As I've reflected on the small church, I've arrived at a few conclusions.

1. The small church is here to stay. Lyle Schaller, in a recent Christianity Today article, defined the megachurch as one with over a thousand members. For every one Lutheran megachurch, there are 299 that are not. There are 199 Southern Baptist churches, 599 United Methodist churches, 99 Assemblies of God, 399 Nazarene churches, 249 Congregational and American Baptist churches, and 299 Presbyterian churches for every one church in each of those groups that has more than a thousand members.

The media would have us think that megachurches will render the small church obsolete. I doubt it.

2. The successful small church is not an imitation of the large church. I admire the megachurch leaders tremendously. Many are personal friends. They are people of genius, of multiple skills, of great energy and dedication. However, they are exceptions, not examples of normal church leadership.

We make a serious mistake if we suggest ...