Small Churches: The Tip of the Spear
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- In this new series, we are going to explain how to defend the faith. And it starts with small churches. On the surface, they may not look like much, but they are the hope for fighting to save Christianity.
My wife and I left the large church we were attending not because the Pastor wasn't teaching scripture or because they had a praise band. We left and went to a small church because we had grown complacent in the large church because there were so many people and so many things going on it was easy to just "go" to church and not be part of the body and use our spiritual gifts. Now, in our small church we're active, using our gifts and actual participants in a local body, not just attendees.
I get that too. The large church I was once part of actually limited me on my ability to serve. I had 1 job... The church we are currently with, there's much more opportunity to serve, and we grow in our faith as we serve.
Beautiful
As a pastor of a “small” church, let me just say this. It’s Jesus’ church! He said he will build His church. As a pastor my responsibility is to build people through the ministry of the Word and prayer. that includes reaching the lost and winning them to Christ. Don’t get caught up with how some other church is doing or what they’re doing. Just keep being faithful. If the church isn’t big, remember that God will not give you more than you are able to bear. Be the best steward you can be and let God use the ministry to build you and let Him build His church.
Amen…keep being an instrument for the Lord
Amen, I'm reminded of this, maybe at least every other Sunday.
Very wise words.
I have been a believer for over forty years, and I don't know what the saying is: "Winning Them to Christ." We cannot win anyone to Christ Jesus. Discipleship? Yes, about all.
Nice words ss a pastor but winning people? Its not a win.its a win for thatpersonbut s win for you? Not inmy opinion. You looking at it that way tells me youre not doing it for thd right reason. Imho. Good on youfor putting the word out there
I went from a contemporary megachurch to a little baptist church of about 60
Hymnals over praise bands
No lights lasers fog machines
No celebrity pastors
No emotionalism
Just a Bible believing fellowship
...and when people come for the humble things, you know that they aren't there for the hype, the coffee bar, the special effects. Perhaps, they are there because they have business with their Savior.
And the pastor knows all the members❤
9 ok😊@@Mark-in1im
@@Mark-in1imFrom the contemporary to the baptist. From the frypan into the fire ("Baptists" believe God is a cruel merciless monster who fries people who never loved Him or believed in him and never went to a church amongst the stuffy religious in this eon in a hellhole unendingly).
@glennrobinson7193 Well, I absolutely & unapologetically believe the Bible. If the Bible offends you, I know 2 things: 1) you VASTLY overestimate the "goodness" of man and 2) your problem is with God, not me or "Baptists".
We left a big church and left the fluff, the dark room worship, empty teaching. Dont regret it 😊
Amen
I left the hyper faith movement, the money collecting idiots, and their doctrine. I refuse local so called church meetings, now, too. If it's a 501c3 tax exempt, business, it's a corporation and not a church anymore
@@jodykidp5396 There is a lot of truth to this.
i bet that you are not looking back!
@@markbaze2225 If any group has a paid holy man they are not the Church.
Very good stuff! I am the pastor of a church of 50 people, but we are united on the authority of scripture. We declare all truth no matter the consequences. God bless.
maybe....but determining truth from thousands of years ago is an impossible task..amen
Not if you ascribe to the church that Jesus established in 33AD, the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church. We’ve been around for 2,000 years with the same truth now as then.
Good thing about a small congregation is the pastor & elders either are retired or have a regular job. Tithes keep the lights on rather than the Mercedes Benz rolling.
But he said Doctrine is what is most important, so you dont agree.
@@CharlieBravo887You are a heretic that rejects the apostolic faith. Repent and embrace the Father Son and Holy Ghost
I can relate. I belong to a small rural church. We have maybe 10 faithful members.
We need the small church. Lord uphold the small church. Thank you for this.
I am a 75 year old lay pastor of a very very small country church with attendance of 10-20 faithful believers. We are a family. We know each other and help each other with life and death. I love small Christ believing Churches!
This small church looks exactly like what I would want to find right now. A doctrinally sound teaching church with lights on worship and a community of like-minded believers living for Christ.
Ditto
These churches still exist, but very few will show up and support them.
Which doctrine ,because there are so many to choose from ?
Sounds like you might be looking for a Catholic Church then.
@@sarahann530precisely, and exactly the kind of question you should be asking. Which has led people like Candace Owens to the fullness of truth, the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. Seek and ye shall find.
Remember, believers met in homes with like minded believers, continuing in the doctrine of the apostles. When we trust in man, rather then the leading of the Holy Spirit we fall by the way. Preach the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. We walk by faith, not by sight.
Small churches rock. I love knowing friends at church know and care whether I'm there on Sunday morning. I love knowing as much of our congregation as I do. I love not being one of thousands, and so potentially faceless at church.
That, I do miss too.
We left a big church that didn’t want to offend anyone with the truth of the gospel for a small, Bible believing church that preaches from the Word of God. We are much happier and see God building us up and using us.
So . . what is the truth of the gospel?
@@enotstehw That Jesus Christ (God the Son) became a man, lived a perfect life and gave His life, and rose from the dead to save people from their sins, to all who trust in Him for their salvation. I would add that to those who are now in Christ, need to love and obey Christ. If you truly believe in Him and love Him, you will obey Him. You can’t just say that you believe in Him and continue to practice sin. If you do, you probably aren’t in Christ.
@@AdventuresAtHome1 So . . . I think your following a man called "Paul" Have you studied Matthew 25: 31-46 ? Does your small church stand on this spiritual principle?
@@enotstehwI follow Jesus Christ. He is my Lord, my God, and my Savior.
@@AdventuresAtHome1 Why do you quote Paul if Christ is you God?
As a member of a REALLY small church, I approve of this message
Big or small really is not the issue. The spiritual vibrancy of the church is what matters most. Abiding in the word and dedication to discipleship is how churches ⛪️ achieve spiritual growth.
