What's to like about small churches?

When some people talk about smaller churches almost everything they say is negative. They won't change. They are too small to have a good (fill in the blank). Their music is stale. The building needs repairs or upgrades or both. The list goes on. While some of these might be true in some churches, there is also a lot to like about smaller churches. In my 35 years of mostly working in such churches here are some of the things I appreciate about them.

• There is a sense of family. No one feels like they are a member of an organization but part of an intimate family. People care about you. They know your name. Does this remind anyone of the old Cheers television program? You are missed if you are not there. When I resigned as pastor of a small church where I had served for 20 years I felt I was leaving my family.
• There are opportunities to serve. One should not attend a smaller church if they want to be invisible. It won't work! In some larger churches you might be a member for years before being asked to serve in some capacity, but that won't happen in the smaller church. I used to joke that we Baptists will work someone to death until they learn to say no! People quickly find that there is a place for them to serve and use the gifts God has given them.
• There is rapid communication when there is a need. Whether a small church has an official prayer list or not, when someone in the church or community has a need, the word gets out quickly, and people respond just as quickly. Meals are prepared. Other needs are met. Those with the needs feel loved. One older gentleman often told how much the church ministered to him and his wife when their home burned to the ground. He said they might not have made it without their church family.
• In most smaller churches you are with people very much like you. Some might criticize this, but it makes for a comfortable feeling when you are together. The church I served was primarily blue collar. When I went there we had one person with a college degree although that did change later. Many of our folks were retired. We shared much in common. I often joked that we would not be the church that would reach the professors at a nearby college, that was why God made Presbyterians. We would reach people most like us, and we did.
• People are more important than programs. What is important in the small church is not how talented you are but that you are a part of their family. You don't have to audition to sing in most small church choirs. Just show up. You don't have to have a degree to lead a Bible study. Just be willing.
• There's not room in a blog post to list everything, but one more thing must be noted: pitch-in meals. I've attended a lot of catered meals in larger churches, and I wouldn't trade any of them for the pitch-in dinners I've enjoyed in smaller churches. These women know how to cook!

I love the small church. I hope the next time you hear someone criticize smaller churches you'll think about this list and explain to them how wrong they are. Smaller churches have much to offer.