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You are here: Home / Archive / New life appears in small church ministry

New life appears in small church ministry

March 1, 1999 by Richard Cimino

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There is new interest in promoting small-church ministry, even if megachurch-church models still seem to be winning the day.

Pointing out that roughly half of all churches in America are under 200 members, and two-thirds have fewer than 300, Loren Seibold writes  in Christianity Today (Feb. 8) that today most church resource and growth programs are geared for the larger churches. Denominational leaders and many parish pastors accept the view that the “better” parishes are the large ones; they set the standards for all parish programs.

Some even believe small churches are “failed large ones” and should consider going under. Seibold adds that this is not the case. Small church ministry, both in villages, the rural areas and some suburban fringes, offer two major strengths not available in the “successful” large parishes: stability and continuity of relationships.

Members here are not caught up in pursuing the latest new programs, they conserve their values and beliefs, their relationships and friendships. Pastors of small congregations often become trusted members of nurturing communities, cultivating the virtues of friendship, enthusiasm and careful listening.

— By Erling Jorstad.

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Filed Under: Archive

Also in this issue

  • On/File: March 1999
  • Findings & Footnotes: March 1999
  • Current Research: March 1999
  • New participatory worship coming from pews
  • Orlando — the new evangelical hub?
  • Religious rights movement moves to state level
  • Religious opposition to gambling crumbling
  • Unconventional spirituality books top bestseller chart
  • New evangelical theologians more practical, ecumenical
  • Asian influence defining campus ministries?
  • Sharing religious space spurs new Christian-Jewish ties
  • Reform — traditional rabbis and liberal laity?
  • Orthodox Jewish divisions and innovations emerging

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