Differences between Small and Large Churches

Recently I was able to attend a small church in Fairfield, Virginia. The next week I went to Orchard Hill in Wexford. These two churches have two completely different feels to them. The church in Virginia was a smaller congregation and a much older church. The feel of it was very homey and warm. There wasn’t much technology that was in the church. No projectors or screens, only one microphone for the pastor. I enjoyed how this church was set up, there were not many distractions that could take away from the sermon. It was my first time going to Orchard Hill after a friend had recommended it to me. I really enjoyed the church, especially since everyone was so friendly. The church is one of the bigger churches I’ve been in and it wasn’t something I’m used to. In the sanctuary, there were big TV screens, dim lights, and it seemed like they were smoke coming off of the stage. They obviously spent a lot of time and money into their stage and their worship. I thought the sermon was really good, but it got me thinking. I went to these churches on back to back weeks and I just think it’s interesting the difference between going to a small church and a large church. I thought about the discussion that we had in class about large and small churches and since I am a member of a small church, going to a large church was a new change. My preference is a small church. I like having no distractions so I could focus on the sermon and really take in what the pastor is saying. Not to discredit large churches because it is an incredible atmosphere and I can definitely see why people would go to them. I believe that is up to the person going to determine what size church they would like to go to.