True, but there is anonymity in big churches. That can be good or bad. Many small churches are dying out because they do stick to traditional doctrine. People don't want to be offended today, they want to be entertained and be part of a trendy big church. Some small churches don't want to offend today either. I think one big reason people stay away from small churches is it is easy for people to get to know you. Many people don't WANT to go to a small church because of that. What WOULD be a good CHRISTIAN thing to do is for the mega churches to GIVE to small dying churches. I don't think they can, but it would be nice. Many small churches die off as their membership and pastors age. With lower income areas and members who struggle financially, it is hard for many small churches to survive, much less thrive.
@@swlancaster1964 The really impacting difference between small and large churches is the fitness of discipleship.
Small churches tend to be complacent in the engagement of discipleship. Larger churches only are slightly better maybe because the bigger congregations are less likely to suffer from group syndrome thinking.
The guy in this video needs to get both his heart and disposition in line with the Spirit and Word of God. This may sound harsh, but the gentlemen is infected with a bad attitude. He's allowing, in my opinion, his personal frustration to cloud his thinking and temper his attitude in an unwholesome way. ONLY the Lord has both the authority and capacity to accurately and fully assess the body of Christ. To basically state that all large churches are spiritually bankrupt and apostate, and that the only true, blessed and effective churches are the small ones, is ludicrous. Define large? Define small? In the book of Acts it states that three-thousand people were baptized and "added" to the church in just one day. Um, some pastors would question the legitimacy of these professions, as one day is not nearly enough time to critique, evaluate, indoctrinate and screen all precipitants! Surely, not all these people could possibly be truly saved, given how little they know of the doctrine of divine election and the sovereignty of God! Come on now, why not just focus on your own work, its needs, its people, its outreach, etc., and just trust God for the harvest. That's all God is asking you to do. Don't worry about the church down the street with that coffee bar and lounge.
@@peterpulpitpounder 💯 % FACTS
@@peterpulpitpounderhe was talking about a specific type of large church. The kind that uses gimmicks and lots of stuff to attract people to the church. You can definitely spot them when you see them. They are over the top. They are more worldly than your typical Church. And unfortunately, these types of churches are taking over.
Pastoring a small church that has ceased to grow is one of the hardest jobs ever. The pastor will be over worked and under appreciated.
But God sees your faithful service whether to one or millions...do not be moved by the trends of the world....
Yes!! I’m burnt out myself. Small churches require to be pushed or pulled in order to get anything done.
Feeding God's sheep was never, ever intented to be an easy thing, nor was anyone called to do it to fel appreciated. Read scripture and ask yourself how easy the Apostles (the real ones) had it, how easy their lives were, and how they all ended up.
@@MarkMay-cr6bv so true same goes for a true follower of Christ... But these verse encourages me
Hebrews 12:1
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,"
:
@@frnciscob1 Col 1:11
May The Lord, Jesus Christ strengthen you with all power according to His glorious might, unto all endurance and patience with joy,giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
I pray that you fix your eyes on Jesus Christ only as you Labour for His sake and that of His sheep, you Labour not in vain.
Most important is that the Word is preached faithfully, plant the the seed remaining faithful to His Word and trust Him to do the growing. You might see it growing or not, but He is faithful.
I love how in the 7 churches of revelation, He knows everything that is going on in His church, He sees the struggles, He sees the work done& the work that needs to be done.
I moved from a church seating 550... huge for our city... to a small church that can seat maybe 100 and the church is growing. I took my 70 year old friend with me last week and she was really impressed with the diversity of people and ages... and with the quality and delivery of the message. We have great music, stellar teaching from both young pastors, one of which is tasked with overseeing intentional disciple making. We have instituted geographically centred house churches, thus preventing cliques. I/we are blessed! And this is happening in Canada, which has unbelievably poor church attendace compared to most of the world. Let your Spirit reign/rain Lord.
I am so blessed to have a small, rural church that I love. Our Pastor describes our church as "a little country church in the middle of a cow pasture."! Literally true. We also have a body of members that love God, each other and our community. We are truly blessed to be a growing church, sometimes bursting at the seams. We are praying for guidance on building a new church, but refuse to get ahead of God's will. We still sing the old hymns, with a few worship songs. No big band, just 2 guitars and a keyboard in addition to our beloved piano player (who is the backbone of our church having been a member her entire life). And our Pastor is unafraid to speak Truth.
I wish I could find the same.
@@1974AMDGSmall or big, they're all birds of the feather who flock together. That is, the religiously proud and selfrighteous underneath their pious facades.
What's your secret? We seem to have many factions in our small, rural, country church. Many factions with only 30 people! It's a mess right now, sadly!
I used to go to a church with 3-4000 members. I barely knew anyone and it was hard to get to know people as everyone had their closed off clicks. People close or related to the pastor ran the show and if you wanted to serve by joining the worship team, you couldn’t. Finally joined a smaller church last year, around 100 people, and we all know eachother, pray together and fellowship. We all serve in the church in some way and just overall we are one strong family.
Amen!! I grew up in a small, local church. During college I went to a growing church that became a rather large church. Coffee bar, from choir to worship band, lights went down, fellowship groups grew....it became a "worship experience." Pastor was still a line upon line preacher/teacher but the modern prosperous, good-life teaching crept into the messages.
Two decades of slow erosion, mixture etc. and I am gladly back into a small church with about 20 people who keep Jesus/The Word front and center. ZERO tech, pews instead of theater seats, hymnals instead of graphics on screens, the lights stay on, our spirits/souls are edified rather than our flesh being stirred into an "experience."
Very few can grow big and keep the Lord the focal point. A major problem with growth is having to homogenize in order to maintain the adherence within the group; otherwise they move on to the next cool, shiny thing. IF they are able to maintain a doctrinal stance on the soteriology, eschatology, etc. the "what's in it for me" gospel is added in order to keep the folks coming. The march toward ecumenical homogenization IS the gospel of the Imitator Christ. And he is coming to the world's stage sooner than people realize.
I live in the country and don’t see any of that at all.We can barely watch tv much less go swimming.
I can totally relate to this! I’m thankful for our small Bible teaching church. My husband is the pastor, I play the piano, and our son runs the PowerPoint. More churches need to get focused on true worship and theology. Great message!
Sounds perfect.
