Great American Media accepting nominations for small-town churches to honor this Christmas
Christmas is months away, but that's not stopping a new nationwide campaign to recognize small-town churches that serve their communities during the "most wonderful time of the year."
Great American Media is inviting Americans to nominate congregations they believe are making a meaningful local impact as part of their "Great American Christmas: Small-Town Churches" initiative, which asks church members, pastors, ministry leaders, neighbors and viewers to submit nominations describing how a church serves its community, what makes it significant locally and how additional support could expand its Christmas outreach.
The initiative's aim, according to Great America Media, is to recognize those churches whose "impact goes far beyond tangible needs" in order to "offer a place for people to find faith, encouragement, belonging and hope, and to reconnect with the true meaning of Christmas."
Kaitlyn Haubrich, chief brand officer and chief of staff at Great American Media, said in a statement provided to CP that the campaign is an extension of the network’s focus on family-friendly holiday fare like “Christmas as It’s Meant to Be,” a star-studded exclusive broadcast of the 2025 National Christmas Tree Lighting held on the Ellipse at The White House and President’s Park.
“Churches are at the heart of so many communities, and that becomes especially meaningful at Christmas,” Haubrich said. “They’re caring for families, supporting their neighbors and helping people stay connected to their faith and to what Christmas is about. 'Christmas As It’s Meant To Be' has always been about faith, family and taking care of the people around us.”
The company said support will be tailored to the needs of each selected church and could include assistance with Christmas outreach, food or gift ministries, children's and family programs, worship or music programs, transportation, decorations or other needs identified by the congregation.
Nominations are open through Oct. 15, and selected churches are expected to be announced Oct. 27, according to Great American Media.
The campaign comes as smaller congregations continue to make up a substantial share of the American religious landscape: the median weekly attendance of U.S. Christian congregations actually rose to 70 people in 2025 — up from 65 before the pandemic — marking the first increase in four decades of tracking, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research's Faith Communities Today survey.
Rural churches also represent a significant portion of congregations nationwide. The same Hartford Institute survey found that 70% of U.S. congregations have 100 or fewer attendees, while U.S. Census data from 2020 put the number of Americans living in rural communities at approximately 46 million.
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
