From megachurch to small church

HondaMan

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Has anyone here left the mega-church and went back to a smaller community church? How did the transition go for you?

My church is large, has 6 campuses, and while the teaching is great, we feel like we're just a number and there to watch a nice show. It's also too liberal and I don't want our kids to grow in such an environment.
 

Not David

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Has anyone here left the mega-church and went back to a smaller community church? How did the transition go for you?

My church is large, has 6 campuses, and while the teaching is great, we feel like we're just a number and there to watch a nice show. It's also too liberal and I don't want our kids to grow in such an environment.
I used to go to a small church in the city. I can say small churches are better because it is feels (and is) more of a community and you can get to know your pastor better.
 
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yeshuaslavejeff

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Has anyone here left the mega-church and went back to a smaller community church? How did the transition go for you?

My church is large, has 6 campuses, and while the teaching is great, we feel like we're just a number and there to watch a nice show. It's also too liberal and I don't want our kids to grow in such an environment.
See where in Scripture Yahuweh Describes how His people are: His people are known by the love they have for one another (not by their words of such), seen by others (outsiders) as having been with Jesus, and DAILY laying down their lives for one another (meeting each others needs as soon as they are able to/ as soon as they are known).
 
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carp614

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We went from a church with 25000 plus members to one with around 300. It has gone really well. We got to know people faster. We were able to easily find ways to serve the Lord in our new church that were intimidating and difficult to find in the big church. We became part of a community. That wasn't really possible in the big church.

In hindsight, the big church didn't really feel like a church. It felt more like a sporting event. It was what I needed at the time and it was good for our family, but smaller has been better for us.
 
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ChicanaRose

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Has anyone here left the mega-church and went back to a smaller community church? How did the transition go for you?

I have attended both. I like the family-feel of a small church. It's been harder to go from a small church to a large church, because it's crowded and overwhelming (the parking and the traffic and trying to find people).
 
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Maria Billingsley

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Has anyone here left the mega-church and went back to a smaller community church? How did the transition go for you?

My church is large, has 6 campuses, and while the teaching is great, we feel like we're just a number and there to watch a nice show. It's also too liberal and I don't want our kids to grow in such an environment.
No matter what brick and mortar congregation you attend, big or small, there will be unique challenges and blessings. Ultimately what does matter is the personal relationship between you and The Father through His Son Jesus Christ of Nazareth. That being said, entertainment is not "feeding the sheep" it is feeding the flesh however they have good teaching. You could potentially attend a church that does not feed the flesh however it has bad teaching. No congregation is perfect, God is perfected in you through the work of the Holy Spirit no matter where you go.
Blessings
 
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Pavel Mosko

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Has anyone here left the mega-church and went back to a smaller community church? How did the transition go for you?

My church is large, has 6 campuses, and while the teaching is great, we feel like we're just a number and there to watch a nice show. It's also too liberal and I don't want our kids to grow in such an environment.

Yes decades ago. The large churches have lots of problems. Unless you have lots of relatives or friends there the biggest problem is feeling like you are just a stranger in a crowd. Many of them will try to use cell groups / home groups to compensate for that with mixed results. Besides that there can also be issues if you actually need some kind of counseling or other kinds of care, like a relative has died, or some kind of interpersonal problem. I've seen some of the junior pastors who are readily available being leery when it comes to doing some of that work, because they don't feel like they have been delegated with the authority to do so, meanwhile the big senior minister can be too busy, or even traveling to conferences etc. where they can't do it!

In general I think the attraction to these places are the kinds of ministries, facilities, special services that these churches can provide. People can be attracted to them because they fill a niche they are looking for as far as things like singles ministry, child care, music that is much better than your average church etc. But that sort of thing is really a double edged sword, it comes with a cost, and one that is hidden until you stumble into it. And unfortunately, approaching church and God from a consumerist point of view also has its problems and well that sort of thing often gets reinforced in mega churches.
 
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HondaMan

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Just to clarify things:

The church I'm considering moving to is a small Eastern European church. European church communities here, as well as back in Europe, have a tighter knit. People are closer to each other, have the family feel, there is life together outside of church throughout the week too. It feels that you belong there and that they're your family. Some of these people I've known for many many years. It's one of the main reasons I want to move back. The American megachurch just doesn't cut it. You feel like a number, and the service is more like an event.
 
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carp614

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Sounds marvelous. American culture is "go big or go home" these days. Anonymity and conformity seem to have a strong cultural draw among the middle class especially. Mega churches seem custom made to appeal to that crowd.

