THE UNIQUE ROLE OF THE SMALL CHURCH
Just as small businesses are the backbone of the nation's economy, so too are small churches indispensable in God's economy.
Fred Smith
October 1, 1991
It's easy for small churches to feel overshadowed by megachurches. The media emphasize large churches, and rarely do news reports, magazine articles, or documentaries acknowledge the essential nature, or even the existence, of small churches.
Why? Because the media like exceptions. They deal with the unusual, with what's creating a splash, not necessarily with what's most important. They cover celebrities, not the everyday workers who produce our essential food and shelter. They cover accidents and crises, not the daily transactions that make our economy possible.
Yet, although they don't make a media splash, small churches, like small businesses, are vital to our national well-being. They make several unique, vital contributions.
I grew up in a small church in Nashville, Tennessee, where my father was pastor-not "servant leader." He was just plain Brother Smith, on call twenty-four hours a day, searching for sinners and serving saints, with most of the members neither noteworthy saints nor conspicuous sinners. There was no paid staff, and most of his sermons he prepared at home.
Much of my adult church experience has been in large churches. However, recently-perhaps due to a reverse reaction to the media's emphasis on megachurches and neglect of the small church, my wife and I have been visiting small churches.
Before offering some reflections on the unique contributions of the small church, let me describe some of the things we experienced.
What I Saw
Mary Alice and I visited a church we had passed several times. It turned out to be a noisy little Baptist church, and most of the members carried big, well-worn King James Bibles. The minute we stepped in the door I knew we were "back home." There was joy in the place.
With no choir ...
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