Releasing the Power of the Smaller Church

By Audrey Barrick, Christian Post Reporter Friday, February 09, 2007

Growing alongside the nation's largest churches are the smallest churches, which houses the majority of Americans.

Recognizing the large impact that congregations of less than 100 people have across the states, the Energizing Smaller Churches Network (ESCN) plans to kick off a national tour this month to affirm the value of the smaller church.

"There are simply thousands of smaller churches across the country having a large impact on the communities they serve. While much is written and publicized about the megachurch movement, ESCN exists to remind smaller churches around the country that they can have a 'mega' influence on people's lives," said Shawn McMullen, director of ESCN and author of Unleashing the Potential of the Smaller Church, in a statement.

A Hartford Seminary and Leadership Network research report last year presented a fast-growing trend of megachurches with at least 1,200 counted in the United States. Researchers in the groundbreaking report stated that more megachurches (weekly attendance of 2,000-plus) are on their way.

Outreach magazine last year cited a growth of 21.5 percent for megachurches from 1994 to 2004. But the smallest churches in the country are also on the rise. Congregations of less than 100 grew 16.4 percent during that period.

McMullen noted then that smaller churches offer an intimacy that people may not always find in larger churches, hence the growth of the smallest churches.

"In an age when human interaction is being supplanted by modern technology, many younger families are looking for a church that offers community, closeness and intergenerational relationships," he said in Outreach.

This year, the Cincinnati-based ESCN believes the time has come for such a conference as theirs.

"We're committed to serving the church," said Darrell Lewis, vice president of marketing at Standard Publishing, in a released statement. According to Lewis, many small church ministers are signed up in the small church network.

The ESCN conference will present workshops called "Releasing the Power of the Smaller Church" in 11 cities in 2007 beginning Feb. 22 in Dallas, Texas.

On the web: www.escnetwork.org