@patriciabarton6373 It's not perfect. No situation is. But God is faithful, and we are truly blessed to be able to work in His Kingdom! God bless you, friend. 😊
Grew up in a very large church. I now pastor, quite happily, a small church where the full gospel is taught and is being well received. The small church is, in my opinion, the best place to hear the word unapologetically preached. It's not about all the programs a church offers. It's about the uncompromised word of God being preached. Complete with the doctrine of God.
This was a very provocative video. Well done!
I attend a small church and you are right. It's dying. I look around and I don't see many young couples. I don't see children. I am 45 but when I was a child in that same church. We had multiple Sunday school classes for multiple ages. Now we have one Sunday school class for adults. When I was a child our small church had an attendance close to 100 or more. We are lucky to hit 30 people. Those kids that grew up in that church attend the big church because they offer activities for the family. Activities for the kids, the teens, the adults and so on. It's a big social club that supports whatever lifestyle you want to live just attend and drop money in the dish. They worry too much about the branch and not enough about the vine. For those that don't understand that means we worry too much about how we are seen by others, we worry about what looks good on the outside, but our focus should be on Jesus because without the vine the branch can't give good fruit. Attend a church that focuses on Jesus, the Vine.
This is our little Church. We are, on an excellent day, at 60 people, once in a blue moon. Recently at 30 people. Much infighting and backbiting. I was born in and grew up in this church 68 years ago. It has always had its issues and splits but this has been especially exhausting. People have been asked to leave, for their behavior and people have left because these people left. It is a mess right now. There is little way to attract people because the leadership can't handle the ones that are there! There are few Youth. The Pastor teaches the Word of God but she is a bit stubborn in her handling of people!
@@caroletta451 "She" is part of the problem--the Bible doesn't authorize women as preachers of the congregation.
"The pastor teaches the word of God but SHE is a bit stubborn in HER handling of people." SHE and HER: that's a root of the problems right there!! (see the qualifications for pastors/bishops/elders/overseers in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9) The person asking others to leave does not have the biblical authority to do so. How can SHE be the "HUSBAND of ONE WIFE"? Which is one of the qualifications of being a church leader. elder, etc.
@@josedopwell9645 Your point is well taken. Maybe the problem is that simple ...
So, how do you start to change this situation, or in other words, build on what you have? Pray, of course, but if God leads the church to make certain Biblically sound changes, are the congregants willing to do what is necessary to grow on the vine? It sounds like the church a family member of mine attends, and change is not something they embrace. So, if God doesn't move in some great way, I fear the church will shut it's doors within the next 10 years. Sad, but true.
I love my small church. We are a family of believers that look out for each other. Our pastor preaches from the Bible. If he "steps on my toes" doing his sermon, it is something I needed to hear and learn. We just finished wonderful Bible study that was open to anyone who wanted to attend. There were 4 churches represented. We still sing the old gospel hymns.
Keep hope, keep the eyes on the Lord! I Pastor a small church and we baptized 8 three weeks ago! Seems like we’re seeing a revival.
Seems like we're seeing revival? What died that you have to revive? How many of the 8 people heard and believe the gospel? You don't know.
@@orangeandslinky lol they make the profession, should we not take them at their profession unless we see otherwise? geeze the internets full of internet warriors
@@cole5773 I guess so cole. I come from the Billy Graham years. You walk up, MAKE Jesus YOUR PERSONAL Lord and Saviour at an alter call. (I didn't know that never happened in the Bible) Millions of us did that. Billy might have invented the sinners prayer for all I know. At the end of Billy's life He told Robert Schuller if you never heard the name of Jesus or the Gospel God would save you anyway. What a mess.
I see the points made in the video and I appreciate them. I grew up in a small church myself. I do however think it’s wrong to generalize all big churches as “not teaching doctrine” or “only caring about money”. I don’t think that’s true. Is it a problem? Yes. Is it all big churches? No. Similarly, small churches stereotypically don’t have much evangelism and rely only on the faith inside individual families. Is it a problem? Yes. Is it all small churches? No.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and share your thoughts. I actually stated that even small churches have allowed themselves to devalue doctrine and chase numbers as well.
There are honestly very few churches that have a solid understanding of the Word of God. We’ll address this more in future videos.
I hope you can continue to follow this series to get a better understanding of what we are trying to accomplish. Once again, thank you so much for watching!
@@markbaze2225
I would like to encourage you to read your comments and see that you are not listening to the many people trying to lovingly tell you that you are wrong to generalize all big churches as if they are all guilty of the wrongs you listed.
Please take these comments serious and consider that this was a mistake on your part.
@@crw662 if you watch Shields and Arrows, you will get to hear a lot of my critiques regarding these issues. There are simply too many to fit in a single comment. You can also watch my sermons to get a better understanding of these issues.
I go to a church that has at least 500 adults come on a Sunday between 2 services where we teach verse upon verse and chapter upon chapter. For 20 years deacons and elders of small denominational churches, including some of the founding members of Tares Dias, started have come to get fed the word, and eventually changed churches. I have heard countless men like this proclaim that they learned more in this church than they had in 20-30 years elsewhere. The Word of God is the perfect diet for sheep, not fragments teaching based on denominational/theological frameworks that crumble under the weight of the whole word.
Adults that sit in one service, serve in another, primarily in children’s ministry on Sunday’s where our CHILDREN learn more about the entire Bible than most of the “mature” believers that come to our church know.
When engaging in conversations with such men I often got the immediate sense the KNEW scripture, but after a few conversations you realize that are just repeating the same handful of passages that are the core of a theological system, and they are interpreting everything they hear through the circular lens of those passages. This is why the professing church is divided, weak, and being infiltrated by the world.
Nail on the head brother, I see the downgrade of the doctrine in churches where I'm at and feel saddened by the wake of double mindedness in leaves behind.
I grew up in a smaller church and gradually began attending churches with larger congregations. There advantages and disadvantages to both, the main thing is to find a church where you are being spiritually fed and that can occur in either venue.
