
– [Deacon Training 101](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/06/deacon-training-small-church/): What every new deacon needs to know.
– [Church Health Assessment](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/11/church-health-assessment-small-church/): Seven indicators of church health for small church leaders.
– [Rural Church Revitalization](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/11/rural-church-revitalization-guide/): A realistic guide for small churches facing decline.
– [How to Recruit Volunteers](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/06/how-to-recruit-volunteers-small-church/): The specific ask method for small church volunteer recruitment.
– [Small Church Statistics 2025-2026](https://ministryplace.net/2026/07/11/small-church-statistics/): Attendance, pastor, giving, and ministry data for small churches.

## Free Downloadable Resources

– [Pastoral Candidate Self-Assessment](https://ministryplace.net/product/pastoral-candidate-self-assessment-pdf/): Free PDF self-assessment for pastors considering a new ministry position.
– [Pastor Search Committee Evaluation Rubric](https://ministryplace.net/product/pastor-search-committee-evaluation-rubric-pdf/): Free PDF scoring rubric for evaluating pastoral candidates.
– [Pastoral Transition Timeline Checklist](https://ministryplace.net/product/pastoral-transition-timeline-checklist-pdf/): Free PDF checklist covering all phases of a pastoral transition.
– [Pastor Search Interview Question Bank](https://ministryplace.net/product/pastor-search-interview-question-bank-pdf/): Free PDF with 75 interview questions for pastor search committees.
– [Bi-Vocational Pastor Weekly Schedule Template](https://ministryplace.net/product/bivocational-pastor-weekly-schedule-template-pdf/): Free PDF weekly planning tool for bi-vocational pastors.

## Ministry Job Board

– [Ministry Jobs for Small Churches](https://ministryplace.net/jobs/): Free job board listing open positions at small and rural churches across the US, including bi-vocational and part-time roles.
– [Post a Ministry Position](https://ministryplace.net/submit-a-job/): Free job posting for small and rural churches.

## About MinistryPlace

MinistryPlace was founded to serve the majority of American churches that are small, rural, or bi-vocational. All resources are free. No email required. No subscription. The site is written by Brent Lacy and the MinistryPlace team.

– [About MinistryPlace](https://ministryplace.net/about/): Mission, beliefs, and team.
– [Resources Library](https://ministryplace.net/resources/): Browse all free resources by category.

PDF Rebuilds Completed (August 2026)

Small Church Youth Ministry Survival Kit v3 — Rebuilt from 1,648 words/4 pages to 3,092 words/20KB. Now includes: ministry structure guide (6 options with criteria), simple weekly format table, one-on-one mentoring guidelines with safety requirements, parent partnership checklist, connecting youth to the whole church, 12-month ministry planner, 4 complete Bible study outlines, crisis response guide, and free resource directory. Research citations: Barna Group 2024, Search Institute 2023, LCMS 2020, Journal of Youth and Adolescence 2019. Product: ministryplace.net/product/small-church-youth-ministry-the-no-youth-group-survival-kit/

The Rescue Gospel: A 6-Week Sermon Series — New product. 3,145 words/19KB. Complete preaching outlines for all 6 weeks: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know (Introduction), Made for This (Created), Something Is Wrong (Broken), The Rescue (Rescued), Your Choice (Respond), Now What (The Journey After). Each outline includes big idea, opening illustration, diagnostic question, Scripture exposition, application, and closing challenge. Price: .99. Product: ministryplace.net/product/the-rescue-gospel-a-6-week-sermon-series/