Matthew Richardson
(In my best boxing ring announcer voice) In the corner to my right, coming in with 12 members, a church the size of a local convenience store; And the corner to my left, standing strong with 500 members, a church the size of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Let’s get ready to rumble.
Looking at the physical aspects of a big church and small church, one would assume which one is the victor when it comes to praise and fulfillment, but I believe they are simply looking at the outside of a ministry and not looking at the inner core. As cliché as it may sound, one should never judge a book by its cover, but should examine the contents.
My experiences with small churches have always been pleasant, but that’s not to say that my service with a large church was bad, however, my father pastors what one would call a small church and I’ve come to learn that when it comes to getting a strong message from God, size doesn’t matter. (I’m just full of clichés today, huh?)
Take for example college courses at a state university and courses at a community college, both of which I have attended. State university courses will most likely have auditorium size classrooms. Chances are, I would be looked at as just another student who falls asleep at the desk and when it comes to asking questions, I should just refer to the popular NY catchphrase: Aye, forgetaboutit!
But community college is designed to have smaller classroom sizes so that the students can have more of a personal relationship with their instructor—to discuss work assignments that they don’t understand. So at the smaller church, I would not be looked at as just another member, but as a saint who can contribute greatly to God’s will—and not looked at as just a form of monetary gain.
Conglomerate size churches can preach a strong message, but so many times the flash and allure is only capturing the audience’s eyes and not truly allowing them to understand what is being preached, which is the meat for any church service that we attend.
But after saying all of this, growth is an essential part of a healthy church environment. Each member of the church should be willing to bring someone new to pass along the message that they have heard to make a positive change on their life. But through that growth, that particular church should never forget their initial purpose: to preach and spread the gospel.