The United States Census Bureau released a report in 2020 that provided a striking reminder about who we are as a nation. In a report titled “America: A Nation of Small Towns,” they noted that about 76% of all incorporated places—nearly 19,500 of them—have fewer than 5,000 residents. Even more astonishing, almost 42% of incorporated places have populations under 500.
That means the overwhelming majority of American communities are small. While our cultural attention often focuses on the big cities, the small towns and rural areas form the backbone of the nation’s geography—and, for generations, the backbone of its spiritual life. Yet these are the very places where the church’s presence is now most fragile.
The data underscores an urgent truth: if we do not intentionally strengthen, plant, and support smaller churches, the majority of American communities will have little or no access to a local, gospel-centered congregation.
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