DOES SIZE REALLY MATTER?

Romans 8:28 
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 

The question of church size has been much in my thoughts for the past few months, occasioned no doubt by our church's decision to sell our building and move to a new location.  While this decision was made in part because of changing ministry ideals, there's no point in being anything less than honest about the fact that it was largely driven by finances.  Our membership was dwindling -- going through one of the low ebb points that churches seem to hit periodically -- and we simply could no longer afford the upkeep on our aging building, however much we loved it. 
     Since moving we have been spending a lot of time on who we are called to be and what we are called to do in this world -- and part of that discussion involves the question of size:  What can we, as a small group of committed Christians, do?
     I recently wrote the following in an on-line chatroom for Disciples and UCC clergy:

Ministry Council mtg last night in Concord.  Driving to Concord after working all day is not my idea of fun, but I'm so glad I went.  Being in a room full of people who care passionately about what they're doing and the people they do it with is good for my soul.  We have big churches and tiny churches represented, seemingly healthy churches and struggling congregations.

One thought to come from last night's discussion is that we “off-the-center” types now out-number the traditional big-building, big-congregation, full-time staff churches -- by far!  We need to speak up and let each other know we exist.  We can be support and encouragement for each other, certainly, but there is more reason than that.

Small churches -- start-up churches and those declining in number -- are sometimes seen as "failures" when the truth can be that we are among the strongest, most vibrant congregations around.  We can be left thinking we are all alone in our struggle to vision or re-vision ourselves, but that -- it appears -- is in good part because we aren't speaking up and letting each other know we exist!  That is why the "Church-Off-the-Center" Mission cluster was created -- so we can share our stories and our creativity with each other.  Church is changing and we are the face of that change.  If we hide ourselves away we help perpetuate the idea that big church/full-time staff is the only norm.  That is a good image -- I've been part of big, full-of-life churches and it can be wonderful.  But it should not be our only image of church.  Speaking from my own experience right now with FCC Ukiah, I can say my congregation has never been more alive, more invested, more determined to find our place in the greater pattern of those who are actively building the reign of God, right now, right where we live.

It distresses me to think of the effects that our failure as a culture to embrace small as a viable option might have on future growth.  Start-up churches, especially, can succumb to the “we’re not making it as the ideal church” ideal and get discouraged, when they might flourish and grow if they gave up that “perfect” image and sought for the thing that is right for them – in their place and time.
     Older “declining” churches can give up and shut down because they aren’t fitting that old-paradigm image any more.  We HAVE TO release ourselves from that old, out-dated image of church as the ONLY way to be church.
     We discussed this in church last Sunday and I could see us all beginning to take hold of the idea that we are not a failure, but simply a new way of being church, with new possibilities we never saw before.  There is just no one ‘right’ way to be church anymore – and no wrong way either, as long as God is at the center of it.
     As my friend and fellow pastor Ben Zandstra contributed to the conversation that followed my original posting: ...Part of what keeps my hope alive during these tumultuous times is my conviction that all over the country & the world, there are small churches that make a huge difference in their communities--even if I never hear about them...
     Oh, Amen, Ben.  May God continue to bless all our efforts to be and act as the people of God, here and now -- however few or many we are.