Exactly. Some small churches stray from doctrine so that they do not offend anyone to get their membership up. Big churches can get away with preaching doctrine because even if a few get offended and leave it still feels full. Now when you have major mistakes like with a once thriving mega church in Virginia, Mclean Bible Church. Half the congregation left and then you get lawsuits that contend with big corporation lawsuits.
Left my smaller church after 63 years because we were not growing in our Christian faith, no outreach, stuck in a rut, rarely were people being saved. COVID changed many people in and out of the church. We found a slightly larger church that offers a traditional service with choir and a contemporary service with a praise band - no flashing lights just singing about God and his love using keyboard, guitars, etc. The exact same message is preached in both services ad the seats, pews are full. We join together for Bible study, mission projects, outreach, etc. Both ministers at the two churches preached the true doctrine of the Bible but our former church was not being fruitful in bringing others to accept Christ.
Praise God for this video! I attend a small OPC church in central TX, and my knowledge of the scriptures has grown leaps and bounds since I started attending. It's a pleasure to support a channel that provides both the Gospel and deeper instruction in the Word.
Am in total agreement with you, brother! Good for you for talking about doctrine being very important!
Without Biblical doctrine, one can teach any weird things they choose to teach ignorant people!
Prefer the smaller local church. Gives you that "we're a family" feeling, that mega churches don't really offer.
I spent 30 years with the same church. When I started attending in the late 90's, it was large but the atmosphere was very warm and welcoming like a close knit family. Now in 2024, they have become the size of a megachurch and I've seen a noticable shift in the mentality of some of the pastors and oarishoners. I am now looking to attend another church that is affiliated with my current church.
They are considerably smaller but the pastor is a great teacher and they still have that family "vibe". As someone who did not come from a close knit family, I value close friendships and I want to be around those who love, support and encourage others. I believe that a church can become too big and like a celebrity, the people can get arrogant and snobbish and that turns off, not only the other church attendees but any potential new members. Small churches are the way to go in my opinion.
I love my small church! Maybe 50 attendees at the most. We all know each other and our hardworking Pastor always preaches the gospel!
I actually found a smaller church. You get to know your pastor and have fellowship with everyone. The bigger church i previously went to felt like i attend and leave and thats it. They never spoke about revelations and in depth in the bible everyone needs to hear. I even reached out to the pastor and he did not make time of day for me. It made me sad how thinking how people struggling in their faith it would be like for them.. its very sad
I left big church because I felt alone, every one to busy,moved to a smaller church, every one to busy,I felt alone,maybe I got to many issues
When my church since 1977 took "We preach the Book the Blood and the Blessed Hope" off our sign out front because it might offend someone I knew things were going down hill. When the choir was disbanded and the hymnals disappeared and were replaced with music that was more entertainment than worship I was troubled. When many of the congregation wanted old hymns some of the time and was met with all kinds of reasons why it just can't happen and when the reasons had solutions but were still met with resistance I thought I was close to leaving. When I had a few meetings with church leadership and was basically told I needed to get in line for unity sake and because I had talked with long term members about things of concern it was just gossip I decided to go. I found a church that reminds me so much of the church I grew up in and so very far away from the church it had become. Praise God that there are still small churches that are real churches!
I like and appreciated your video pastor. I've always thought one of the main reasons people have increasingly moved to the bigger churches is to hide and just blend in. Because we live in such a shallow non-committal culture, it's so much easier for people who are not actually born again to just ride the faith of the celebrity preachers and be entertained by the polished worship bands than actually participate in a local church's worship service. Many of Jesus's parables talk a lot about true and false people. It's high time for preachers to start preaching the word in the power of the Holy Spirit again!! Oh how we all desperately reviving!! 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼🔥🔥
Wow, it's so refreshingly true. The small intimate church, where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, can do more in advancing the gospel than many mega churches put together. The power is not in numbers but by His Spirit says the LORD. Thank you for this timely insight.
Leroy Jett
I've been a member of my local small church for 30 years, God is blessing and we are growing, soon we will be building a larger Sunday School building that will double are number of rooms. My church teaches and preaches the Bible, we are a gospel centered church. I'm proud to belong to a church and people who love the Lord and love to serve.
Another problem with bigger churches is that you can't really experience fellowship with others because most are there to do their own thing. And the head pastor is supposed to be your pastor, the one you can relation with and get counsel from, but he probably doesn't even know your name.
I do agree with that. I do go to a larger Reformed church in the Dallas area. It has grown in size and to a point that getting to fellowship is getting a bit harder. However, I am being fed God's word verse by verse. I pray one day I am able to go to a smaller church that preaches on the same level of sufficiency of Scripture as I am under now.
So true, sometimes you cannot even have access to talk to him
This.
I’ve attended two small churches over the past 4-5 years where the focus has been on expositional preaching and local community. Both grew and have continued to grow like wildfire. I truly believe that people’s souls are starved for the Word, and when it is preached accurately and honestly, the Spirit will draw in those who believe and who will come to believe. Truly an incredible thing to see. In a world where it feels like there is so much darkness right now, faithful churches are turning on the light.
Absolutely! Seen the same.. size is irrelevant and a small church will grow when word is preached/taught and lived out in community.
Very good video and message. I could add a lot here as I was a fill-in pastor and did deal with some things that surprised me. One time a church leader accused me of being a spotlight seeker because I was against short sermons. He wanted ten to 15 minute sermons at most. I was against that. He bragged about a local guy whose known for his 7 minute sermons. I felt 30 to 45 minutes was adequate time. The Word is the fuel for the service and the service needs to be spirit led. Not programmed and put on a time schedule.
I could go on and on here. Anyways, good video.
Hey Brother, this is Pastor Mike - Associate / Next Gen Pastor at Rima Ridge Baptist Church and I just wanted to Reach out and say I really enjoy you videos. We are also a small church in Ormond beach Florida and I agree with you on the return to the small churches.
Holy Cow! I am in Canada and do not know how I found you but wow this confirms what God has been showing me. I am sharing this vid with everyone I know. Keep them coming.
I'm in Canada, too. We had such a hard time finding a sound church but it seems we've finally found one with about 50-some members. Do you mind if I ask what denomination your fellowship is? Ours is a community church.
"and do not know how I found you"
Oh, you know.
