Does size really matter? In a society where bigger is often times seen as better the small church too often gets an unfair wrap or at best is undervalued, but maybe being small isn't a bad thing after all. I love the old Hershey kiss tag that popularized the idea that sometimes good things come in small packages, but could this maybe be true of the church?
Pastoring in a smaller denomination where most of our churches are under 100 in size I have come to appreciate the small church and the huge role that it is playing and can play in the kingdom of God. Maybe these thoughts can share with you some unique perspectives on being small that I have come to appreciate:
Small is Mobile
When a need is present a smaller group is easier to mobilize to meet the need from Hurricanes to Bridge Collapse relief-to more local needs such as a fire, hospitalization, or death of a loved one.
Small is More Cost Effective
If you lose the overhead of a building and large salaries, smaller churches are often much more cost effective in which money is directly spent on ministry and needs and not overheads of huge buildings, huge budgets, or large staffs.
Small is Highly Volunteer Oriented
If everyone doesn't help in a small church it just can't be done. In a small church there is no staff to pick up the ministry loads, it must be done by the people - which costs less and gives more ownership to the body and often times yields a better result.
Small is More Intimate
While this can be scary, it can also be invigorating. Growth happens best in small groups and a small church is by nature a small group.
Small Does Not Have to Mean Unhealthy
Too often small is seen as unhealthy when in fact small can be very healthy. In a small church fewer people fall through the cracks. Also over time most missionaries and pastors have come from small churches, not the mega-churches.
But how can small survive? With a growing shortage of pastors and rising costs of living it has become harder and harder for most small churches to numerically and consequently financially survive. But what if small churches united?
This is the thought behind a vision the concept of the Small Church Network. In the SCN several small churches join forces sharing resources but maintaining their own unique identity. The SCN allows several small churches (churches under 100 in size) to share such things as a building, a youth or children's ministry, pastoral staff, office space, secretarial staff, and Pastoral leadership. The SCN is a very grassroots driven church in which the Shepherd is not often an ordained pastor but rather a pastor in training or a lay-pastor which is being mentored and supervised by the leading pastor in the SCN. The SCN allows for many of the advantages of the small church while opening up the doors of a much larger organization. The SCN also allows for opportunities for large corporate worship while on most weekends providing a more intimate worship experience.
As I search scriptures this seems to be a basic model followed in the New Testament missional church and possibly it will be a model the American Church will once again have to embrace.
