What are the dynamics of a small town church selection or transition?

Last week my wife and I were away on holidays and our accomodation was located near some local churches.

Catholic.

Uniting.

Independent.

All within a few blocks of one another.

Considering the size of the town, with around 4000 people, there were a surprising number of church choices.

Which got me wondering… What are the dynamic of choosing or changing churches in a small town?

When you first arrive, do you check out all the options over a month?

Do you freely announce that there’s a selection underway?

Does the church which “gets you” feel a sense of pride?

If you’re looking at transitioning to another church, is it a bigger deal?

If you have some kind of significant presence within your previous church - say you were a youth group leader, worship leader or a member of the church council - is you’re moving a significant ecclesiastical shift?

When you arrive at a new church, are you already somewhat known?

Does this add more pressure to a perspective church to “woo you”?

Do the reasons for you moving take on more weight, especially if it was an interpersonal issue?

If you’ve left under a cloud of (non-illegal) controversy, will your first Sunday in a new church come with public baggage?

In a large city, these issues just don’t really arise.

You can start with a clean slate.

You’re anonymous.

You get the freedom to drift in and “check the place out” without causing much of a stir.

In a small town, this may not be possible, especially if - like it always is - there’s a lot of cross-denominational networks.