Before I get to what I want to say, let me give some disclaimers:
First, I’m not saying that large congregations are evil, or doing something wrong to be large. I know that sometimes when people discuss the benefits of small congregations, they sound like they want to stay forever small because somehow it is holier. I’m not saying that at all.
Second, the following is only my opinion, and I’m not saying it is true everywhere. But based on what I experienced growing up, and what I continue to see today, I think it is accurate.
This last Sunday, as we were taking the Lord’s supper, my mind wandered. I know, I know; But don’t judge me before I tell you what I was thinking.
As the plates came around, I was sitting on the side of the pews where one of our young men (who is a high school senior) was helping to serve. His father was also serving on the opposite side of our section of pews. For a split second, it dawned on me how much this young man had grown in his service to God in the past year.
His family moved to Metropolis at about the same time we did. They moved to our congregation of 75-80 from a congregation of several hundred. One of the reasons they gave for moving was that they wanted their boys to be in a comfortable environment which would allow them to grow.
But wait. Isn't that supposed to happen in large churches with all kinds of “programs” and opportunities?
Yes. But it also happens in small churches. Sometimes, it even works better, too.
I grew up in a congregation that averaged a little over one hundred in attendance. We had a small youth group. Maybe there were a dozen of us. We went bowling a couple of times when I was growing up. But our main activities included Bible Bowls (which we routinely won - thanks Mrs. Linda!), Summer Youth Series, and Camp. We may not have taken ski trips to Gatlinburg and mission trips to North Dakota, but we did take trips across the county in our bus, singing, laughing, and enjoying each other’s fellowship the whole way. We had parents, and even grandparents who were wholly given over to teaching us, working with us, and helping us to grow into Christian adults.
A small congregation is where I learned to preach, along with the few other guys in my youth group. Another small congregation is where I honed my skills as a preacher, “filling in” during college. It was yet another small congregation that first hired me, and where I spent the first two and a half years of my ministry. It was an incredible time, with incredible people, though I can’t say I fully appreciated it then as much as I do now.
When I think about it, most of the preachers I know came from small churches. When you are at a small congregation, one hidden advantage is that you are given more opportunity to serve in the same capacities adults serve in. As a teen, I learned to be a Christian as part of the Church itself, with the adults, serving as an adult, not being set apart in a special “youth group.”
I guess that’s why when I see people drive past a small congregation, adding fifteen or twenty minutes “one way” to their trip, just to go to a congregation that has an “active youth group,” I want to stand out by the road, waving my arms yelling, “We have active youth, too! We have some great kids! They faithfully serve God and grow in many ways! This would be a great place for your kids!”
It’s a lot like the person applying for a job for the first time. Every listing says that job experience is required. But how are you supposed to get experience if no one will hire you because you don’t have experience?
The same is true for the youth of a congregation. How are you supposed to have an active youth program if no one will come because they don’t think you have an active, flourishing youth program? It’s really unfair.
My point in writing is this: Small churches are good for your kids, too. Don’t take the attitude of a consumer. Be a builder. Don’t look for congregations like you look for schools and colleges. Find a place that you can help to grow, and where your children can learn to serve God, whether big or small. If the closest place is a small congregation, give them a chance. And by that, I mean more than a few weeks.
After all, most every large congregation did not start large. They were once a small congregation. But it was that small church that raised the kids who made it large. They must have been doing something right when they were small!
-Daniel
