A church is tooo big when:

I think it depends on how far people are driving to get there. I have known people to drive 2 hours to another state to go to church every sunday because they liked the preacher. You cant serve a local church that is that far away. Since our churches have become a source of entertainment we will go to the church that entertains the best.

 

Now you have touched on one of the very things that make me so uncomfortable with big churches. When did production values replace fellowship in Christ?

 

and here is where we find our complete distinction in thought.

the purpose of church isn't about coddling Christians, but in welcoming the unchurched and growing beyond its walls.

the church isn't about Christians...it's about reaching non-Christians.

any church that isn't growing is, imho, disobeying Christ's commands.

thanks for the post

 

I do disagree. Is there scripture supporting what you say?

Thanks for the post.

 

By looking at those who attend.

 

Maybe a church is too big when the pastor doesn't know each member personally and many members don't know each other.

We had about 75 in our worship service today. When we get to 200, we'll evaluate things at that point. And at 300, 500, and 750.

I'd like the opportunity to determine if we're too big at 1,000.

 

Thanks, Ann. I can agree with your statements much more.

 

Exactly. Everything else falls into place behind worship. Biblical teaching and preaching come in a close second. If members are well taught, outreach, missions and evangelism will naturally follow.

 

In the NT, we learn that Christians gathered together once a week for reading the letters, fellowship, sharing a meal.

That is the one time that was NOT for outreach. We have the rest of the week to do that. Church, for me, is the gathering together of brothers and sisters in Christ for encouragement, worship, fellowship, learning (not necessarily in that order). It is the ONE time during the week when outreach is not primary as far as I am concerned. The rest of my life and week is spent in caring and showing Christ as much as possible.

Churches that specialize in milk because they are always or primarily outreach end up with permanently baby Christians. We need meat in church, and it needs to be a place for us to gather together and learn together and BE together.

 

Personally I like a smaller church where it's more like a family, although I have no idea what a family is really. However, I prefer a church that is between 150-200, and 300 is too many. Since my ministry in the church is music, I need a church where I can use that talent. A large church wouldn't need my talent since they would have more than enough talented people. I was in a church where I could only sing a special once a month and never led the singing. I have been in the music ministry for 4 decades, and God has blessed me greatly. Most of the churches I've been in needed my talent as a singer and song leader, and I used that talent every day that I was there. Where I am now we have less than 200, and I still rarely get to sing there because we have many good singers in that small church, and I rarely get to lead the singing.

 

I don't know if there is a set number. The churches in the New Testament met in homes in small groups. What was referred to as a "church" was basically all the Christians in a particular community, but generally, they didn't all meet together at one time, they met in small groups in people's homes. So the "church" at a particular place may have been made up of a dozen small groups.

The sense of community in the church to which I belong is really found in the small groups. We meet together twice a week in a small gathering of 12-15 people to worship, minister to specific needs through prayer, study the scripture and fellowship. In that sense, it wouldn't matter if the congregation did number 3,000 people because "church" happens in the small group. When one of our small groups reaches about 15 regulars, two or three couples go off and start another group.

 

Bingo.

Effective "Big churches" grow smaller.

You're only gonna know a couple of hundred people from church...If your church is 200, you'll know most all of 'em...if it's 3,000, you won't.

When someone asks "how big is your church?" We don't "count" our Sunday attenders...we feel like when someone is involved with a small group Bible study, then they're involved.