Signs Of Life: 7 Ways To Find A Great Small Church To Attend And Serve

A quality small church experience is different than a quality big church experience. But too many people don’t know what those differences are, so they don’t know what to look for in a good small church experience. There are several characteristics to pay attention to when looking for a great small church to attend and get involved in. And they all answer this essential question in some way… Are They Doing the Small Things Well? You can’t hold small churches to the same standards as big churches. It’s not that small churches aren’t as good as big ones, it’s that small church quality isn’t the same as big church quality. So, if you’re looking for a good, small church to worship and serve in, you need to look for a church that does small church things well, instead of trying to do big church things on a smaller scale. With that in mind, here are a few characteristics to look for, based on some of the differences between big churches and small churches.

November 5, 2017

by Karl Vaters

You can’t hold small churches to the same standards as big churches. It’s not that small churches aren’t as good as big ones, it’s that small church quality isn’t the same as big church quality.

So, if you’re looking for a good, small church to worship and serve in, you need to look for a church that does small church things well, instead of trying to do big church things on a smaller scale.

With that in mind, here are a few characteristics to look for, based on some of the differences between big churches and small churches.

Author

Karl Vaters

Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.

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