[εις επαινον δοξης αυτου] 8/18/2006 07:18:51 PM

I have not read the book, but I am guessing that his generalizations are only relevant because small churches are most often found in small communities. Since these small communities experience little turnover as far as people are concerned, the churches also tend to have less turnover of members. Many of the members have been there for years and years. Because of this, the laity in a small church could potentially have more power than the pastor simply because they have been there longer. It takes a long time for a pastor to truly understand the culture of the church he is entering (or to gain the respect and trust of the people he is pastoring). Trying to set vision that is not clearly spelled out in Scripture can be very difficult. Also, I think carnality breeds in smaller churches because of the lack of "change" or perhaps because of the lack of challenge to certain ways of thinking. The turnover and movement in larger churches in larger communities keeps people from being "set in their ways" simply because they must keep examining new ideas.

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Posted by Amy Hatfield to εις επαινον δοξης αυτου at 8/18/2006 07:18:51 PM