Great article on smaller churches posted at Out of Ur this week. Author Brandon J. O’Brien cites pollster John Zogby as pointing to the trend among younger people to smaller churches, and gives some great cautions as well. I see this trend too. If the younger generation chooses religion at all, they tend to place a very high value on knowing and being known by those in their community, and there is a real appeal to being part of a body where you can know just about everyone.
Prior to planting Life, I served two congregations of 3000+ people. And while I have nothing against large churches (we need all churches – from mini to mega, house sized to mall sized), I have developed a strong preference for the smaller church. If the local congregation is God’s principle laboratory for teaching us how to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, I find a distinct advantage being in a community where you can know everyone’s name and story, can’t really hide out or be anonymous, can’t altogether avoid those people who bug you, your gifts, time, and giving are truly needed, etc. And while smaller doesn’t automatically mean a better quality of community, it provides a good environment for cultivating community. And this is one of our most powerful apologetics! Smaller has its challenges for sure (I do at times miss having a basically unlimited budget for ministry), but it comes with some real benefits for both spiritual formation and evangelism.
