In Praise of Small Churches

Joe McKeever
February 17, 2010

With a few exceptions, all churches were small at one time. They began with a handful of people and went forward from there. Some grew a great deal and are still expanding, some grew a little and leveled off, while some failed to grow at all.

If most of the churches in America of all denominations are small--and in my mind, that means 100 or less in attendance--then several things are true.

--In the words of Lincoln about common folk, "God must have loved them; He made so many of them."

--Small churches must be doing something right or people would not keep attending them.

--The "bigness culture" that is so dominant in American life has dumped a burdensome load of guilt on these small congregations. "If you're so good, why aren't you big?" seems to be the mantra.

--For every book celebrating the small church, there are a hundred telling them how to leave smallness behind and become "great."

Someone should put in a good word for small churches. Think I'll give it a try.

Here are my observations on small churches in America. the rest image