The Forgotten Churches

            As another week comes to a close, I hope this writing finds you well! If you are one who celebrates the season of Lent, I hope you had a great Ash Wednesday.  I was hoping to attend an Ash Wednesday service, but came down with a brief illness that kept me from getting out and doing much. Don’t worry, I am feeling much better now! Luckily, I’ve managed to avoid significant illness this winter. Hopefully, I didn’t just jinx myself.

              While I was sick and confined to my couch, I took a look through a two-volume history set which outlines the history and places in my hometown. If you don’t know, I grew up in a small town of about 1,600 in Southwest Indiana. Not a stoplight in sight! The book has a section dedicated to the town’s churches. Currently, there are only two Churches located in Haubstadt – my own Catholic parish that I grew up in and a very small Pentecostal congregation. To my surprise, the book taught me about several other congregations that once dotted the landscape throughout the area. I can only imagine that these congregations were very small, but it led me to wonder what happened to them and the factors that led to their shuttering. In most of the cases, it seems that after the Church closed, the buildings fell into disrepair and were eventually razed with only the cemetery remaining. How sad that once-vibrant houses of God were reduced to a pile of rubble! The memories of these venues which oversaw the faithful administration of Word and Sacrament along with numerous weddings and other joyous occasions have all but faded into the rolling Southern Indiana hills. This scenario is not unique to Haubstadt and has undoubtedly played out across our great nation.

              At some point in the latter half of the 20^th century, the trend within the Church shifted from smaller congregations to larger ones. As such, the so- called megachurch movement was born. There was undoubtedly a plethora of reasons for this shift – each having their own merits, I’m sure.  There were great preachers, outstanding children’s ministry, and great coffee! All of these things are great, especially the coffee!  Without a doubt, God has been at work and changed countless lives through the ministries of these large Churches. As the body of Christ, we should be extremely grateful for this fact. These Churches have their place and will continue to be an important part of God's kingdom.

              But is the tide swinging back towards the emergence of smaller congregations? To aid in my research, I ran another Twitter poll – admittedly, this is a comically small sample size.  48% of respondents indicated their attend a Church with 100-500 members. 44% indicated their congregation is home to less than 100 members. The remaining 8% responded their congregation had between 500 and 1,000 members. Seems like the tide may indeed be turning. Experts in the field agree with me, often arguing the small Churches and even micro houses Churches are the future of corporate worship.

              In my admittedly biased opinion, I am definitely rooting for the re-emergence of the type of small congregations that once stood as beacons of the Gospel in my own hometown.  I have a few reasons for this opinion that I will outline below.

·       Smaller congregations require increased participation amongst the laity with regards to congregational activity. In a large Church, it’s easy for a lay person to come to Church, consume content, and then leave. In short, it can become difficult to get involved and become an active participant in worship and your walk with Christ. In a small congregation, it’s possible to become an active participant in the operation of the service or other congregational ministries every week.  In fact, it's often necessary for each member to pull their weight. There’s just nowhere to hide! This promotes faithfulness in worship attendance, which brings me to my next point.

·       Smaller congregations promote accountability.  When you are involved in a smaller congregation, attendance issues are much more easily noted. Again, there is nowhere to hide. It is much easier for your brothers and sisters in Christ to speak truth into your life if they know you and your story. Not to mention, Church discipline is also much more practical in a smaller setting. There’s simply an intimacy and comfort level that cannot be replicated in a larger Church setting.

·       In smaller congregations, your pastor can actually be your shepherd. I’m a firm believer that one should attend a Church at which the pastor knows your name. In the smaller settings I’ve been in, I’ve been able to cultivate wonderful friendship with my pastors. These relationships have been immensely beneficial to me and have helped to keep me on the narrow path!

·       Smaller congregations foster a culture of Christ that is transcendent among generations. It’s no secret that our society today is more transient than it has ever been. It’s easy to pack up and move to another city, state, or region of the country. But these small Churches often have a sense of pride and hardiness that is passed down from generation to generation. Children that grow up in these settings see the work their elders put into their local congregation and aspire to do the same when they grow up. And when they do, they will pass that same ethic and desire for Christ and His Church on to their children. A sense of ownership develops over time. This is what the local Church is all about! This is how Christianity can and will thrive in the post-Christian times we are now living in!

Again, this is simply my opinion. However, I am so glad to see smaller Churches beginning to spring up again. If you have memories of a smaller Church you attended, I’d love to hear them in the comments section below.

In Christ,

Kendal May