by Meagan Ewton

Created on: June 20, 2008

It is true that no minimum attendance exists for a body of believers to be considered a church. It is also true that small congregations can be an invaluable asset to the community in which they serve. However, there are certain instances when having a small congregation is symptomatic of a larger, more destructive issue. When particular issues create a small or shrinking congregation, the church should be closed or combined with a growing church.

1. Lack of concern for the community

When a church has lost its concern for the community it should be serving, then that congregation no longer has a biblically legitimate reason to exist. Jesus commanded his disciples to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (Mark 16:15). This includes a church's own neighborhood. What is the wisdom in striving to save souls around the world if a church is blind to the needs of its own community? If a church is failing to see growth or is losing members because it is no longer serving its community, then it should be disbanded.

2. Unhealthy desire for control over resources

There are times when a church is small in attendance for purely innocent reasons. They may serve a community of 80 and have a congregation of about 25 (which is pretty good size for that community). However, in some cases, there are a few people who have control over a majority of that church's resources and refuse to relinquish it. They may be wealthy families, powerful individuals, or even long-time members. Occasionally, these people desire to maintain control for reasons other than service, calling, or love. They can cause a church to resemble something like a corporation rather than a family of believers. It can lead to disunity that would negatively affect every member of the congregation. If this happens and the people are not removed, then it would be better for the church to close or combine with another congregation than to continue hurting itself.

3. Lack of overall spiritual growth

Many churches are small or shrinking because they lack spiritual growth. There is simply no spiritual nourishment for unbelievers, seekers, or even believers to be drawn to. The Lord tells the church at Laodicea "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other! So, because you are lukewarmneither cold nor hotI am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16) The church is a place for people to grow in their relationship with God (among other things). If that is not happening, then the congregation is little more than a social club. Under this circumstance, the church should close.

4. Opportunity to improve effectiveness

Every now and then an opportunity arises for two or more small, healthy congregations to come together under a single banner. Each congregation may have different resources that would be more beneficial to the community if they were combined. This instance may not mean that the churches should close, but rather that they should combine their resources to serve their community. A church's identity is not in its name or denomination, but instead in its adoption into God's family. As such, if two or more churches can work together to serve their community better, they should.

I believe that ineffective churches are common in America, but probably not in the rest of the world. I do not think that a small church is inherently unhealthy, and I hope that this article does not create that impression. If anything, I have witnessed more unhealthy large churches than unhealthy small churches. I simply hope to show that under certain unhealthy circumstances, it is better for a small or shrinking church to close than to remain open.

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