Ask Your Preacher
size of congregation
Monday, October 28, 2019My wife and I attend the church of Christ, but most of our families do not. I have heard our families and even some visitors say they don't like a large congregation. Our congregation started in 1950 with about forty people; today, we have 350 to 400 members. My point is, sometimes I get the impression that some think that larger congregations are unscriptural and lean more towards the doctrine of man. However, our elders have always made sure to stick to Scripture at all cost. My question is: does the Bible reveal how many people gathered to worship God in the first century church (the church of Christ)?
Sincerely,
Part Of A Big Family
Dear Part Of A Big Family,
Christ’s churches have been as small as two or three, as big as several thousand, and everything in between. Jesus said that “where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am” (Matt 18:20)… so a congregation can in fact be very tiny. Some first century churches met in homes, which probably meant they weren’t too big (Col 4:15). However, we also see that the first congregation was over five thousand strong (Acts 4:4). The size isn’t the issue – it is the adherence to the Bible pattern of truth that God cares about (1 Tim 3:15). It is sometimes more difficult to hold to that pattern the larger a congregation gets because there are more voices and more potential for division, but that doesn’t mean that large congregations are somehow unscriptural by default. If your group is large and faithful – what a wonderful blessing!