The Black Church in Town and Rural Settings, 2001

Abstract

When we visualize our churches, we often see them as large urban structures involving large numbers of people in worship and service. In reality, half of all the congregations in the United States have fewer than 100 regularly participating adults and just over half are located in small town and rural settings. In fact, a full quarter of congregations have fewer than fifty regularly participating adults, while less than 10 percent have more than 1,000. The large urban church is the exception, not the rule. The small membership church located in town and rural settings is certainly more the case than the so-called megachurch.

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