The Importance of Small Churches

While the exact percentage varies from one study to another, there is no doubt that the most common expression of church life in the U.S. is the small congregation. Chapter 1 of The Healthy Small Church starts off noting that 2/3 of all churches in the U.S. meet with less than 100 on Sunday mornings. That's not the case in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. For much (if not all) of its 29 year history, the EPC has leaned toward the larger congregation. The chart below is a snapshot of the EPC by church size (blue) and average worship attendance on Sundays. (Click on the graph to enlarge it.)


Some observations --

• About 42% of EPC congregations meet with less than 100 people - significantly less than the national average - no matter what studies are cited.
• About 61% meet with less than 200 (the definition of a small church in the Z-4:10 Network).
• About 50% the people in EPC congregations each week are in only 8% of its churches.
• This snapshot has really not changed over the years, even with a significant influx of new churches
• While a few churches in the EPC are moving from one size category to another (both directions), the overall picture isn't changing.
• The small church is the "majority church" if measured by number of congregations. It is the minority church if measured by the number of worshipers.

A common issue for small congregations its negative self assessment (See Sept. 8 posting and comments). Being small in a denomination that leans large probably exaggerates the issue. Taking the headings of this first chapter to heart, small church leaders and congregations have good reason to invite someone to attend. Paraphrasing the headings, a healthy small church is a place where people:

• Experience real community
• Find an opportunity to serve and use their gifts
• Have a place where news is communicated quickly
• Find a place where they are more important than programs or performances
• Where they actively benefit their town/city

A core value of the Z-4:10 Network is that size does not determine significance. Size says a a lot about scale and about organizational culture, but little about importance in the kingdom of God. In comparison to the needs of our communities, even our larger comgregations seem small. Both large and small, if they are pursuing God's mission, make significant contributions.


We don't have to think very long to realize that "bigger is better" is a gross over-generalization. I had an interesting airplane conversation on my way back from making a presentation on missional small churches. The person next to me was a nanotechnologist. In his world, bigger is definitely not better. In working through this book together, perhaps we're taking steps to becoming specialists in "church nanotechnology."


Stories of two congregations come to mind. Both are small, by anyone's measure, and both made some significant kingdom contributions. The first had a short, 10 year history. Even though the church dissolved, something significant happened while it was together. From that congregation, which at its peak had 110 on a Sunday morning, I can count fourteen people now in full time Christian service - from domestic church planting to ministry in the Muslim world. That's an astounding percentage of people. The second is in Ft. Collins, Colorado. I am encouraged by what God has done there in and through Christ Fellowship Church. On a recent trip, I stopped to visit Ed and Donna Davis. For most of its years, their congregation, now averaging about 75 on Sunday, had no building of its own. When the congregation did build, they did it with their community foremost in their minds. In consultation with the needed community and state authorities, they built a daycare/preschool facility in which they could meet. Most churches I know do things the other way around - build for their needs and then try to adapt the building for the needs of the community. To me, what Christ Fellowship has done is an example missional thinking and practice. The CFC Child Development Center has the reputation of having the best preschool in Ft. Collins with more children waiting to enroll than they have room to accommodate. Small does not mean insignificant.


Please read and join the conversation - just press the "comments" button below each posting.

• What are your stories of significant ministry in a small setting?
• How do you react to Bickers' observation that "small churches communicate quickly when problems arise"? The communication style in a small church informal (family) rather than formal (institutional). How can leaders use this aspect of small church DNA to further the church's mission?
• What struck a chord with you in Chapter 1?

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