Dear friends,
It’s summer — a season often marked by lighter schedules, quieter sanctuaries, and time for reflection. As you enjoy the warmth of July days, it may also be a time when questions about the future of our congregation bubble up: like, is Plymouth PC a small or large congregation? In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), “small” is often more a state of mind than a matter of numbers. A congregation with 200 in worship may feel small if it once had 400. Others feel small when compared to the growing nondenominational church down the street. Still others are truly small congregations.
We wrestle with smallness. And while we believe Jesus’ promise that “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20), size still matters in practical ways. It matters when pews sit empty. It matters when there’s no money to repair the roof or call a pastor. It matters because our culture equates success with growth—and small often feels like failure. This perceived smallness can give way to fear: that your congregation won’t survive, or that the best days are behind it. That fear often leads to anxiety — that makes us count constantly: How many in worship? How much in the offering? How long can we keep going? And yet: Jesus is still among us.
The words from Matthew remind us that our calling as followers of Christ is not dependent on numbers. Two or three is enough. Enough to proclaim the gospel. Enough to embody Christ’s presence. Enough to keep going. So, what now? What do we do if we feel diminished? As Presbyterians, we are people who think deeply and act faithfully. Our Book of Order gives us a framework through six historic “Great Ends of the Church”: the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
The Great Ends, written in 1910, still describe our purpose today. What if we revisited them—what if we asked how we’re living them out in our church and community right now? Ask these questions—not to attract more people, but because we are followers of Jesus. Ask them because we are alive, baptized, and called in this time and place to be the church.
If the Kingdom of Heaven were modeled on our church, what would it look like? We’ve already met the only size requirement Jesus ever gave: two or three. We are a ‘large’ congregation in those terms. So yes, go ahead and count our worship attendance or dollars if it helps. But don’t confuse those numbers with our purpose. And don’t let them limit our calling.
We serve the living Christ. And wherever even two or three gather in Christ’s name, the Spirit’s doing extraordinary things.
In the Grip of Grace,
Pastor Peter J. Blank