Brandon J. O’Brien at Christianity Today’s Out of Ur blog, has a really interesting thought about the future of small churches. The perception is that small churches are dying and are even the reason why Christianity is waning. However, O’Brien pulls from a number of sources to explain why the small church might be the next big movement:
In a conversation last week about the virtues of small churches, a pastor friend of mine, Chuck Warnock, quoted a passage from John Zogby’s 2008 book The Way We’ll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream (Random House). Zogby prophesies that “The church of the future will be a bungalow on Main Street, not a megastructure in a sea of parking spaces. It’s intimacy of experience that people long for, not production values.”
On the face of it, I couldn’t be more pleased with that prediction. I’ve pastored two small congregations and am now a member and deacon in another, where my wife serves on staff. My experience with these churches has led me to believe that small congregations are uniquely positioned to carry the gospel into the world in the 21st century. Few things would make me happier than if the “next big thing” in Christian ministry conversations was the small church.
Interesting take. Certainly, the Emergent Movement has taught us that small churches can do big things and reach people previously thought to be “unreachable.” Also, “house churches” have been known to start mega churches because of their simplicity and small community.
O’Brien also says there is a danger involved with small churches:
What concerns me is that it is easy to imagine how the consumer appeal of small congregations could quickly become a motive for keeping a congregation small. Right now, most of the conversation about organic and simple and house and, increasingly, traditional small churches is dominated by voices that advance theological and ecclesiological reasons for thinking mini instead of mega when it comes to ministry.
There are other bloggers weighing on the issue. Rev. Chad Holtz, pastor of Marrow’s Chapel UMC in Bullock, NC, and a student at Duke Divinity School, recently blogged on the Covered Dish blog:
The Emerging Church has brought into question our cultural value that assumes bigger is better. In fact, it has from the beginning insisted that smaller is faithful and therefore, in many ways, better. This is, of course, good news for rural churches! Because the emerging church places a high premium on conversation and participation, the value of smaller gatherings cannot be over estimated.
What is the key here is that small churches must be intentional. The small churches on the corner cannot be churches that want to keep the status quo. The small churches that will 
lead the country will be small churches that preach the Gospel, demand action, are committed to discipleship, and want to reach people. The reason why people join small churches is because they believe the church will grow and they like what the church is doing.
However, there is also a danger to this movement. The small church could become just another way of reach people. Just like the megachurch draws people who want to be apart of a “big even”, the small church could draw people who want a “boutique” church. O’Brien explains:
I think that the future will belong to small churches. But I want to be darn sure that we begin to favor small church ministry for the right reasons and not simply because we think we’ve found a way to win a new share of the religious market. Some of the current shifts in consumer mentality spell good news for small churches, to be sure. People who value intimacy and authenticity, for example, will be drawn to smaller, local congregations. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But I hope we perceive these trends not as a strategic boon, but as an opportunity to reclaim a biblical vision for our ministry.
Amen to that. The power of the small church is yet to be seen, but that doesn’t mean small churches cannot make a big difference. People want immediacy, authenticity, and a place to experience God. The small church may just be what people are looking for.
Do you belong to a small church? Why did you join?
3 Comments
I belong to a small church congregation ( about 100 members) . Before joining my present church I belonged to a large church (about 6000 members). If the ministry is working as it should the large church will be every bit as intimate as the small one. The large church just has to depend a lot more on small Sunday school class fellowships and the senior pastor just has to work a little harder at remembering more people. I joined my present church based on the soundness of the doctrine being preached each Sunday. Our Church doesn’t try to entertain folks into the Kingdom nor do we pretend to be about anything more than worshiping God. It’s not about the people in the seats, other than they are brothers and sisters in Christ and we serve God by serving each other and the community that God has placed us in. Our Pastor is a wonderful sincere servant of God as well as being a friend, teacher and shepard to all of us in the congregation. I have no less respect for him as a Pastor of a small congregation than I had for the Pastor of my former mega-church. I serve as a Deacon and in several other ministries of the Church. God bless you in your continuing ministry and I hope that I answered your question as to why I joined my small Church. D.
I think the intimacy at a mega church is very different. Sure, there are smaller groups for people, but does everyone have access to the pastor/senior pastor? If someone is in the hospital does the pastor visit someone from a congregation of 6,000? Sure there are other people that come visit, but the concept of the senior pastor or pastor changes in a mega church than say the small church.
It sounds like your current church is geared toward making disciples. Sounds great! It’s interesting that you use the word “entertain.” I think a lot of churches out there are seeking to provide entertainment rather than authentic worship.
You’re right about access to the senior pastor in a mega-church. Most hospital visitation in my former church was done by one of the other pastors on staff who also served the senior citizens of the church. Our present church has a large senior demographic and our young pastor (35 yrs) is at the hospital a lot. I kidded him the other day about knowing more about geriatric medicine than some Drs. . The Deacons in our church also help with hospital visitation. We are located in Eastern Washington where a large segment of the church going population are Mormon. We are definitely oriented toward making disciples, but more important making sure that those that God sends our way are well taught and grounded in the essential teachings of the Christian faith. The Mormons are champion prostheletizers and Christians who are weak in their knowledge of the faith are prime pickings up here. D.