As attendance numbers shrink nationwide, these sister congregations see their future as ‘Greater Together.’
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
Aaron Tremblay, now a minister in the Nashville, Tenn., area, preached for 10 years for the 75-member Leominster Church of Christ in Massachusetts.
In Tremblay’s native New England, congregations tend to be small and isolated, the 37-year-old minister noted.
“But what helps them continue on, even though in some cases the churches are only 25 or 30 people, is that they stay connected,” he said. “That’s the only way they survive.”
It’s different in Tennessee: Hundreds of Churches of Christ — often with 300, 500 or even 1,500 members — encompass the Nashville area, sometimes called “the buckle of the Bible Belt.”
Historically, those congregations compete for members and attention, Tremblay and other preachers told The Christian Chronicle.
But as overall attendance numbers shrink in Music City — and across the United States — the ministers see a profound need for Christians to come together.
This story appears in the September edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Featured photo by Rabeeh Elassal, Blue Dahlia Photography
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