In my experience, real, authentic community is something Americans in general can only imagine. We grow up in one place, go to college somewhere else, get a job in a third place never putting down roots anywhere. Our community connections are weak and reedy. When we encounter someone who is part of a deeply connected community most of us experience bewilderment. Some of us experience longing. To be a part of such a community is a privilege I would certainly love.

May the Lord bless you in this decision and in your journey.
 
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baptist4life

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My church has between 250-300 people attending. I love that. We are a "family" of brothers and sisters in Christ! We know each others needs, health problems, children, etc. We minister to each other when sick, grieving, or struggling. We LOVE each other. I would never join a mega church where you're just another person among thousands.
 
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Albion

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My church has between 250-300 people attending. I love that. We are a "family" of brothers and sisters in Christ! We know each others needs, health problems, children, etc. We minister to each other when sick, grieving, or struggling. We LOVE each other. I would never join a mega church where you're just another person among thousands.
In today's world, that's considered a large church (not a megachurch, tho). :)
 
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GodLovesCats

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I am obviously in the minority here. After being saved at a megachurch, I was quickly invited to a kinship (Bible study) gorup. It did not take long to learn there are many more such groups and ministry meetings for a variety of purposes. Small churches don't have all that. I would be surprised if any small church has what Vineyard Columbus (Ohio) does. When i researched local churches here, one thing that really stands out is they have nothing outside the building. No ministries, no Bible studiies, no Saturday services.
 
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justme6272

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Has anyone here left the mega-church and went back to a smaller community church? How did the transition go for you?

My church is large, has 6 campuses, and while the teaching is great, we feel like we're just a number and there to watch a nice show. It's also too liberal and I don't want our kids to grow in such an environment.
Yes. For a long time, I heard people say that the advantage of a smaller church is that 'everybody knows everybody' and I found that to be true, at least in the case of the one smaller church I've tried over the past 11 months after being in and around medium to larger churches my whole life.

I've also concluded that knowing everybody and vice versa may not necessarily be a good thing. That's up to the individual to decide, and I don't see how anyone could decide until they've tried both environments. I wouldn't speculate on what you THINK you might like best until you've tried both. You don't have to completely leave the megachurch to visit smaller churches. Alternate between them forever if you want, enjoying the benefits of each. What each church actually decides to DO can depend on budget, number and quality of volunteers, wealth level, and who knows what else you may notice. I wouldn't go by physical size of the building or number of campuses. You can only be in one place at one time.

What used to be a large congregation I know of has shrunk in attendance because of it's liberalism. That means it's now closer to a 'everybody knows everybody' church, supported as much by rich widows as anyone else, who have been there their whole lives, literally. The sentimental value outweighs the liberalism, and/or someone in their immediate family is gay and they're just thankful that their loved one is willing to show up sometimes, cause a more conservative church is absolutely out of the question for that loved one to ever step foot in.

You look married, so this probably doesn't matter, but rare is the single adult who can attend a smaller church where there are very few other singles there...maybe a handful between ages 23-50. Churches of all sizes are partial to couples, especially ones with kids, and especially in smaller churches where any sort of singles ministry is non-existent. They just don't see the need. Even for the larger churches, they often cater to so-called 'young singles' up until age 30, then they figure if you still aren't married, they can't help you....you're on your own. After that, there may be a divorced class (though they won't call it that), made up of folks who went to church in their 20s to find a mate, found a mate, stopped going to church, divorced, and now they're back to hook up again. As one woman I know of put it, she "needed to do some husband hunting." She chose a wealthy mega-church with the largest 40+ singles ministry in town. They go out to lunch together each Sunday, and eat together and play board games every Wed. night. If you can't find a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th husband there, you probably won't find one anywhere without help from a dating service. Good luck with that. (not you, but whoever might stumble on this reply).
 
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justme6272

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In general I think the attraction to these places are the kinds of ministries, facilities, special services that these churches can provide. People can be attracted to them because they fill a niche they are looking for as far as things like singles ministry, child care, music that is much better than your average church etc.
Bingo!
 
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justme6272

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My church has between 250-300 people attending. I love that. We are a "family" of brothers and sisters in Christ! We know each others needs, health problems, children, etc. We minister to each other when sick, grieving, or struggling.
I get an email of prayer requests, 99% being prayer requests for people or someone they know, and I don't even know the person whose name is tied to the request. It's far from a mega-church. There are two services on Sunday morning, and it's not packed to the brim, but it's a smaller size chapel, typical of a smaller church. Without counting, I can't tell you how many were in attendance. Some churches publish that data in each weeks 'bulletin' regarding the previous week, for both S.S. and the church service, but I have no idea how they decide how many were in the church service. I've never seen anyone counting heads when I've attended such churches.
 
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