Our story

God Did Something
Remarkable in a Small
Indiana Town.

We've Been Telling That Story Ever Since.

We've Been Telling That Story Ever Since.

1
Pleasant View Baptist Church (1998)

In 1998, Terry Thompson became the lead pastor of a small, struggling church in Crawfordsville, Indiana — a congregation of about twenty senior saints with no clear pathway forward. What happened over the next two decades wasn't the result of a megachurch strategy or a high-budget program. It was the result of biblical renewal, strategic leadership, and a stubborn belief that God wasn't finished.

2

Rock Point Church (2022)

By 2022, that church — Rock Point Church — had grown from 20 to more than 1,000 in Sunday worship attendance. Terry didn't build a program. He built a healthy church.

3

Small Church USA (Today)

After 40 years of full-time vocational ministry, Terry founded Small Church USA in 2019 with his wife Kelly — not to replicate Rock Point's story, but to help pastors write their own. Since 2021, SCUSA has served 149+ pastors across 21 states, partnering with Baptist conventions, fellowship networks, and individual churches to accelerate church health through strategy and leadership.

Our team

Committed to Small Churches

Meet our full-time team below:

Terry Thompson

Founder & Lead Facilitator

Terry brings 40 years of full-time pastoral experience to every cohort and conference. Having transitioned Rock Point Church from a congregation of 20 to over 1,000, he understands firsthand the complexities of leading a church through genuine renewal. Terry operates with a deep conviction: small churches are not broken versions of big ones—they are vital outposts of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

MIKE VAUTERS

Vice President

Mike is a veteran pastor who serves alongside Terry. With a 40+ year career in vocational pastoral ministry, Mike has revitalized churches and coached pastoral leaders both nationally and globally. Most recently, he served as a lead pastor for 26 years before navigating a successful succession process with a next-generation pastor. Mike brings a wealth of wisdom to the coaching process, offering both the strategic credibility to tackle complex church challenges and the relational warmth needed to care well for the pastors he serves.

KELLY Thompson

Ministry Support & Author

Co-founder and Terry's wife, Kelly plays a vital behind-the-scenes role in SCUSA's ministry. She co-authored the Pastor's Wife Survival Playbook, which is given to the spouse of every cohort participant.

Our board of directors

committed to the mission

TERRY
THOMPSON

Kevin
Parker

Jeff
Bannon

Brian
Saunders

OUR EXTENDED TEAM

HELPING WITH THE MISSION

Small Church USA is blessed by a network of volunteers and support teams to minister to small churches all over the U.S. and beyond. Meet our incredible guide pastors below:

JARROD
BARTHOLEMEW

LARRY
RILEY

JOHN
SCALLY

LARRY
STARETT

DOUG
MURRAY

Bobby
Pell

DAVID
KING

SCOTT
KALLEM

our beliefs

Grounded in Scripture.

Clear on what we believe.

Small Church USA holds to the historic Christian faith and the Baptist Faith & Message (2000). Our ministry is built on the conviction that the local church — however small — is Christ's primary instrument for reaching the world, and that the Bible is the authoritative guide for all matters of faith and practice.

The Word of God: We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

The Trinity: We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, equal in every divine perfection, executing distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

God the Father: We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love — who hears and answers prayer, and who saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ: We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit — in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, teachings, substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, perpetual intercession, and personal visible return.

The Holy Spirit: We believe in the Holy Spirit, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and who regenerates, sanctifies, and empowers all who believe in Jesus Christ, indwelling every believer as helper, teacher, and guide.

Regeneration: We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice, and that those who repent and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

The Church: We believe in the universal church — a livingspiritual body of which Christ is the head — and in the local church, consisting of a company of believers united for worship, work, and fellowship. We hold a complementarian view of male pastoral church leadership.

Christian Conduct, Marriage & Gender: We believe Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others. We believe God's design in marriage is between a biological male and a biological female. We believe God disapproves of attempts to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance.

The Last Things: We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom.