From the book, “What People Ask About The Church,” by Dale A. Robbins — 9 — Not necessarily. There are excellent churches which have grown to
great size. But there is a danger in using largeness as a standard to measure success.
Size does not depend as much on spirituality as it may many other factors. There are many
smaller churches which uphold the same truths as faithfully as the larger, but have never
experienced the same degree of growth. Most large churches claim that their size is a result of the ability
to satisfactorily "minister" to the needs of a broad range of people. If this is
so, then it would necessitate a broad range of gifts, talents, programs, and social
factors to be represented in a congregation. Although their preaching, teaching, and
spiritual fervor may not be any greater than many other smaller churches, they have been
able to "multiply" that ministry by training others to use their gifts, and
developing a network of personal interaction and care for one another. Many smaller
churches have excellent preachers and ministries but may not have developed all the gifts
which lend toward this type of growth. This certainly does not make them inferior. While it is true that there are more large churches today than there
were in the past, they still only make up a tiny percentage of the body of Christ.
According to Lyle E. Schaller, one of the foremost authorities on church attendance, 90
percent of American churches have an attendance of somewhere below 200.¹ The majority of
churches, 55 percent, have an attendance of somewhere less than 100. According to his
research, a church that runs 400 or more is in the upper 3% category, and amazingly, only
about 1 percent ever attain attendances of more than 700.² There are only a few dozen of
the so-called "mega churches," which number in the multiple thousands. Percentile of U.S. Church Attendance²
Keep in mind that if attendance alone were used to
measure a church's effectiveness in its community, it would need to be balanced against
the population of the community in which it resides. The church of 200 located in a
population area of 10,000 has reached 2% of its citizens, while a church that runs 1,000
in a population of 500,000 has reached only one fifth of 1%. In this case, the smaller
church would actually be ten times more effective than the larger. Large numbers obviously indicate that something is being done that
is appealing to people. But there are many other things, not especially based on truth or
spirituality, which draw crowds. Churches may attract numbers with marketing and
promotional skills, sensational entertainment or attractions, a stimulating social
environment, or opportunities for participation. Or they may simply offer an appealing
message that people want to hear — providing the "scratch" for those with
itching ears. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but
according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for
themselves teachers;" (2 Tim. 4:3). Any organization, club or church can grow as long
as they "offer something that appeals to people," and there are many ways to do
this that have nothing to do with Jesus Christ or Christianity. Popularity or growing numbers do not necessarily give credence to
any religion or teaching, and in fact, can often be the mark of compromise or deception.
Islam, for instance, is considered the fastest growing religion in the world, but is a
false religion. The Jehovah's Witnesses have been called one of the most rapidly growing
religious groups in the United States, increasing from 373,430 members in 1950 to more
than 4,701,357 in 1994 — but the JW's are a cult. The Mormons are another church cult
which are growing at an overwhelming pace, from 4,936,000 in 1981, to over 9,000,000 in
1995.³ Some sociologists even classify professional football as the largest of America's
religions, drawing the greatest of all Sunday congregations, but the NFL doesn't seek to
lead anyone to Heaven. We must remember that the Christian message of the cross has
traditionally been unpopular, even to those quite willing to accept the other more savory
aspects of the Gospel (Phil. 3:18-19). From the Bible, we may recall the great popularity
of Jesus while he was performing miracles and distributing fish and loaves. But later,
fearing reprisal for their identification with Christ, there was far less attraction at
the most sacred event in history as Jesus gave his life for our sins on the cross. If crowds alone were used as the criterion of success, then Hell
would prove to be far more successful than Heaven. Jesus made it clear that the way which
leads to life is not popular and relatively few will find it. "Enter by the narrow
gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are
many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to
life, and there are few who find it" (Matt. 7:13-14). ¹ Leadership National Conference, Lyle E. Schaller,
August 1991
This article is copyrighted © by Dale A. Robbins, 1995, and is a publication of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references were taken from The New King James Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.You may download for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Obtain permission before reproducing copies for any reason, by filling out our simple permission form. For media reproduction rights, or to obtain published quantities of this title, email us. |
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