by Jennifer Wells

Created on: June 21, 2008

A small congregation does not mean small spirituality, and should not be disbanded for having fewer members.

I am a 'PK' (preacher's kid), and have spent the majority of my life in small churches. My dad took his first church when I was five. There were seven people in addition to the six members of my family. Over a fifteen year period the membership grew to around sixty and then reduced to between twenty and thirty. Dad's next church was also very small, averaging around or less than 20 members at any given time, and his current church is only between six to fifteen members. So why are these congregations small? Is my dad that bad a preacher? No. Simply put, he feels the call of God on his life to churches that need help the most - those that are small and being rejected by most preachers because they lack the opportunity for self-glorification.

I am now nearing the age of 30 and married to a man who also feels called to pastor in a small church. Through our time in college and in the years immediately following we have seen countless numbers of young men looking to pastor, but instead of praying only for God's will they have a starting standard of what they would personally accept in a church. Few men want to take a ministry that will need a lot of work and TLC because it will not necessarily pay off in big numbers and a grand reputation.

In some of the larger churches (I use that term loosely, representing around 100 to 300 members) the fight is on to keep gaining numbers by any means necessary. In this push they are offering more and more of what I call 'Sunday school attractions'... classes that include more games, songs and rewards than teaching substance and draw children in primarily for the fun they can have. This trend goes all the way through adulthood, offering classes for teens and college and career courses that after the fifteen minute lesson resemble a Christian dating club more than what they are supposed to be: courses preparing the teens and young adults for life as serious and effective Christians.

Small churches do not offer these programs. They often lack the money to purchase the resources that would draw in large numbers. I ask, does this mean that a small congregation is of any less spiritual value to the members who attend? On the contrary, I have been in enough small churches that I have drawn the opposite conclusion. In very little congregations children learn to sit still and listen to the Word of God. They get more one-on-one time

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>