Having pastured a larger church for twelve years and a smaller one for four years, the first thing to mention is that each one had its own challenges, which God, in His amazing providence, designed and caused to be blessings in disguise. This is not surprising since it is true in the life of every believer. The second thing to note is that the adjective “fledgling” may well be applied to both large and small churches, unless we measure the wellbeing of any particular church not by growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18) but by growth in numbers.¹

Having said that, there is no denying that small congressionally Reformed or Presbyterian churches or church plants face unique challenges. However, most if not all of those challenges one way or another prove to be blessings in disguise, confirming God’s design to make all things work together for good for those who love Him, to trans­form us into the likeness of His Son (Rom. 8:28-29).

A major challenge is the perception from the outside, from a world that is no longer familiar at all with God’s Word, having banned it from public life for the past half-century. Scripture is so counter-cultural that most people won’t even consider attending church, especially considering the bewildering array of many different denominations, all claiming to uphold the truth of God’s Word. If most people do not know God’s Word, they generally are even more ignorant of the history of the church with all its attempts to fight a large variety of heresies and maintain biblical truth. If they at all begin to have an interest, they generally seek out a large church.

Add to this the simplicity of our worship services compared with the entertainment style found in most mega-churches. Though we treasure our plain liturgy and the regulative principle, with emphasis on preaching, singing, and praying God’s Word, the newcomer often considers this boring. Certainly so, when combined with a second worship service and a biblical way of keeping the Lord’s Day.

However, we often have found this to be one of the main reasons why some have come to worship with us, both from the world and from other churches — even traveling a long distance.

Another challenge, more specifically pertaining to a smaller church plant, is that conflicts among members and other issues are more evident and often plainly visible. A small church is more like a family where members interact more personally and frequently with each other and therefore also know each other “warts and all.” This often takes energy and time which too often causes us as a church to be inward instead of outward focused.

However, being so personally and so well-acquainted with each other can, and has often been the cause of much good in the way of sanctification, as iron sharpening iron (Prov. 27:17). As we assemble for worship and fellowship we, by God’s grace, “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Heb. 10:24). Indeed, a smaller church in this way probably provides a greater measure of accountability than a larger church where those who do not “see eye to eye” can avoid one another. Perhaps an incen­tive in favor of having smaller churches is to intentionally practice the many positive “one another” commands of Scripture. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pet. 4:10).

Another challenge is church membership, particularly holding a biblical understanding of the need for it and the qualifications for it. For most of us, local church mem­bership is a given. But in a time in which people are very individualistic and opinionated and many churches have given up on membership, many Christians question the need for it. An overly simplistic view of what it is to belong to Christ, as if it is just something between Him and them, overshadows their recognition of deceitfulness of sin and the biblical need to submit, in mutual accountability, to the elders of the local church.

Once the need for local church membership is understood and accepted, there still is the question as to what the requirements are for becoming a member of our church. Most of us are familiar with the process of our children taking catechism classes until they reach the age of discre­tion (a certain level of spiritual and intellectual maturity) and they make public confession of faith, and so have the privilege to partake of the sacraments and, for men, be eligible and vote for office bearers.

But what about older and more mature Christians who come “from the outside,” give evidence of their faith, desire to join our church and partake of the Lord’s Supper, but have questions about certain doctrinal positions of our church? In other words, to what extent do they have to publicly state that they know and agree with all the doctrines of a biblical and confessionally Reformed or Presbyterian church before they would be allowed to be members and wait until then to be able to partake of the sacraments? In our church in Harrison, Arkansas, we have concluded that this is backwards and puts the “cart in front of the horse.” How did the early church deal with new believers? They confessed their faith in Jesus Christ and committed to be further instructed in what this means theologically, doctrinally, and practically. We therefore gave permission to five couples to partake of the Lord’s Supper while they are not yet members. The conditions are simple: faithfully attend both Lord’s Day worship services and attend the confession of faith class. If after a period of a few years, they decide to join the church, they will retain those privileges; if not, they will lose them. Some other individuals will also be able to join our church that way.

Another related challenge is church government, not only with members being willing to submit to their elders but also to find qualified office bearers who have a good grasp of the doctrines of the church. In addition to doctrinal understanding, it is also important that these men have some years of experience in working with fellow believers, especially as elders to bear the oversight of the church on Christ’s behalf. Generally the average age in a church plant or a newly established church is much lower than in the larger, more established churches.

One other challenge of a church plant is the lack of resources, not only financially but also with regard to manpower, especially when a good number of the members and attendees live quite a distance from church. Having pastored in a larger church, and now pastoring a smaller church, I should have treasured my elders more than I did at the time. I am thankful, however, for that time of learning as a preparation for my present charge.

Being asked to write on this topic caused me to reflect on the early church and wonder what they were like. Starting with the Pentecost church of 3000, and later that number swelling to 5000 — how did they gather, apart from initially at the temple in Jerusalem? We can assume they were not what we would call a megachurch today. Most likely, they worshipped and fellowshipped in home churches and small groups, united in their desire to glorify and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, committing themselves to Him and to each other. Let us consider, whether we are in church plants or more established churches, what the Apostle John writes, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).