Fearless Faith

Spirituality and numbers make for uneasy companions when it comes to relative importance in the life of the church. Most people disavow a dependency on numbers as a reflection of how well a church is doing. Deep down they know better, but neither will any church turn away numbers of people if they appear at the doorsteps of the church. To say a church is accomplishing all it can as justified by head counts, is an afront to the Word. In years of participation in church, I have encountered innumerable committees, task forces, ad hoc groups and informal gatherings whose purpose was to define and grow the church. Growing the church almost always meant figuring out how to get people in the pews … and then bragging about it.

We brag in subtle ways. Pastors are no different than anyone else in that regard. Several pastor leadership events I recall devolved into brag fests over how many baptisms, weddings, membership transfers and new babies were added to the rolls: membership by association. Further testaments pridefully included how quickly church mortgages were paid off, vans purchased and building additions completed. We all have gotten excited over modern new facilities and it can be quite an accomplishment to pull people together for a common goal. However, there should be a clearer set of metrics to apply to define the success of the church.

This is nothing new for any of us. The measure and mark of a successful congregation is not dependent on a strict numerical accounting, but whether wholeness and understanding and faith are encouraged to coalesce into something substantive and long lasting. Flyers appear in the mail nearly every week from religious promoters promising once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to expand the church (as they have done of course!). Slick paper promotions and events promise to teach small churches how to become big grownup churches. What about flipping that on its head and offering curricula that promises to help big churches sharpen and retain their spiritual focus by thinking small?

Small can be hard. It implies many things to many people including reasons to avoid church altogether. What is missed are moments of relational awareness with one another that sometimes get lost in the crowd. Is there middle ground? Some congregations have begun to embrace a “service hub” style of worship planning where resources are available through numbers of denominational or network churches. Instead of taxing the same individuals to keep producing bigger, larger, and better everything, a virtual buffet of ala carte choices are suddenly available. Both small and large churches will discover possibilities in the “other,” by building additional ties and networks. Small churches are often nimble and able to make decisions quickly. Flexibility is key in the service hub model.

Such interactive planning and participation with others rooted in faith generates a fresh vitality, a willingness to offer non-mainstream solutions. In one very small church, traditional sermons have given way to “conversational worship,” a relational, integrated, intimate small group worship experience focused on participation that is defined by congregational and group members. It might fall somewhere between the Quaker programmed and unprogrammed worship experience, but its evolution has already begun. 

In the meantime, dream large but don’t forget to also dream small. Each approach has much to offer.