The majority of churches in the world are small, and many of these small churches are very healthy. This article is not about why some churches remain small while others explode in number. What I will say is that I know lots of evangelistic, dynamic, healthy, outwardly focused churches that are glorifying God, growing believers, reaching the lost—and most of these churches are not on the fast track to becoming a megachurch.
With this in mind, here are a few reflections on some of the strengths a small church exhibits.
- Culture Change Can Happen Faster.
We were doing an Organic Outreach International training event focused on how to bring meaningful evangelistic cultural change to a local church. We taught the 30-Day Rule: the practice of gathering the primary influencers of each church ministry on a monthly basis for the purpose of infusing evangelistic inspiration, accountability, learning and planning.
A young pastor who led a small church plant of 12 people asked, “How many people do I need to gather and infuse with outreach training each month?”
I suggested that he make the entire church his outreach influence team. “If you got all 12 people committed to outreach, praying for the lost, and understanding that God’s vision for evangelism should permeate every part of a church, you could create a deeply biblical outreach culture.”
He said he thought only nine of those people should be on that important of a leadership team, so I replied, “Hey, if you have 75% of your church on board with evangelism, that would be amazing.”
You get the idea—if you have a church of 400 and want to get 50% of your congregation on board with a church-culture-changing movement, it might seem daunting. But if you have a church of 80 people, the idea of gathering and influencing 40 people feels much more feasible.
- People Notice When You’re Gone.
Some people like to come and go from church and not really have to connect with people. But in a smaller church, when you are gone for a week or two, people notice. They might even call and check in: “Is everything OK? I noticed you were not in church Sunday.”
That’s not meddling. It’s good old-fashioned care; it’s being the family of God.
When a church reaches a certain size, with multiple services, people can get lost in the shuffle and intimacy can wane. There is something about gathering with people who know your name, who pray for your needs, who celebrate your joys, and who really love you. This is a good gift that smaller healthy churches can give to all those who are part of the congregation.
- Your Gifts Are Needed.
If you are part of a small church or have been engaged in a church plant, you know that it is an all-hands-on-deck enterprise. You learn where you are gifted and seek to use those Spirit-given abilities to be a blessing to others and help the church run. You are needed. There is a place for you.
One of the blessings of being part of a local church is discovering your gifts, developing them, and then deploying them for the glory of God. This pleases the Lord, edifies the church family, and can become a blessing to the world. In a very large church, it can be hard to find a place to engage and invest. If a person comes to a small church and says, “I would love to help and serve in some way,” there is a high probability that there will be a place for them.
- You Feel Like Family.
We live in a fragmented world and culture. Many people do not live near family. In the church I serve in Monterey, California, there are a lot of military people and students who are far from home. These people need the intimacy and connection that all of us need (and sometimes at higher levels of intensity). The church is meant to be a family. It is a place where human connection should thrive.
Small churches can create a family environment for disconnected people if they lean into the built-in intimacy they already have. When a small church is healthy, military people, students, folks who are only in town for a season, and others who visit can be embraced in the family and feel welcomed and at home. What a gift this is in a world where many people feel alone and disconnected.
- New People Stand Out.
When a new family shows up on a Sunday morning at your church, will they be noticed? If you are part of a healthy small church the answer is most definitely yes. They will be seen, welcomed and someone might even invite them over for lunch. (Yes, this is still a thing.) They won’t be mobbed or embarrassed. They will find a warm community embrace.
Small churches will know when someone is new and give a natural and kind welcome that does not put people on the spot.
These are just five advantages that a small church has. There are many more. If you are part of a small church, celebrate and lean into each of these.
To be perfectly clear, I believe culture change can and should happen in larger churches, and I have spent the last 30 years—in partnership with my wife Sherry and some great leaders—developing practical resources to help churches of every size learn to develop an evangelistic culture. (You can find these at OrganicOutreach.org.) I’m just saying that small churches have an advantage and can often make changes faster.
Big churches can be sure people are missed and family intimacy is developed by creating a healthy small group network, but it demands serious effort and consistent investment. These values can be tended to in larger churches, but these things are developed by intentionally making a big church a smaller place through connecting people in smaller networks or gatherings.
Yes, the gifts of all God’s people need to be engaged in a large church and this can happen, but there does not seem to be the same level of desperation and immediate engagement. When a new person or family comes to a very large church, they can be welcomed by setting up a system of connecting with and honoring these people, but it will not happen with the same spontaneity as it does in a healthy small church.
God loves his church in all of its shapes and sizes. Each of these five strengths can often happen more naturally in a small church, but they are so important that a large church should do all they can to make a big gathering feel smaller.
Kevin Harney is the teaching pastor of Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, California, and the president and co-founder of Organic Outreach International.