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Characteristics of Small Church
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Paul Jang
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2008-03-29 00:19:53, hit : 2,870 |
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Characteristics of Small Church
The congregation of most small church shows more personal and positive charateristics than that of large church. Small church is mostly intimate between its members, while large church is not. The members of the small church express their unity by meeting regularly as an entire fellowship because they are composed of individuals who live close to one another and who meet together in each other's homes (Nicholas et al. 1982, 29).
One of the characteristics of small church is more familial both in vertical and horizontal relationship (McBride 1993, 21). Firstly, the vertical relationship each member of small church enjoys with Jesus is faciliated because He has made promise to be with the members of small church (McBride 1993, 21). Jesus said, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" (Matt. 18:20 NIV). Another version translated this original paragrph into English as: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst" (Matt. 18:20 KJV).
In a sense, this paragraph must express an intimate relationship with Jesus (McBride 1993, 21). This is vertical relationship. Of course, it is not the very meaning that big church never has an intimate relationship with Jesus. It means only that the members of small church may be easy to have an intimate relationship with Jesus because of familial environment to Jesus (McBride 1993, 21). Secondly, the members of small church may be easy to familiarize with others.
They may be expanded by the horizontal relationships between them because they are small groups to have face to face relationsip each other (McBride 1993, 21). This is a familial love relationship. Lois Barrett said about this characteristic as follows:
The church in the house took on the charateristics of a common household, not only with familial terms for each other, but with familial love for each other (Rom. 12:10) (Barrett 1986, 20).
Second charateristic of the small church is the sense of belonging to the church (Nicholas 1985, 13). Small church members mostly have more strong sense of belonging to their church rather than large church members. So is the sense of belonging to a small church to that of a large church, as the sense of belonging to a family to a nation. This sensibility comes from a close and intimate relationship.
By the meeting in smaller church, in fact, the members of the church make intimacy at least possible. Ron Nicholas explained the belonging to the small group as follows:
As we pass through life we belong to various small groups. Each of us was born into a small roup, a family. Here we began to discover who we are and to have our most basic needs met. All of us have a need to belong. Our security is often rooted in knowing that at least one other person loves and cares for us. We need to know and be known by others, to love and be loved (Nicholas et al. 1985, 13, trans. by Shin 1989, 14).
Another characteristic of small church is that its members may have a sense of security in love relationship. Peter C. Wagner said that some people feel more secure in a small church, otherwise in the large church. He explained this as follows:
Some people will always feel more secure in a small church. They need to sense that they are an intimate part of the whole social unit. They feel uncomfortable when they look around and see a large number of strange faces...But some members of large churches appreciate the opportunity to be rather anonymous when they go to church. They don't like fusses made over them or their families...This kind of person naturally needs a large church (Wagner 1976, 96, 97, trans. by Kwon 1992, 127).
In a sense, the sense of security comes from love power. For example, although a child feels much insecure when he is alone, but he does feel secure when he is with his parent because of their love relationship. Because small churches mostly have close relationship of love in them, the members of the churches will always feel more secure.
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Introduction
Ch Growth 