What is the ideal church size??

May 2, 2005 1:12 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

I have noticing some negativity and hostilitiy toward large churches within the Christian Blogsphere. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to all church sizes, and I don't think we really have that much control over how big a church gets.

Some folks argue that preachers who run megachurches are doing so for egotistical reasons. I disagree.

BibleGateway.com Passage Lookup: Acts 2;
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call."

40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Peter ran a Megachurch of sorts. I don't think his church is a bad example to try to follow.

Other folks express fear over megachurches because if many people are going there, it must be the wide road. Really even megachurches are attended by a small percentage of the community. The pastor doesn't drive his congregation through those gates, he can only point to one and give it a label. Each person needs to chart their own course. Many Church attenders are on the wide road. We shouldn't judge the road based on the number of people that are on it, We should judge based on the Word of God. Many Mega-Churches teach the true Gospel. Some do not. Many small community churches teach the true Gospel, while some do not. I don't care how many people are believing something, I want to know the truth as God defines it.

Critics say that these MegaChurches should plant churches rather than expanding. On the surface this sounds like a good idea, but it really is not an either/or proposition. If a large church plants a successful new church, perhaps 10% will leave. Of those perhaps 5% will stay gone for the long haul. When a church is growing at an exponential rate, this is hardly adequte to substantially curb growth. There is a church in my neighborhood that has a 194% growth rate over 3 years. They planted a daughter church last year, but they are still growing faster than ever.

A good teacher is going to attract people. This is a good thing, not a bad thing.

I attended a large church for quite some time. I chose to join in one of it's church plants because I felt that I could better serve in a smaller church. In my mind, the ideal size for a church is big enough that there are plenty of needs to serve, but small enough that people are not comfortable as spectators.

Comments

BibleGateway.com Passage Lookup: Acts 2; 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call." 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Peter ran a Megachurch of sorts. I don't think his church is a bad example to try to follow. Other folks express fear over megachurches because if many people are going there, it must be the wide road. Really even megachurches are attended by a small percentage of the community. The pastor doesn't drive his congregation through those gates, he can only point to one and give it a label. Each person needs to chart their own course. Many Church attenders are on the wide road. We shouldn't judge the road based on the number of people that are on it, We should judge based on the Word of God. Many Mega-Churches teach the true Gospel. Some do not. Many small community churches teach the true Gospel, while some do not. I don't care how many people are believing something, I want to know the truth as God defines it. Critics say that these MegaChurches should plant churches rather than expanding. On the surface this sounds like a good idea, but it really is not an either/or proposition. If a large church plants a successful new church, perhaps 10% will leave. Of those perhaps 5% will stay gone for the long haul. When a church is growing at an exponential rate, this is hardly adequte to substantially curb growth. There is a church in my neighborhood that has a 194% growth rate over 3 years. They planted a daughter church last year, but they are still growing faster than ever. A good teacher is going to attract people. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. I attended a large church for quite some time. I chose to join in one of it's church plants because I felt that I could better serve in a smaller church. In my mind, the ideal size for a church is big enough that there are plenty of needs to serve, but small enough that people are not comfortable as spectators.