Encouragement
Should The Size of The Congregation Determine if a House of God Close's it's doors?
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If a church has a small congregation, Should it disband? I guess I'm one of those Christians that believe that the size of a churches membership, is not the determining factor as to whether it should close it's doors or not.
In all truth, a smaller congregation means a more personal experience for the practicing Christian!
Having grown up in mostly small, rural communities. The congregation's were never very large to begin with. It was only as I grew older that I wanted to try the larger, better financed churches with the huge memberships. Honestly, I was extremely dissapointed with the nature of the larger fellowships. Something had been lost, in the process of their growth!
Somewhere in the process of finance, the true message of Christ had been subverted, or lost entirely! In the process of becoming so large, and trying to dominate their particular order, in that particular region. The churches message had become financial in nature. This is absolutely, the last thing you would want to find in your local, neighborhood church!
Having discovered that the Lord's message was some how forgotten or misplaced in these larger congregations. It sent me running back to the smaller, more intimate churches I remembered from my youth! There was true power in the churches of my memory, and that was what I was searching for, now that I was older.
There was absolutely no doubt about it! This was the house of God that I remembered, and now that I had found what I had lost, I would do everything in my power, to make sure the doors stayed open! The size of the congregation had absolutely nothing to do with the power Inside! And isn't that what we're all searching for in a church, to begin with?
It made me realize that the word of God had nothing to do with money! Of course, we all realize that any church has to have funding. But a smaller church can exist on a much smaller budget than these huge conglomerates that dominate today's house of worship, and just because they're larger, and more beautiful on the outside, dosen't mean they're better on the inside!
As far as the fellowship go's. In a smaller church, it's much more in depth, real, and personal! You can actually know every single person thats sitting next to you, on the church pew! It's truly a wonderful feeling! I don't know about you, but it made me feel like I had come back home, and I had been gone for a very long time indeed! I would not be leaving this small church again anytime soon. Not for any reason!
So, no. I do not believe that a church should disband, or close it's doors because of a small membership! In fact, I now feel just the opposite!
Now that I know the actual difference between a church with a huge membership, and a church with a congregation of about thirty or so. I am even more determined that these smaller churches should stay open and alive! God lives in these smaller churches, and that makes them very vibrant and real in nature! Of that, I'm absolutely certain! God Bless,each and every one!
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I have been to both types of churches, big and small but i find that i to like the smaller churches. The main thing whether big or small, they have to abe about salvation and if not, thats when God will shut the door. Enjoyed your article, keep writing for Him and His glory.
His word says that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in the midst of them...so I agree! A small church has many advantages over the larger church. I, too, like beig able to know my sisters and brothers in Christ better in the smaller church. Many blessings can be had there.
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