Small parishes are not mini versions of large parishes. They are not failures for not being larger. They are a valuable form of living a life in Christ. (To paraphrase Lincoln... 'God must love small churches he made so many of them.')
The Small Parish Forum opened by asking attendees to identify advantages small churches can offer that larger churches cannot. We've supplemented the attendees' list with insights from other sources.The resultant composite list:
- More face time with pastor
- People more likely to feel welcome and needed
- Environment more conducive to building close relationships. Know everyone by name. Care about one another. Celebrate everyone's victories. Bear burdens.
- No need for elaborate structure. Provide assistance spontaneously with 1-2 phone calls.
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Less intimidating. More likely to accept & affirm persons rejected elsewhere.
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Intergenerational. People brought together across generational lines as opposed to clustering on their age cohort.While youth may not have age segregated youth programs -- young persons may experience first hand contact with a variety of adult, Christian exemplars & mentors.
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Small churches often have a toughness not found in larger communities -- respond when faced with a crisis.