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The Rev. Leyla King, Canon for Mission in Small Congregations Shares Her Journey, Passion, and Goals for Small Church Ministry
Q: You have a Passion for Small Churches. Why?
A: I could speak forever about my love for small churches. Don’t get me started! Much of my vocation has felt very organic and providential. That is certainly true about my passion and ministry in and among and for small congregations. When I came out of seminary, I moved with my husband to Sewanee, Tennessee. I was newly ordained and was looking for a job. A small church on the outskirts of Chattanooga was searching for a halftime rector, so I entered their search process. I was in my late twenties and very newly ordained, like very, very newly ordained, and had no idea what I was doing. Looking back, I wonder, “What the heck were they doing calling me?” I believe they took a real risk of faith by stepping out in faith and believing I was someone who they could grow with and alongside of. And that is exactly what happened. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Very quickly we found that we felt really alone. We had each other, but there was no one else that was talking about this unique ministry of small churches. It was something different from our big church counterparts, something unique. No one had hints or suggestions, or collegiality around how do we do this work together.
It was only five or so years ago that a group of clergy women I knew from other networks came together because we were all serving these small churches in various ways. We all felt alone, but when we put our heads together, the fruit that bore forth was just so exciting. It convinced us all that Small Church Ministry is a valuable and beautiful ministry in its own right. So, my passion for small churches comes from this realization that they are vibrant, loving places, and intimate places.
Q: You joined the diocese in late January. Since that time, what have you observed?
A: I am so excited to be here in the Diocese of West Texas for many reasons. First, because I believe the diocese is doing what a lot of small churches do, doing the mission of God in the church and in the world. I’m thrilled to be part of the diocese. Secondly, I’m excited to be here because of the groundwork that has been laid in this diocese around small church mission and small church ministry. I don’t have to get on my soapbox and try and convince everyone that small churches are worth paying attention to, that small churches have their value. That is already a given fact in this diocese, and that is so special. It really excites and inspires me because that means that I can dig in right away to figure out how we can better support, resource, and network our small churches in the mission and ministries that they’re already doing in their communities and in the world.
Q: What is your vision for Small Church
Ministry?
A: My first real goal is to just do a little bit more listening and learning from the folks in the pews around the diocese. I want to hear where the challenges are, where the joys are, where the frustrations are, and where we are really vibrant, so that we can join together to figure out where to go next. Long term, I would really love to see this diocese as an example for the rest of The Church on how we can partner, together as churches of whatever size, and share in this common vision in the sense of our one body in Christ. Because every church has gifts to give, and every church has value in and of itself.
Hopefully, we can lead The Church forward into, a new kind of vision and a new kind of understanding so that there’s no more talk about the church dying, but rather more of an understanding of the vibrancy that is already here among us that we can take hold of and rejoice in. I hope anyone in a small church in this diocese hears from me (if you haven’t already), that small church ministry starts with this one phrase, “love the ones you are”. There is little usefulness in thinking about who we have been in the past and longing for some past that is gone, or comparing ourselves to the church down the street or the church that we wish we were, or the church that we want to be 10 years from now. There is an abundance of good, usefulness, and value in us as we are. We have got to start there to know our own belovedness and to know that God loves us just as we are right now. We can afford to love ourselves just as we are right now, and we have nothing to fear. The sky’s the limit, right? We can have the courage to discern where God is calling us forward and move together in that direction, in faith and in joy and in love with one another.
Q: Outside of your work within the diocese, you have a podcast. How can our members tune in?
A: The Small Churches, Big Impact Collective came out of an organic gathering of clergy women in other networks, gathering together to talk about our shared work and calling in serving small churches. Approximately three years ago, we started hosting a podcast.
Each season has five or six episodes, and you can listen to all of the episodes at SmallChurchesBigImpact.org. I certainly encourage folks to listen to those podcasts. They unpack a lot of what I’ve shared here. I hope you will learn from it and will join the conversation that we are having about the work in small churches — the joys and beauty of small church ministry.
More about Canon Leyla
The Rev. Canon Leyla King brings great experience to Small Church Ministry as an Episcopal priest and a passionate supporter and advocate of small churches everywhere. For thirteen and a half years, she served as Rector of Thankful Memorial Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, TN. As a founding member of the Small Churches Big Impact Collective, Canon King has worked with friends and colleagues nationwide to identify and amplify the beauty and grace of small congregations. In addition to serving small churches, she has vocations as a writer (thankfulpriest.com), an educator and a mother. A proud Palestinian-American, she feels called to provide a particular voice for Palestinian Christians in The Episcopal Church. Ordained as a priest in 2009, Canon King previously earned her M.Div. from Harvard University, her B.A. from Dartmouth College and completed Arabic Language studies at the Arabic School of Middlebury College. She resides in Austin with her husband, Ben, and their three children, Fred (13), Beatrice (9) and Toby (6).
To view Canon King’s full interview and learn more about her background, click here.
