Featured Reasons why the average church congregation is only 89

Played football twice against the Bluefield Beavers.(Beat 'em once; they beat us once.) They were always good, & still are. (Won state title in 2017)

Bluefield HS has more state titles in all sports than all other Class AA (middle-size) high school in WV ! (It's a lot harder to win a state championship in WV than many people believe!)

They've got a grand high school building now !

 

I don’t see that happening here. I see the larger churches feeding off the smaller churches thereby closing the smaller ones.

 

Wisdom:

"It is with cheerfulness that we dismiss our twelves, our twenties, our fifties, to form other Churches. We encourage our members to leave us to found other Churches; nay, we seek to persuade them to do it." —Charles Spurgeon, "The Waterer Watered"

 

Nice sentiment but I’m not seeing it being practiced. Instead I see churches consolidating or being canalized. Why is that?

 

That is what is happening. I have seen it in two states. However, there is good reason for it. These smaller churches get a few in control and set it up in a way that makes only a few comfortable. The rest do not want to get into conflict so they leave.

 

Personally I think 89 is getting pretty old.

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Churches do a lot of dividing, either by church planting or by bitter church splits. And, big churches take members from smaller churches.

A lot of churches don't grow more because of lack of charisma by the pastors.

If your church does't want to treat the public like mere consumers, that will also keep a church small.

 

The early church was house church. It isn't until State churches are created where you see large congregations.
In places where the church is persecuted the house church is still predominant.
The OP is addressing a cultural phenomenon. I don't think church size matters.
However, I do think church membership matters. We need to be held accountable and be in submission under God's appointed elders who guide the assembly to hear what the King has declared to His citizens. We need to be open to guidance, rebuke and counsel so we are not out of step with the King and the Kingdom.

 

They were house churches not as a matter of biblical standard but as a matter of they didn't have anything else. The same in persecuted areas. It doesn't speak to anything other than that is how they were forced to do it at the time.

 

I'd disagree. The house church is the biblical standard. State Churches turned the local church into a government sanctioned organization. That merger is not healthy for the church. Thus, we see many unhealthy churches.
Francis Chan wrote "A Letter to the Church" which argues well for the house church model.
Is Francis Chan’s Model of Church the Future?

 

Doesn't matter, I presented facts you presented opinion

 

Is there a verse in your Bible that's missing in mine? "Thou shalt keep church in people's houses." How do you figure that a dedicated church building is a state church. And, I don't know what you mean by "government sanctioned" Are you upset that no one is trying to throw you in jail for opposing the government?

You think that our churches are sick because they're merged with the government? Explain!

Chan is right, in America, "Christianity has become this consumer thing." But, every Christian would say that, while they themselves are part of the problem, not the solution. Chan is party of the problem, not the solution. He's trying to sell you a product, the home church movement, with salesmen's nonsense.

The Bible doesn't teach what you're buying. It doesn't teach that there's any virtue in a home church. It also doesn't tell you that home churches were much of a thing. Yeah, it mentions a few, so what. It also mentions large gatherings, like the 120 in the upper room (which apparently was the whole Christian community). For all you know, the Christians in whole cities got together in one place on Sunday morning.

In the Bible times, churches often had to meet in secret because of persecution. Today's home churches are nothing but gatherings of self-righteous people engaged in amateur bible study. Church buildings are far more beneficial.

 

I'm curious, I always thought 'Church' was "One" and "universal" or "Catholic". How can 'control' be an issue, more importantly how does one "control" the House of God - if in fact it was the house of God?

Could it be something else, something more profound about the protester's way?

JoeT

 

Shake my head. I have expanded the small world you are talking about. If you wish to live in that small world, be my guest.
I have pointed out the facts about home churches so please stop with your pridefulness.

 

I'm saying that church size is irrelevant.