mid-sized churches as having the highest proportion of born again believers. Barna suggested that many mid-sized churches grow numerically because their born again members actively invite non-born again people to the church. This often has the effect of swelling the church's numbers so that it reaches the "large" category while simultaneously diluting its born again proportion. Larger Congregations Are More Conservative Spiritually Adults attending mid-sized and large churches are more often people who are conservative in their theology as well as their social and political views. "Conservative people more often play by the rules," commented Barna. "That helps to explain why mid-sized and large churches are often more solid on the theological foundations: those congregations are populated by people who want to know the biblical boundaries and expectations, and then are eager to work within them. Their energy and tangible resources are more focused and the result is more productive ministry." The researcher also said that sociopolitical conservatives outnumber liberals by a three-to-one margin among church-going adults. Hope for Small Churches In spite of the obstacles revealed in the research, small churches have tremendous potential. "These insights simply identify some of the critical challenges that the average small church has to address," the California-based researcher stated. "Small churches play an important and valuable role in the religious landscape of America. They reach millions of young adults who have no interest in a larger church setting. They have tremendous potential for building strong community, as well as spiritual foundations. And small