How big is your church?

[kalt]

I’m asking about the local church that you belong to. The mega churches are too big for my taste. The tiny churches with fewer than 100 people seem too small. There are about 3000 members of my parish. Every week a few more than 1000 attend one of the services. It’s a good size for my taste.

What about you? How big is your church (synagogue or temple)? What size do you prefer?

 

[4Squarebaby]

About 85 adults and 30 children on an average Sunday. Baby dedications, Christmas and Resurrection Sunday will almost double attendance

 

[Dtmccameron]

I’m asking about the local church that you belong to. The mega churches are too big for my taste. The tiny churches with fewer than 100 people seem too small. There are about 3000 members of my parish. Every week a few more than 1000 attend one of the services. It’s a good size for my taste.

What about you? How big is your church (synagogue or temple)? What size do you prefer?

Good grief! 1000 people! And that’s not *mega! * I’d be surpriesed if 1000 people went to church with all the churches in my town combined!

I don’t so much mind the size of a church, but rather, the “Church-iness” of a church. Does it look and feel like a church? Or a warehouse? I don’t like warehouses. But even if the chapel only has room for twenty people, if it looks and feels right, I’m happy.

 

[dianaiad]

I’m asking about the local church that you belong to. The mega churches are too big for my taste. The tiny churches with fewer than 100 people seem too small. There are about 3000 members of my parish. Every week a few more than 1000 attend one of the services. It’s a good size for my taste.

What about you? How big is your church (synagogue or temple)? What size do you prefer?

We try to keep our congregations to between 300 and 500 people. Once we get beyond that size, we split congregations and make a new ‘ward.’ Where I am right now, forty years ago there were two 'wards" (congregations) for the entire valley. Now there are something like 40, give or take two or three.

 

[JonNC]

I’m asking about the local church that you belong to. The mega churches are too big for my taste. The tiny churches with fewer than 100 people seem too small. There are about 3000 members of my parish. Every week a few more than 1000 attend one of the services. It’s a good size for my taste.

What about you? How big is your church (synagogue or temple)? What size do you prefer?

kalt,
3000 sounds like a mega to me. By comparison, our congregation is about 145 baptised members. I have been a member of churches from my current one up to about 2500 members, and others in between. All sizes have strengths and weaknesses. While growing up, my dad’s church was about 950 members, a pretty good size looking back, but it kept him very busy.

Jon

EDIT: kalt, how many priests serve your parish?

 

[Guyonthestreet]

The catholic church I visit has about 50 people every sunday.

The Orthodox church - maybe 18-30 people depending if the liturgy is in Greek or English.

The Church of England church I visit - maybe 120 people.

The catholic monastary I visit - usually just the monks and me or another one or two visitors.

The RCCG church I’ve visited - maybe 500 people.

A small protesant church I sometimes drop in on, not sure the denomination, maybe 60 or so people.

The most beautiful meaningful experiences I’ve had in church - in the monastary with the monks, or the Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox church.

 

[Sr_Sally]

Huge. We have over 1000 kids in CCD each year. 100 easy at our daily noon Mass. I don’t know exactly how many families/individuals belong to the parish.

One saying I’ve heard concerning Catholic evangalization is that we don’t do it because an averahe parish in the US is already as big as a megachurch and no one is looking to make them any bigger.

The Lutheran church 15 minutes away gets 300 per Sunday (2 services) in the fall–our parish has more than 300 at it’s least well attended Mass of the 6 Sunday Masses in the middle of summer.

That said, there is a Methodist church down the street that probably has 300-500 per service (it seems half the people you meet around here belong to that church). And a Lutheran church about15 minutes in the other direction that is also very large.

 

[Paul3144]

My current church has about 6500 on Sunday AM. My prior church has about 30 on Sundays. Both have strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Claire_from_DE]

My parish has about 350 families. We have 2 small older churches that are about 15 minutes apart but we are all one parish. All the other parish buildings are at one of the sites. We have one priest; in the history of the parish we have never had more than one. We also happen to have two deacons which is unusual in my diocese. We have one mass on Saturday and three on Sunday. All are well attended except the 7:30 am Sunday mass which is for the early risers (I’ve never been to that one). I’ve been here over 30 years and probably know about a quarter of the people in the parish. It amazes me that our former pastor knew almost everybody. I grew up in Baltimore in an enormous parish and I much prefer the smaller one.

 

[kalt]

Good grief! 1000 people! And that’s not *mega! *I’d be surpriesed if 1000 people went to church with all the churches in my town combined!

I don’t so much mind the size of a church, but rather, the “Church-iness” of a church. Does it look and feel like a church? Or a warehouse? I don’t like warehouses. But even if the chapel only has room for twenty people, if it looks and feels right, I’m happy.

