What Kind of Church? - Small Church

King James Version (WordSearch Edition) Chapter 16

Matthew 16:18

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Introduction

70% of all churches in America have fewer than 100 people in attendance on a Sunday morning.

70% of all church-goers attend a church with more than 250 people in attendance on Sunday morning.

I will always remember talking to a former member of the Baptist Tabernacle when I first got to town.

I invited them to come back and visit, and this was the response.

Oh I’ll always love my little old Baptist tabernacle, but we go somewhere else now.

There is nothing wrong with a church that runs a low number

There are many small churches that are healthy and thriving.

There are also many small churches that are sick and dying.

From the day I was introduced to the Baptist Tabernacle, I’ve been convinced that there is no reason for us to be a small church.

We are in a growing city.

We are surrounded by growing cities.

We own a large piece of property that offers us plenty of room to grow.

We are right off of a main road and a highway.

We have multi-generational families.

We have 68 years of community presence.

How to insure our church stays small in a bad way.

When people say they want a small church atmosphere, they are usually not saying that they want their church to be ineffective.

Resist all change.

Some things about our church should never change.

Some things about our church should be constantly changing.

Throughout the New Testament we can see the churches that adapted to the changes taking place around them.

They met where they needed to.

They started out in the temple according to Acts 5:42 “42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

Some had rented space like in Corinth Acts 19:9 “9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.”

Some met in houses Philemon 1:2 “2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:”

They incorporated other cultures into their assemblies.

Serve only ourselves.

Demand our rights.

James 4:1 “1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”

Ignore new members.

Withhold trust from one another.

Let offenses build until you hold your brothers and sisters with contempt.

Believe that ministry is a staff exclusive task.

Ignore the personal responsibility to witness.

How to make sure your church stays small in a good way.

When someone says they like the small church feel, this is what they mean.

No matter how big your church gets, you are in control of how close of a community you enjoy at church.

Come to services.

Hebrews 10:25 “25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

You don’t have to come to church to be a Christian.

I hope people come because they see value and find help for their lives in our services.

I also believe people should come to the services because they are a part of the building, the body, the church.

When you are not here, you are missed.

We are not whole when you are not here.

Being present in the services is a vital step in shrinking the feeling of size in your church.

Some of the overwhelming feeling is just the amount of people that you don’t know.

The only way you will feel more comfortable around those people is to show up more.

Join a small group.

We highly encourage all of our members to join a Sunday morning small group.

We have 7 different adult small groups.

Each one is studying a different subject.

None of them have more than 35 people.

You can enjoy the intimacy of a small gathering of Christians in a Sunday morning class.

Volunteer for a ministry.

Serving alongside someone else is a great way to make connections with other members.

Children, Kitchen, Safety, Tech, Choir, Orchestra, Mowing, Retreads.

Share a meal with other church members.

This is a great way to get to know other church members.

Let’s say you join a small group, or a ministry team.

Have one of the families that you meet over to the house or out to eat.

Participate in community events and other activities.