Johannah Myers, Executive Director
Last week, my church tried something new for back-to-school. Instead of hosting “just” our usual Messy Church and cookout, we expanded it into a neighborhood celebration with community partners, activities, food, and plenty of room to gather. Around 400 people came.
That number was exciting—and it genuinely was one marker of success. We welcomed neighbors who had never been on our campus before. Community organizations connected with families. People ate, played, talked, and experienced the church as a place of generosity and joy.
Naturally, the celebration team is already asking, “How can we make it even bigger next year?”
It is a good question. But I found myself asking another one: Is “more” always the goal?
Anyone who plans Messy Church knows the disappointment of preparing activities, setting tables, organizing a meal, and then welcoming fewer people than expected. We would almost always be glad to see more people walk through the door.
But numbers never tell the whole story.
From our back-to-school celebration event, I was as excited about the connections folks made because of the event as I was about the numbers. The DJ walked away with new connections for gigs, the local foster family center had a connection with the school principal for working with parenting classes, different mission groups had a chance to educate and resource. Families discovered the free medical clinic in their own backyard. Numbers were important. Connections were, too.
I know of larger Messy Churches that sometimes wish they were a little smaller. They are grateful for everyone who comes, but their size can make it harder to learn names, hear stories, notice needs, and build the relationships that are at the heart of Messy Church.
Attendance tells us how many people were present. It cannot tell us whether they felt seen. It cannot tell us whether different generations genuinely connected, whether someone felt safe enough to ask an honest question, or whether a family discovered that there might be a place for them in a Christian community.
So, what else might we count?
We might count the number of newcomers who were personally welcomed—or the number of returning participants whose names we remembered. We might notice children and adults creating side by side, people lingering over the meal, or someone trying prayer or worship when they had not felt comfortable doing so before. We might celebrate a new volunteer taking ownership, a participant becoming a leader, or a conversation that continued long after the tables were cleared.
Our five core values give us another way to evaluate success:
- Hospitality: Did people feel genuinely welcomed and included?
- Creativity: Did everyone have opportunities to explore faith in accessible and meaningful ways?
- Celebration: Did we create space to encounter and respond to God together?
- All Ages Together: Did generations participate with and learn from one another?
- Christ-centered: Did the whole gathering help people discover more about Jesus and the way of faith?
We can also ask: Where did we see these values come alive? Where was there room for improvement? Whose experience have we not yet considered?
Growth is worth celebrating. But as our numbers grow, we may need to adapt—adding more table hosts, creating smaller spaces for conversation, developing new leaders, or finding intentional ways to welcome newcomers—so that the core values do not get lost in the crowd.
Perhaps the most important question is not simply, “How many people came?”
Perhaps it is, “What kind of community did we create together?”
The goal is not to choose between numbers and relationships. It is to remember that numbers are only one part of the story. More can be wonderful—but only if we continue making room for the welcome, creativity, celebration, intergenerational relationships, and encounters with Christ that make Messy Church what it is.