1000 is a lot, but the number is divided into the 6 weekend Masses. The family Mass is the biggest, so I avoid that one.

 

[kalt]

kalt,
3000 sounds like a mega to me. By comparison, our congregation is about 145 baptised members. I have been a member of churches from my current one up to about 2500 members, and others in between. All sizes have strengths and weaknesses. While growing up, my dad’s church was about 950 members, a pretty good size looking back, but it kept him very busy.

Jon

EDIT: kalt, how many priests serve your parish?

2 priests. 2 nuns.

Only 1000 of the 3000 are active members. About 1000 are at Mass at one or another of the 6 weekend Masses. Most people go to the Family Mass. We go to the early Mass, and there are fewer than 100 people at that one.

Because there are 6 Masses, I’ve found that I work with people who go to the same church, though I’ve never seen them there!

Then again, I’ve met people that I’ve learned work at the same place–and I’ve never seen them at work.

 

[JonNC]

2 priests. 2 nuns.

Only 1000 of the 3000 are active members. About 1000 are at Mass at one or another of the 6 weekend Masses. Most people go to the Family Mass. We go to the early Mass, and there are fewer than 100 people at that one.

Because there are 6 Masses, I’ve found that I work with people who go to the same church, though I’ve never seen them there!

Then again, I’ve met people that I’ve learned work at the same place–and I’ve never seen them at work.

That is a lot of work for those 4 people!! God bless them for their service to His people.

Jon

 

[FCEGM]

My parish has the largest congregation of any Christian church/denomination in the state; it’s also the largest Catholic Church by population in the Southeast. If my memory serves me, we have well over 10,000 registered households.

 

[kalt]

That is a lot of work for those 4 people!! God bless them for their service to His people.

Jon

It is. But I think that most Catholics are fairly low maintenance folk.

 

[rev_kevin]

I’m asking about the local church that you belong to. The mega churches are too big for my taste. The tiny churches with fewer than 100 people seem too small. There are about 3000 members of my parish. Every week a few more than 1000 attend one of the services. It’s a good size for my taste.

What about you? How big is your church (synagogue or temple)? What size do you prefer?

The church I belong to has about 1000-3000 that attend it. At first I thought it was too big for me but I kept going and found out it was just right. The last attendance was 2,169. I live Just outside of Houston and Joel Olstien has his mega-church here Lakewood church with over 30,000. I think that is way too big. There is no one on one, you don’t have good and meaningful fellowship, your just a number in a mega-church. The church I belong to is awasome. Our pastor knows everybodys name.{I’m not kidding all 3000 members, how he does it I don’t know but he really does} I believe my church is Just right for me, not too big and not too small, its just right. The people and staff are the best.

 

[jw2lds2catholic]

My North Texas Parish has 27,000 registered parishioners. However, only about 8,000 attend Mass on the weekends - 6 services. The 11am and sometimes 9am Sunday masses are full - standing room in the back… Weekday 9:00 am mass always has at least 50 or so worshippers.

 

[JonNC]

My North Texas Parish has 27,000 registered parishioners. However, only about 8,000 attend Mass on the weekends - 6 services. The 11am and sometimes 9am Sunday masses are full - standing room in the back… Weekday 9:00 am mass always has at least 50 or so worshippers.

27 thousand?

Hokey smoke, Bullwinkle. I don’t think that many live in my county! You must have a dozen priests.

Jon

 

[StrawberryJam]

27 thousand?

Hokey smoke, Bullwinkle. I don’t think that many live in my county! You must have a dozen priests.

Jon

I am guessing it was a typo and he/she meant 2,700.

The catholic church I have been going to mass at mostly has approx 3,000. I have also heard the number 2,500 but I get confused if they count by family or individuals in this numbering.

I can tell you that for daily mass, there are on average about 20 that show up.

 

[JonNC]

I am guessing it was a typo and he/she meant 2,700.

At first I thought so, too. But then I saw 8,000 attend each weekend. 2 typo’s? I hope we’ll hear back from jw2lds2catholic to clarify.

All I can say is, I lived in Texas for 26 years. I know things are bigger in Texas, but…

Jon

 

[Harpazo]

Glory to Jesus Christ!

My mission probably has 20 people (It’s still a church with a priest, but we call it a mission because it has not gained parish status by the Metropolitan yet). Maybe a little more than that. Almost half of us are catechumens. I prefer this smaller community because it’s so much more personal and we all know that we are on the same journey to salvation together. But I do not think it will be that small forever, the way visitors have been coming (and staying).

In Christ,
Andrew