Linda at Mocha with Linda said, "...megachurches are often in the forefront, yet half of the evangelical churches in America have less than 75 attendees, and 90% of churches have less than 350 members."
Our church falls very close to that "less than 75 attendees". Planning and executing activities is always a challenge when people are as busy as everybody seems to be. But last night, Dana and Carole DID it!
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| This is Carole (but not Dana) |
How many people attend YOUR church?
Do you have time to participate in any "church" activities outside of Sunday morning (or Saturday night, etc.) worship?
How important is it to you to have personal contact with your church friends outside of that Sunday morning experience?
We have just a little over one hundred members Rebecca, that is active members. And it is hard getting everyone involved in things. I've been on the Fellowship committee for years and the one thing that I have learned when planning activities is : if there is food, they will come!!! So most of our activities involve food.
ReplyDeleteNow there are a lot of jokes about Lutherans and food. Believe them, they are true!
Love Di ♥
We have over 100 members. We cleaned up our rolls so they are all active.
ReplyDeleteWe have a fellowship meal once a month.
How important is it for me to have contact with my church friends? Massively important! They are my family, my brothers and sisters in the truest way ever. I adore my church family...
We're right there with you... 75 on a good Sunday. I've often thought a chili cook-off a good idea; maybe we'll try it once the chill comes around again. It's hard to get our people out for much more than Sunday morning. Billy and I are leading a Bible study on Wednesday evenings, but only have about 12 people.
ReplyDeleteIt's very important for me to know our people. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the same could be said about them.Slowly, they seem to be coming around.
Hope today is restful for you both. Loved seeing your new grand-daughter, Phoebe! Welcome.
peace~elaine
Well, you know we fall into the mega church category with over 3000 attending every weekend. We are just about to launch our 4th campus. Our founding pastor just preached his last sermon this morning as he has accepted a call at another church which needs a mature, experienced pastor. Our church started with a bible study of 25 folks about 30 years ago which he led in a home. While this has been our church home for 11 years now, we've also been in a small church of 100 and a medium sized one of 250. The size of the congregation is not what is important...Jesus said he is present when 2 or 3 are gathered together in His name. While we continue to grow spiritually in a place with lots of resources and opportunities to serve, we did some of our best growing in small, intimate settings. The challenges are just different. In our large church, people MUST get connected in a small group to get to know one another and serve one another. I think Jesus himself set the example for this when he gathered his small group of disciples. Oh Di, so happy you can joke about the the Lutherans and their food. We were part of a Lutheran fellowship for 10 years and, um, the jokes ARE true. Communion wafers were a little spicey for some! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI am boh glad and sad that we are in a mega church. We love the pastor, love the truth he's speaking... do NOT care for the music, miss our old hymns! Can't quite figure out why everything needs drums!!
ReplyDeleteI've been in several Bible studies here and gotten so much from them.
Having said all that, I grew up in small churches, and my heart is for the effort that it takes to stay encouraged with little numbers. The older I get, the more I know that God doesn't count 'nickels and noses'... that's a human trap. He wants to be lifted up with 10 or 10,000.
Love your chili supper contest! I would have enjoyed the sampling!
Our church is around 800, so I guess considered large, but not mega. I love our small group--I think you have to get involved and connected no matter where you are. I've attended small and medium churches and there are positives for all of them.
ReplyDeleteThe chili's look wonderful!
We run under 50.......sing only hymns...... :) . We all live in the same town and do things with each other at random. Bible studies, piano lessons, shopping, fellowships, eating out......we're all pretty happy, but would always like to see more souls saved and more *added to the church* !!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had seen this post earlier! I can comment from a bit different point of life since we just resigned our small-church pastorate of 18+ years this January. Our church had fluctuated in attendance from 140 to 50 some and back and forth the whole time we were there. We hovered around 80-100 most of the time. We are now preaching in various churches since resigning and have preached in four different churches for the last four weeks. Two were 100+ and two were about 20-30 people. I'd say the little churches are having the greatest struggle right now. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's tough in our competition oriented, shopping mentality society. I know all the frustrations of small church life from a pastor's standpoint, but we know the benefits too. The church we will now call home since our resignation is about 300, for us that seems large. We haven't been able to be there much because of preaching on the road now, but we have met with individuals of the church during the week and try to remain accountable to the leadership even when we are gone. They have welcomed us with open arms. Interesting post!
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