@@guestguest2030 These people in the comments section remind me of the proud pharisee who went to prayer. It's like they're saying "I thank thee oh God that I'm not like those mega churches, that I'm not superficial as those that attend those places".
@@glennrobinson7193 I haven't read all the comments, nor am I commenting on the size of any church. I am, however, bewailing the lack of sound churches here in Canada, at least in my neck of the woods.
@@guestguest2030 WOW, praise God! you and I are in the same boat! It's very comforting to me to know there are others like myself who are suffering in this manner, and knowing there's a fellow pilgrim out there who is also lamenting, even though you probably live thousands of miles from me. I live in a small town (population 19,000) and have visited around 10 churches since moving here in 2017. I wonder if the state of the church is the abomination of desolation and love waxing cold that Jesus prophesied of. It's most certainly the falling away that Paul prophesied and the leaving of our first love which Jesus spoke of in Revelation. When I say "our" it means I believe we ALL have left our first love (here in the West at least, except for maybe a tiny handful remnant) and that I do not see myself as better than anyone else but I identify with all the church in its woeful wretched condition (Rev3:17).
Well said... I was once part of the regional Mega-Church..... which isn't really that mega anymore... About 10 years ago, a friend of mine started leading music at a modest size church... so I agreed to help him out. I had more opportunity to serve using more of my talents. Every Sunday sermon you learned something new...... things were done well there. I'm still there serving. The pastor that I started with retired honorably, and the current pastor has continued this tradition... if not diving even deeper. Often, we hear from our new families that they like the LEARNING aspects of the church. The mega churches I've seen stick to Level 1 Christianity... but the people need to be equipped better than that.
I must say it never crossed my mind about how a church looked, or its playground equipment, or the things it had that a smaller church didn't. It only matters where the Lord's presence is.
To some, those things matter. 🤷🏼♀️
You are spot on, I’m in a small church and just yesterday I heard a young man craving a big church attitude and I’m sure it’s something I went through when I was his age but considering the time, I’m afraid for his soul but the small church teaches truth and large churches teach entertainment.😢
As a pastor from a mega church, a campus of a mega church, and a small church, I can assure you that the local representation of the church of Christ is as varied as the leadership, culture, and congregation. Many small churches don’t grow because all they focus on is doctrine at the expense of evangelism. Many mega churches grow because of evangelism but still have great doctrine. Some small churches are amazing at both and some mega churches are soft on doctrine. It’s a mixed bag. The main thing is that we work the mission field God has given us no matter where we are.
I go to a small church. In my area I find people go to the larger church (in my Area) because there is much less commitment expected from them and less conviction, less sacrifice ; they can basically choose the doctrines that best fits their lifestyle and reject any that would cut into their lifestyle. They want to go to a church that God can serve them instead of them serving God. This gives them more time to do whatever they want yet still feel like they are fulfilling their religious obligation. Much like myself when I was a kid, went to church Sunday morning and lived as I pleased the rest of the time. I think mega churches grow because there’s more “programs”, more “customer” service and less accountability because it’s so large you can hide and people don’t know you as well. I’ve gone to my church for a very long time and we all know each other, we try to help each other and we do a lot of evangelism but I find people are avert when it comes to commitment. Also, I did not pick my church to see which was most flexible in accommodating
my lifestyle, Someone invited me and I went. I became a born again Christian; my life totally changed, I changed for the better. That’s why I stay at my church because that is where God changed me and I’m thankful. I need Him still. John 6 - many left Jesus because of hard teaching so it happened to Jesus and we know we are no greater than him, it’ll happen to us. It’s not in the numbers…..wide is the road. I’m not saying you can’t be in a large church and be saved, you need to be where God has placed you.
Good words.
Your megachurches spew lies and prosperity gospel to tickle the ears of lukewarm christians. Joe Olsteen and Kenneth Copeland are prime examples of this
It appears you are making very large generalizations and guesses. Of course there are people who go to large churches to be invisible and non committal. But in my experience, the volunteer base in small and large churches were very similar in percentage. I was the volunteer pastor at a mega church and coming out of covid we had over 2500 serving for a church with attendance of 6,000. I think that is probably about an average percentage. New people take longer to start serving and some people never will. Just my experience and of course yours may be different. I prefer it when small and large churches don't bash each other and claim they have moral or spiritual superiority. It's not a good look for the church to those outside.@@jojorey6886
@@danielhouk7683 a generalization would be if I was referring to ALL mega churches which is why I made it a point to say “in my area.”
Our church is in a fire house and it’s small.
But I wouldn’t change a thing !!
So much love there !!
Love my church family!
My wonderful pastor loves Jesus and teaches through the word of God .
Where is your church my dear.
There’s some important points here, but respectfully I think you are making some huge generalisations. There are large churches with sound doctrine and small churches which are literally heretical. Now there are Pros and Cons of small churches. But there are also Pros and Cons of large churches. What matters isn’t the size of a church, but whether they are obeying Gods plan for them. God works through big churches and He works through small churches. All that matters is that Christ is Glorified and the Gospel is proclaimed.
God bless
Mega churches are a pitfall... Because the churches find themselves under pressure the trapto keep their attendees (for the funds they need to run their business model.. They often end up compromising The Truth to tickle ears..
The question is which Christ and which gospel is being presented
2 cor 11:3
"I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily."
Another problem with mega churches is that pastors often become celebrities many end up following pastors or their church leadership instead of Jesus
Also due to the large crowds the chances of cognitive bias increases & the chances of discernment decrease, think of groupthink & halo effect (cognitive biases)
I
I too am a pastor of a small church, 20 on a Sunday, 12 or so on Wednesday night. Sound doctrine is taught and the people love the Lord and love anyone who comes through the doors. I desire growth, to reach the unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, the big churches pull people away. So many like the bells and whistles......only the Lord knows the heart. As a pastor and Bible teacher I am accountable to God to teach what He tells me to feed this flock. I hope one day He says, "Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord"!
Give me a small church any day - one that prays together, uses a hymnal, doesn't have a band, preaches and teaches the Word and where everyone know everyone else's name.
