I grew up in a large church (where my mom was on staff), and my closest friends in high school attended another large church nearby. I have a megachurch pastor in the family. I have seen behind the curtain.

Then during college, I served on staff at two small, rural churches. Today my wife is on staff at our mid-size suburban church. I have to say that, at the end of the day, I really prefer these smaller churches.

Ruth Tucker also prefers smaller churches. Her book Left Behind in a Megachurch World is billed in the subtitle–"How God works through ordinary churches"–as a tribute to the small church, which she calls the "left behind" church. Really the book accomplishes two things. First, it systematically deconstructs the theology, ethos, and appeal of the megachurch movement. Second, it demonstrates through Tucker's reflections on her own experience, theological insights, and spotlights on successful small ministries that "smaller churches bear the greatest mantle for Christlikeness" (from ...