In today’s news there was an article about small colleges and their struggles. It is common to think bigger is better, and students often choose a college by its size assuming they will get a bigger/better education at the big school.
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The article caught my attention because I am the product of a small school. In 1957 I graduated from Union University in Jackson, TN. At that time, the school had less than a thousand students. I was not an outstanding student. Early on I gained the notoriety of “average.” Still, every faculty member and administrator knew me and greeted me by name.
Faculty offices were small, but there was always room for a struggling, sad, or homesick student. The compensation matched the offices – small; but the professors were there because they wanted to be. It was a calling. They were teachers in the finest sense of the word. Admittedly, my degree is not prestigious; but my education is.
Often the church falls victim of this “bigger is better” thinking. If that is true, then the church is in trouble. Seventy-five to 80% of local churches in America run less than 100 in attendance. I suspect the numbers are even smaller when you consider all the churches around the world.
Karl Vaters, a California pastor, noted that while there is an abundance of “bemoaning” the exodus of the next generation from the church; the small church just might be the answer for the Millennials. Many of the Millennials were raised outside the traditional family and are seeking good relationships and intimate worship. That’s what small churches do best.
Small churches began with Pentecost. After Peter preached and 3,000 souls were saved, the new converts went home and began churches – house churches. They loved one another, cared from one another, and helped one another when persecution arose.
The task of the church is to teach mankind about Jesus. Teaching is best done hands on, and the small church can do that best. One of the best pictures of the church is the picture of a shepherd with his flock of sheep. In Biblical times, most flocks were small. Often, the shepherd knew every sheep by name. He continually protected them. This kind of love and care would only be possible if the flock was small.
So, back to where we began, small is not necessarily a four letter word.