Though he never intended to serve an intentionally small church, Moore says being small has advantages. And few people are suggesting the megachurch, with its full-service programming and regional influence, has outlived its usefulness. The trend toward smaller churches is not just a response to the megachurch phenomenon, he says. The flap over megachurches has tended to obscure that fact. But Carol Childress says it's easy to see a shift emerging when she considers the country's changing demographics, her conversations with pastors and church planters, and the cultural direction toward smaller things.
Discipleship is a lifelong process.
By nature, smaller churches are in a better position to keep track of individual people and their spiritual journeys, which helps build community. Breaking the rules Microchurches break many of the rules for church growth. While most church strategists preach the importance of location, many a microchurch doesn't care where it meets, or even that it have a permanent meeting place. Smaller churches won't need to raise millions of dollars before they can gather in comfortable settings. And the skills required to lead a smaller, more relational church are different than the skills required to preach to the masses, Childress adds.