Where everybody knows each other--AMEN!!
Boy, do I agree with this. Joining a small Prebyterian church in my town has given me a lifetime of friends, memories, and opportunities to serve Christ by humbly serving others.
I go to church online. I get a lot more out of it. No gimmicks, no nonsense, no judging. I love it! 😊
Church isn't only about you it's also about lifting up other people in the congregation and sharing the gospel with visitors.
The Bible says judgement begins in the house of God which isn't bad. We help eachother to get sin out of our lives.
Online church is a good supplement for the sick and shut in or during a shutdown, but there is not a gathering of the collective. Virtual also lacks accountability amongst the saints when you are walking together as a community of believers and actually growing and fellowshipping together. It challenges you more to go beyond just yourself by gathering in person. Virtually, you can escape having to deal with people. Iron sharpens iron and walking together with one accord requires more indebtedness that virtual does not bring. Online has its place, but again as a supplement.
Online "church" isn't church.
Church is the people. Not listening to a sermon.
Oh I love THIS! Thank you, Lord for bringing this forth.
I greatly appreciate your comment. I most humbly note that I do not claim to speak on behalf of God. I’m merely sharing my own thoughts. But I pray the Lord is honored. Thank you again!
@@markbaze2225 Amen. Let the Lord be magnified! I think you're misunderstanding my comment. I was not directing my comment to you but to the Lord, just exactly as I wrote it, "Thank you, LORD..." I have been praying for small assemblies that are often looked down upon and so overlooked and judged as "lacking God's Spirit," because of small attendance or humble resources. So my thanks is to the Lord just for being able to see a whole new perspective on small assemblies of believers, of which I am grateful to be a part of. 🙂God bless.
We left the UMC 1 year ago for many of the reasons noted. Great video! J
Love my small (115 members) Episcopal Church that has been open since 1817. Sunday services are based on the Gospel reading of the day and receiving the Eucharist. We do have a great choir, a pipe organ and a super "coffee hour." However, our main focus is reaching out to those in need in our community, world wide missionaries and spreading the Love of Jesus Christ.
There were both small churches and big churches in the first century and there are big churches and small churches now. Some churches are big, because they are winning souls, not because they compromise.Don’t judge a church by its size; but by its doctrine.
👍
BE FAITHFUL TO GOD AND GROW WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED. I LOVE SMALL CHURCHES AND HAVE ALL MY LIFE. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR CHURCH.
I was out of church for a long time. I was never attracted to the megachurches. I wound up in a small Lutheran Church in my town about a year ago. I grew up in a Pentecostal tradition, and I wish I had discovered the Liturgical style of worship sooner. I absolutely love it. I love hearing the pipe organ and piano during our services. If I want to hear drums and guitars I can turn on the radio. I go to church to worship the Lord and assemble with other believers. We are blessed to have many children and young people in our congregation. I think we need to get back to our roots, and stop trying to appeal to mainstream culture. If I want a concert or club/discotech experience, I'm not going to go to church looking for it. I think we need to stop trying to make church "cool."
Amen! On point! May God bless your ministry, in Jesus' mighty name
This hits the nail on the head!
Such generalizations. We started small. 7 people. Over the years it has grown. We feed 2,000 people every week. Serve our community. Care for the homeless and definitely preach the Bible. I get what you’re saying - but don’t lump everyone together
Great video. I am a pastor and you nailed it brother. Looking forward to future videos. Go and make disciples means just what He said. From my experience, many cannot tell you what they believe or why they believe it. That has to change.
Awesome video of Truth!! Keep up the good Word of Truth!! 👏👏🙌🙌
Just left big church - we joined First Baptist of Small Town Texas - TRUE church - never looking back!
I believe in small church, especially when it comes to pastoral care and fellowship amongst believers. I do not believe in any flags in church, detracting from why people are there. There is a time and place for everything, and the worship of God is above ALL.
Beautiful piano... that's all you need!
God always with smaller Church.
You are so correct! I left the large church after Covid and switched to a smaller church. We need to get back to doctrine, prophecy, truth in love, humility, community and loving God and others well. You nailed every point.
Our Pastor [baptist] hires a hall, uses hymnals with a recorded backing track, has up to three sevices on sunday, no microphone, a pulpit that I rejuvenated with 8 to 10 in the congregation, half of which are his family, has sound doctrine and uses the KJV. I tried most others in town but he beats them all hands down.
Truth! i go to a small church and i so thank God for my church; i have learned so much from the teaching!
4:45 in Japan we have a term “itsuwari no heiwa” or “false peace”. The church I recently left watered down doctrine to reduce “division” between members in hopes to increase members… but the irony of that is it ended up full of division but not among members but between the church and God.
The pastor’s best friend cheated on his wife, got his girlfriend pregnant, then divorced his wife. To protect false peace and prevent division, pastor kicked the ex-wife out of church and told us all to welcome the pregnant girlfriend to ensure harmony. I kind of had to leave.
Oh my goodness, what a mess.
Wow.
@@guestguest2030 I second that!!!
We left our big church to do a small coffee shop church. We got so bogged down with programs and events that discipleship was not the priority. Now, we hold our services at different coffee shops. No big screens, big bands, and no distractions just the Word of God and a lot of interaction.❤
I went to a large church (large for my area not like mega church around 300) I went there for almost 2 years. In the aprox. 2 years I went there I never had a full conversation with a single person. The longest conversation was always with the "greeter" which shook my hand as I came in and said "nice to have you" I decided to "try" to make friends so came one morning for Sunday school. When everyone went to the classes I was still left in my seat and had no idea where to go and no one ever came and told me so I went back to the car and sat and waited for the preaching service. A few weeks later they had home coming so I took a couple of dishes and went to the homecoming service and meal after wards. Got my plate and walked around the fellowship hall about 5 times seeing if anyone would invite me to sit with them - no one did. I went out and sat on the steps going into the fellowship building and ate my meal there. When I finished I went back in packed up what was left of what I brought and have never been back.
