Americans also attend all kinds and sizes of churches, from three- and four-member Coptic Christian services to 25,000-member mega churches of the evangelical Protestant variety. Between these two extremes are synagogues, temples, churches, traveling worship services and storefront ministries that serve a dozen, a hundred or a thousand persons. The average size of Protestant churches, the most numerous in the U.S. with over 300,000 congregations, is about 125 people.



Differences and similarities

The theological differences, of course, are beyond the scope of this article. We are more interested in the different types of churches, meaning the way in which different congregations see their ?missions? and the purpose of their outreach. There are missionary churches seeking to plant ministries, there are service churches seeking to help others and there are ?lifestyle? churches that are trying to meet various people's ?needs? ? in this world and the next, too.

Churches that wish to attract younger couples with children, or find their congregations changing to that demographic, will quite sensibly seek to support these families in the right way. The theological teaching will team up with community-oriented programs that focus on family, education, a sense of shared purpose and community service.

World missions

Other congregations may tend to focus on world missions, and helping people in other, far less prosperous countries. The hearts of these people is for the downtrodden in the world, and they have made a deliberate decision to extend their help to places in the world that make our own poverty-stricken areas look like middle-class neighborhoods.

Some churches also are somewhat politically active, in many different directions and with many different goals. A church can be politically active and aware without losing tax-exempt status, as long as no candidates are endorsed. However, churches can legally take positions on and even campaign in favor of ballot initiatives, as many did in the 2008 elections in California, where there were some contentious issues on the ballot (gay marriage, for one).

Specialty churches

For want of a better name, the smaller, more focused churches that spring up in some areas can be called ?specialty? churches. For example, Los Angeles is home to many professional entertainers, and several churches have built a reputation of being ?the singer church? or ?the actor church.? These are of various denominational types and varying sizes, but commonly offer services and programs that focus on the singing, acting and production skills that are possessed by the congregants.

There are also study ministries that hold teaching classes and Bible studies, as opposed to traditional Sunday morning services. Because of their flexibility, some busy professionals and self-employed people take advantage of the weeknight meeting times so that they can work weekends ? or sleep after another 80-hour week.

Flexibility works

Church management is a tricky balance among many competing activities. A pastor, priest or minister must remember that the church needs to meet people ?where they are,? and being flexible with service times is a first step toward achieving that balance. People stay at churches that fill holes in their lives, and not all of those holes are spiritual in nature, some are practical.

Depending on your own spiritual ? and practical ? needs, you can find a church in your area that will feed your heart and soul, as well as your mind. For families, a church with strong youth and young-adult programs is a good choice, while singles and childless couples may be more comfortable, and feel more useful, in a church that is focused on community projects or international missions.

There are enough kinds and types of churches to satisfy most anyone's hunger to do well, learn how to do more good and try, in a small way, to improve the world just a little bit. If you take off the blinders, it is often suggested, you might see that the ?rest of the world? starts right about at the end of your nose and fingers. You don't have to look far to find a place to do some good, and you don't have to go it alone, either.

There are plenty of people like you, studying and reading up on the difference among various churches, who are ready to pitch in and help. The world will never run out of a need for these kinds of people. Find the right place to be, and then you will find the right things to do ? as well as the right church to do them with.