How the Family Church Grows
April 1, 1998
Churches are getting smaller and larger"—that's the analysis of some who read church demographics. As the culture shifts, the two survivors seem to be large, full-service churches, and small, intimate-family churches.
Many books and seminars trumpet churches that are large. Fewer provide help for churches that are small.
Leadership asked three veterans of small churches to give honest and practical answers to questions such as "What does growth mean when it may cause a church to lose what is most precious to it—its family feeling?"
The candid discussion came from:
- Kathy Callahan-Howell, who planted and has ministered for twelve years in a small, urban church: Winton Community Free Methodist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Gary Farley, a former bi-vocational pastor, who served in the Town and Country department of the Home Mission Board (Southern Baptist) for thirteen years. He is director of the Center for Rural Church Leadership.
- Martin Giese, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Park Rapids, Minnesota, and co-director of the Country Shepherds workshop, a training seminar for pastors of rural churches.
How do you define "small church"?
Gary: The small church sees itself as a family. People are connected
through ethnicity, vocation, or place. Often there are several generations.
People in small churches interact with each other outside of church—at the
post office, at the Lions Club, at the turkey shoot, or the Friday-night
football game. They drink coffee at the cafe in the morning before they go
to work.
Martin: Which creates a climate of intimacy and a strong level of
accountability that can be uncomfortable. It also makes evangelism difficult.
How do you evangelize someone who has watched you go through ...
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