Sadly, this also happens at smaller churches. As a visitor in another city, went to a small neighborhood church one time. Not one said a thing to me after the service as i helped myself to coffee and stood around. Introduced myself to some but until then, being the only outside visitor, no one seemed to care enough to say hi.
There are the MEMBERS (who are the in crowd) then there was you. A non-MEMBER, not of the click. Yeah, I get it.
@@sjmusicforlife4638 No one seemed to care, because they don't sj
That’s how it is at large churches, at least in some cases. The last large church I went to, not the main church I went to, which was a small country church, I only met a handful of other people. I would probably appreciate the anonymous part of being in the larger church to an extent.
So sad isn't it.
This might still be true in some areas, but several years ago, we left the big watered down Non-Denom mega church and in 2020 started going to a New Independent Baptist Church specifically FOR the hard preaching, teaching and DOCTRINE. Our family is now more than ever mature in our faith and actively soul winning in our big city of Phoenix. I think this is happening more often than not for more mature Christians maybe vs the baby Christians where they can go and kind of hide in a big building for a while. Small Baptist churches just need to be actively soul winning and preaching hard on sin, streaming and posting their sermons on SM and the people will come. God will be faithful to do His will. I’ll check out your sermons and see what you’re teaching, thankfully KJV only! Until then, keep up the hard work Pastor Mark.
Amen.
Hm, this is interesting. I go to what is considered a mega church (1000+). We had a major shift in 2018 to what would be considered the “large church” vibe, and quickly our church found that it didn’t not fit us. Our church course corrected, though we lost members in the process. Now, we teach the Bible in an expository fashion, have thriving small groups, and are continuing to disciple others. I love small churches and went to multiple as I grew up, but the notion that big = bad or that technology = bad seems to be a major fallacy here. Regardless, I think your points that doctrine must be taught and that the focus must be taken off the individual is great. But, as other comments have said, I do think there is a lot of generalization that ironically could lead to further dividing the church.
Anyway, I did enjoy the video. I hope all who read these comments are doing well! Hope we all find a church that is a Bible believing and Bible preaching church.
Still a great video.
I heard another brother explain it by saying, we have the early church examples in scripture, but times change. What we have to do is examine what would be considered an aid verses what what would be considered an addition. Aids are acceptable, additions are forbidden. Air condition, indoor plumbing, padded pews, audio assistance and electricity would be considered aids. Big bands, smoke and mirrors, coffee shops, electronic services would be additions.
Loved this video. It spoke to my heart.
Doctrine Matters!!!
Absolutely 😊
GREAT! Timely Video!!! Thank you for your work on this! This is a Message Christ Followers in America NEED to hear!
I appreciate your video. Growing up in a small independent Baptist church was a blessing, but I had to leave when the new Pastor introduced Calvinism. I then joined a larger Baptist church with great preaching, but after five years, I couldn't continue and found another small Baptist church. I missed the great hymns and Psalm singing, and the sense of family among everyone. Thankfully, I'm in an area with multiple churches around that use the Authorized Version, hymnals, and maintain Sunday morning/evening/prayer services.
I belong tona small church who wants to be a large church and all the stuff that can come with it. I miss the old churches where i came from
yea, me too.
My late Dad was pastor of a small Baptist church and it is still thriving today. Is the most stable church I have ever experienced.
Thank you for this video
Currently I attend a larger church. They are bible based, and have great doctrine. Not all “bigger churches” are bad solely because they are big. Not sure we should categorize all “bigger churches” as the wrong kind of church, or an ill-equipped church to defend the faith. Measuring by doctrine and whether they are sound in their interpretation of the word of God is crucial. However, the bigger churches often have a harder time building personal connection and true discipleship! It is for this reason I would say a smaller church is undoubtedly a great way to go when it comes to learning and growing in the truth! I’ve been blessed to be a part of a small group within my larger church that has acted as this “smaller church” for me, and there is no question about it; I have learned more and grown more through my smaller church (smaller group) experience
Cool video man, but be careful putting large churches against small ones. We are all a part of THE Church. There are bad churches that are small and bad ones that are large. It is a tough game critiquing God's church, so be careful not to cause division based upon the number of people that go. Going to a small church doesn't make you more godly than someone that goes to a big one. The inverse is also true.
Exactly! Careful with critiquing larger churches. If they are truly believers there and you are bashing them, you’re bashing Jesus’ bride. How would you like it if someone started bashing your wife because of things they thought she didn’t do perfectly the way she hey wanted her too. Jesus probably doesnt like people bashing his wife.
There’s a lot more this series is going to explore. Stay tuned and I’ll address important matters concerning all churches.
@@markbaze2225
I again want to point out that this person made a valid critique in that you are condemning all big churches for something that not all big churches are guilty of, but yet you ignore this in your reply and only say that you are going to be talking about other churches in the future. I encourage you to take a step back before making future videos until you have time to fully reflect on the valid critiques people have been giving you on here.
@@crw662 there is a large amount of issues. I would not be able to address them all in just a single comment. But, check out my Shields and Arrows daily show. I discuss a lot of those issues on my live streams.
I am thankful for the small rural church where we meet with other believers in Christ to honor the Lord Jesus Christ and hear solid exegetical teaching of scripture. We are growing in Christ.
Pastor Mark is spot on with where the church is and what has happened to it. The problem today is I don’t think most people care about what the Bible actually says and go to church for the social aspect and for entertainment. No church teaches the bible from the perspective that you or Dr. White. Your internet reach will be the way that truth is taught. Wish I was closer because I would be there w couple times a week or more.
Well done. Great part about reading ourselves into the Bible.
Big Church = Bad. Small Church = Good. I have a hard time with this mindset, even if that is not totally your heartbeat. I come from a small church that preached the bible, but in all other sense was dead. Dead to the Local Community, Dead internally in the sense that there was no community beyond nice people with chearful greetings on Sunday Morning, and don't forget the monthly Luncheon. Nice people churching themselves becausd the end goal was to be in church. I left and attended a church of 800 people, started serving, found community, heard the word Accountability for the first time in my life, Made friends. I do Production and eventually joined the staff team for a while, Now I'm on staff at another church of 700 and I see a lot of the same life giving pieces here. -Nathan R :)
This first video is only the introduction. This series is going to explore issues with all churches.
