Churches for Everyone

What is it that makes one church more suitable to a person than another? Is one kind of church better than another? Is one more Christian? The answers are obvious. Everyone has different expectations, desires, and needs, to say nothing of his/her cultural background. So there’s not one kind or size of church that is right for everyone.

At Harristown Christian we have become a pretty small church, but our expectations, desires, and most of our needs are met. Oh, it would be nice to have more “young” people. Most small churches suffer from a lack of young families. In our case most of the people with families migrated to the churches with active youth programs. Who could blame them? When we had children at home, we also wanted a youth-centered church. Now that we are older, we appreciate the quiet and orderliness we experience on Sunday. Oh, we surely wouldn’t turn down a family with youngsters, and we would do our best to provide for their needs. But most of us recognize that the time when our church would be full of children is probably over.

It’s entirely possible that something will happen in the future to change the nature of our church and “turn it around.” I don’t think anyone would be opposed to that kind of change, but if it doesn’t happen, we are content to keep on keeping on as we are.

My husband has often said that there is nothing wrong with being a church dedicated to the needs and desires of “old people.” There’s room enough in this country for all kinds of churches, and Harristown CC’s place is perfectly fine, thank you!
(Next time: What happens to small churches?)