For the last few years my wife and I have been attending a small church with no more than 200 members. I've been a big advocate of small churches for a quite a while. I find it so easy for people (especially introverts) to get lost in big churches and sometimes I get concerned that people choose big churches because they wish to stay anonymous. I understand that desire and anonymity may be a good thing when checking out a new church, but only for a little while. In the Christian life we celebrate that we are known and loved, and I believe our experience in Christian community should reflect that. In small churches you can bump up against the same people week after week and that familiarity can spur friendship.
For reasons other than temperament, we have recently moved to a fairly big church, of about 1400 members. That's big for Presbyterians anyway. And I have to say it's quite a breath of fresh air. It's nice to attend a worship service and not feel so conspicuous. Plus, there are so many resources at a big church and I feel like I have the freedom to choose what activities will really be good for me and enable me to give to others according to my interests and gifts. While I appreciated the slower pace and fewer programs of the small church, I felt a little hemmed in when it came to choosing how to participate.
So what about you? Do you attend a small church or large church, and which do you prefer?
I attend a large church, but actually do not have a preference either way with regard to size and I'm an introvert. What's most important to me when choosing a church is teaching and doctrine. I am pretty well self-directed and can plug in where I feel called so large churches do not intimidate me. Sometimes small churches can lack a variety of ministries, but if they have a few good ones from which I can find something to plug into, then I'm fine. Large or small, if a church does not have spiritual vitality, I probably won't be there for long.
ReplyDeleteI like to try to find a balance between large and small. I've felt the same constraints that you describe from being in a small church, and when I began college in an unfamiliar city, I went to a large church for my first year with the thought that I could have a variety of ministry opportunities to choose from. Although I am highly introverted, I did find the anonymity unsettling so I spent the following two years in a medium-sized Assembly of God which was a very nice fit. Unfortunately, the recession forced me to go back home after graduating. My current church which I began attending before college (since 1997) has quadrupled in size so I'm struggling with anonymity - and to some degree, superficiality - again after 13 years of membership!
ReplyDeleteSince the name of my website is Small Church Tools you can guess which side I'll come down on lol. I have attended big churches and always enjoyed the experience. They have a lot to offer in the way of variety. But I have always been a member of small churches. There is much to be said for the closeness. And while there are many ministry opportunities in large congregations, they exist in the small groups too and the need is really there--you are needed to minister. May God bless all of His true churches!
ReplyDeleteTerry Reed
Small Church Tools
I attend a church much smaller than the one you talk about - about 130 people in worship on Sunday. It's sometimes tempting to think about moving to a large church, because of the issues you mentioned about small churches - fewer resources, more spotlight. It can be exhausting to be a leader at a small church. But I feel comfortable at my church, and I tend to be suspicious of large crowds of people.
ReplyDeleteSince the name of my website is Small Church Tools you can guess which side I'll come down on lol. I have attended big churches and always enjoyed the experience. They have a lot to offer in the way of variety. But I have always been a member of small churches. There is much to be said for the closeness. And while there are many ministry opportunities in large congregations, they exist in the small groups too and the need is really there--you are needed to minister. May God bless all of His true churches!
ReplyDeleteTerry Reed
Small Church Tools