@@markbaze2225
But in the introduction, you paint big churches as all bad. That’s dangerous.
Most big churches are about entertainment and their “gospel” is based on feeling and emotions. Hence why they’re big because people got an emotional high they constantly chase
My story: I left a “small church” largely filled with “old people” and went to a “larg(er)” church
that at the time could help me and my wife raise our children in the Christian faith.
That “large church” (and the MANY CHURCHES they subsequently planted) used Expository preaching. I didn’t know that term when I got there, it was just that the sermons preached through all of Scripture, not just those portions that were easy to preach from but included the “difficult for (western gentiles) to understand because no one (before) had explained the cultural context” type passages. I discovered that the Bible was relevant to my life, I just needed some serious sermon from the Bible to get there. They encouraged and facilitated personal and small group BIBLE study, not just “Sunday morning” Christianity.
My eyes and heart were opened and I grew exponentially in UNDERSTANDING and my FAITH. For the first time I had “an informed faith.” I “got it.” I got “re-baptized”, not out of guilt, but out of understanding and conviction.
Also, they had a Doctrinal Statement and Covenant of Fellowship that they covered in detail as a pre-requisite to joining. I learned and grew more in that “large” church than I ever learned did in my “small church.” In fact, before I left that “small church” a long term member told the governing board that “we’re big enough. We don’t need to grow any more.”
@@ecuador9911 That’s Awesome! Thanks for sharing. The church I grew up in, as a church I always heard the succession plan for the current pastor is that and I quote. He will likely die one day some week after preaching the previous Sunday and then the church will close. Rip lol -Nathan
My wife & I, go to a small church. 70 families, we all know each other by name. Sing from the hymnal. Don't want a screen, 7-11 songs seven words spoken 11 times. We sang # 500. "How firm a foundation." Heilberg Catechism.
I grew up in small churches. I like small churches. Unfortunately, there are some people who belong to a small church who think the church belongs to them. I’ve seen people who didn’t like change fight for an over sized wooden pulpit. Ridiculous! Anything can become the serpent in the wilderness idol. Seen too much ego war among the musicians. Seen long term tithing members, some of whom were former deacons, leave a church when the pastor and board moved forward with building a family life addition that the same members had talked about and supported for years. That is, until the pile of money the church had accumulated was actually going to be spent on a building project. Again, they had an idol they preferred to building something that has been used not only for the church members but also ministered to the community in times of emergency and need. Small churches are not holy just because they are small, neither are large churches evil due to their size.
I think the problem is that a fair percentage of people who go to church are simply 'churchgoers', not Christians. Church to them is like a social club, a Sunday habit, but they sadly, don't really know Jesus, they just know about Him. And I'm not just talking about the young people here...there are a LOT of elderly people who have been attending church for decades, for whom it is just a social event. Also, I've known the kind who act like they 'own' the church, simply because they've invested a lot of their time and money into it!!
Man, does your story sound familiar!!!
Thanks Lord for your salvation
Thanks Lord for your peace
Thanks Lord for bible study class
Great video! So true. People often go to Mega churches to have their ears tickled. “ your future is bright… greater is coming.. businesses are about to be opened in your name …”
When the Bible tells us not to store treasures on earth. Some churches are pointing hearts to material things instead of pointing to Jesus.
Social club, country club…
I just said this to my wife this morning, as we made our morning walk. Actually I have been saying this for years. The future of the Church is the small communities.
This was a very well done video. I pastor a small church in Nebraska as well as doing Missionary work. Many of the small rurual churches not only struggle with the things you mentioned but a bigger crisis is that many small churches can barely find a pastor bcuz most of ur bible school graduates are looking for a bigger church for financial reasons. I told the church I pastor not to pay me. I will preach for free. I am fully capable of working a job and I do. Im not in ministry for the money, Im in ministry bcuz I actually care about people and want to help people to know God. I could care less about the money...
I love small churches, you actually get to engage with the pastor and his family and of course the rest of the congregation, people who care about you.
I left a huge megachurch for a tiny Baptist church that is theologically sound and preaches the Word of God, and I have absolutely no regrets.
"Training-wheels" Christianity, I like that. As a veteran of small (read tiny) churches, where I taught the Bible verse by verse, doctrine by doctrine, I am far more satisfied with my ministry than I would be with private Lear Jet and 100 people on the stage shouting meaningless lyrics at the crowd....
This was really good and I agree with you. I am the worship leader of a church of about 50. It's me, the piano, and sometimes my brother on an acoustic guitar. Today we had a married couple visit us who are looking for a church. The woman came up afterward and thanked me and prayed for me as she thought the worship was wonderful. I am 67 years old by the way and we use both traditional hymns and contemporary songs. Why? Not to please people who like one or the other, but because sometimes the words to one or the other fit the service best. Anyway got off subject a litte but that is why I love the small church. You couldn't get me to go play in one of the bands we see in the big churches. I absolutely could, but most of the time I have a hard time seeing how that is true worship. It looks like a rock concert or a party.
Jesus Christ appeared in my dream and opened the door in my dream which led me to a home fellowship of about 8 people, but I’m learning more than I could ever imagine!
Small churches are precious people have time for each other its so much more realistic
My husband and I love smaller churches. Churches were set up in the communities so they could be there to serve the people, whether they are to help people be lead to the Lord, help sick or help with their needs. You have a closer connection with the brothers and sisters of the church. If we had more of this today, you would see less hungary, crime and etc... in the community. I pray for all the small churches to survive. We need them.
This is so encouraging.
Great video!!!! You are right on!
Im in a big Baptist church (in the Bible Belt) now, very heavy emphasis, on “ Tithes and offering” and typical smoke, machines, lights, modern music, AND not as big on the hospitality and friendliness as I had hoped for.
Very cliquey and lots of religious people.
I am praying and seeking a small more intimate, end times minded church that’s teaches the whole counsel”
I am so thankful for this presentation. There is only a very few who embrace this matter or have such understanding. May God bless those who are seekers of the hardcore, absolute, objective Truth.