If You’re a Small Church, Stop Trying to Look Big

Here’s an idea: If you’re not a big church, then stop trying to be something you’re not. Every Christmas and Easter, I see small churches trying desperately to make a big impact – and they usually fail.

Sure your communications, media, and tech teams want to do amazing things. So they bring out the fog machines, fancy lights, and the worship leader reaches far beyond the capabilities of the choir or worship team.

And too often, it ends in disaster.

This next Christmas or Easter, embrace your size – because intimate can be a far more powerful an experience than epic.

A number of years ago, our family celebrated Christmas at a historic resort in rural New York. On Christmas Day a local pastor came to the resort to have a Christmas service. It was a hotel, so a small ballroom was all we had, and since it was a resort, not many people showed up.

But that pastor knew exactly what really mattered, and he was brilliant at orchestrating a small, intimate, and meaningful Christmas service.

And I’ve never forgotten it.

Sure we want to stretch toward a greater potential, but not with the result of an inept and fake experience.

So for this next holiday service, stop trying to compete with the big guys, and start being you.

Your congregation will be grateful…

Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash