One size doesn’t fit all – Gary McIntosh (1999)

1. What size are you?

You can’t lead a small church like a large church.

Small (15-200 pax) – 80% of churches

Medium (201-400) – 10%

Large (401+) – 10%

6 implications:

- Church size more important than denominational label in planning mission and ministry
- When a pastor changes church, size changes requires most adjustment
- Training seminars are more productive if they bring together people based on church size
- Cooperating among churches of same size from different denominations is easier than
churches of different sizes in same denomination
- A change in size causes feelings of insecurity, unrest and frustration among members
- Leaders find it more useful to learn from churches of similar sizes regardless of
denomination

Full table

Factors Small Medium Large

Size 15-200 201-400 401+
Orientation Relational Programmatical Organisational
Structure Single cell Stretched cell Multiple cell
Leadership Resides in key families Resides in committees Resides in select
leaders
Pastor Lover Administrator Leader
Decisions Made congregation Made by committees Made by staff and
Driven by history Driven by changing leaders
needs Driven by vision
Staff Bivocational or single Pastor and small staff Multiple staff
pastor
Change Bottom up through Middle out thru key Top down thru key
key people committees leaders
Growth patterns Attraction model thru Program model thru Proclamation model
relationships key ministry thru word of mouth
Growth obstacles Small church image Inadequate facilities Poor assimilation
Ineffective evangelism Inadequate staff Increased bureaucracy
Inadequate Inadequate finances Poor communication
programming Poor administration Loss of vision
Downward Increasing complexity Lack of member care
momentum
Ingrown fellowship
Growth strategies Renew a sense of Develop distinct Renew the vision
purpose identity Design assimilation
 Begin new ministries Add additional staff plan
Cultivate evangelism Use facilities multiple Streamline procedures
Celebrate victories times Offer need-based
Start new Offer multiple worship events
groups/classes services Adjust leadership
Involve new people Write a long-range roles
plan Increase the number
Improve quality of of small groups
ministry

2. What is the church’s orientation?

Small Medium Large

Know all people Know some people Know few people
Meals a family affair Meals a program affair (to Meals a large-group affair
(gathering) reinforce program)
Extended family Growing family Multiple families
Relational Programmatical Organisational

Medium church are transition sizes, hard to remain at that size. Tend towards small again if it
doesn’t adjust.

3. How is the church structured?

Single-cell (Small church)

- Close, face to face fellowship

- One of two families at the center of the church
- Feeling of being a large, loving family
- Decision made in key families
- Harder for newcomers to become accepted

Multiple-cell (large)

- To many people to know everyone

- Numerous groups, classes and cells. Congregation of congregations.
- Church leadership is representative of several groups.

Stretched cell (Medium)

- Leadership still have key families instead of transition to governing board (pple from
different groups)
- New programs and ministries are effective in bringing newcomers into the church
4. Who sets the direction?

Effective leadership power made up of 4 factors: Control (ability to do it), Position (responsibility),
Authority (power to decide), Influence (power to sway)

If you work in small church, you need to work with the key families; for medium church, the
committees who have the power! They’re not your enemies.

5. What is the pastor’s role?

Small church, pastor is lover (loving, warm, caring, kindhearted)

Medium church, pastor is administrator (organizer, teacher, supervisor)

Large church, pastor is leader (visionary, professional, CEO)

Church often attracts pastor that fits its perspective. This helps pastor to decide whether the church
is suitable for him. Changes in church size leads to mismatches of pastor unless he adjusts his style to
match the church dynamics.

Pastoral leadership insights:

- The best teams have great leaders

- The leader’s task is to cast a vision
- God reveals his vision to one person
- Leadership authority grows over time
- Leadership authority may be lost in moment
- If the pastor doesn’t lead, someone else will
- Leaders attract criticism

Advice for leadership:

- Love the Lord. How are you showing God you love him in your life and ministry?
- Grow the people. What process do you have in place to disciple the people in your church?
- Dream a big dream. What passion do you have for the future development of your church?
- Lead by example. How are you modeling God’s truth to your family and ministry team?
- Take initiative. Are you taking steps of faith to accomplish God’s vision for your church?
- Take risks. Are you willing to struggle and fail sometimes before you see signs of growth?
- Trust in the Lord. Are you planting and watering, trusting in God to bring in the harvest?

7. How are decisions made?

Small church – decisions by major families not pastor, concerns more inward, decisions made
informally. Pastor must influence by creating trusting relationships with key people and help them
discover the needs. Can’t just tell them what to do.

Medium church – decisions by board first before congregation. Pastor meets with board members
instead of key families.

Large church – the senior pastor and staff make decisions

Decision-making climate:

S M L

Emotional -------------- Rational

Subjective -------------- Objective

Popularity -------------- Merit

Informal -------------- Formal

Family -------------- Leaders

Five guiding principles of effective ministry: (Questions to ask when making decisions)

1. The Principle of Visionary Leadership

Does it bring new people into the church?

2. Human resource utilization

Does it provide the staff, leadership and resources needed to focus on outreach? Usually one full-
time pastoral staff for every 150 pple.

3. Open doors

Does it create opportunities for new people to enter into the life of the congregation? Sufficient kind
of programs for people?

4. Incorporation

Does it create ways to incorporate new people into the social circles of the membership?
Newcomers don’t stay long if they feel like outsiders. Help them feel wanted and sense of belonging.

5. Finance

Does it adequately finance local outreach activities? Spend 5-10% of budget for local outreach.

7. What is the impact of staff?

The leadership team in a small church is like a duet, medium church like a quartet, large church like
an ensemble.

Small church – all members have a direct line to the pastor

Medium church – higher risk that tasks not carried out

Large church – instruction and assignment must be formal in writing. Pastor learns to lead and
delegate well to staff.

Church should add a second staff person before it hits 200 to reach 300, then another around 300 to
reach 400. Must add new staff in anticipation of future growth. The hardest increase is from 3 staff
to 4, better to increase 3 to 5 directly!
Declining church priorities: Facilities, programs, staff

Growing church priorities: Staff, programs, facilities

8. How does change take place?

You don’t push people, you pull them. In early years of ministry in a new church, keep moving but
don’t make any sudden jerks. Only implement large changes when God opens the door with
teachable moments:

1. A time of crisis. Church fire, death of pastor

2. A time of pastoral change: Coming of new pastor raises questions about the church’s future
3. A time of budget preparation
4. A time of revival
5. A time of planning: Most common.

Process of transformational change:

1. Look for teachable moments (above)

2. Envision a preferable future for the church
a. Purpose statement: the biblical reason a church exists
b. Vision statement: how the purpose statement is carried out (strategy)
3. Help the congregation gain ownership of the vision (see the need for change dissonance)
4. Determine how to actualize the vision (list changes for each major ministry)
a. Short term goals (1-2 yrs) highest priority
b. Mid term goals (3-5 yrs)
c. Long term goals (5> yrs)
5. Reframe people’s understanding (how does new vision integrate with past, look back leap
forward)
6. Mobilize support
7. Initiate the change
a. Monitor progress
b. Evaluate results
c. Fashion adjustments

9. How do churches grow?

Church growth is a journey not a destination.

Church growth limit based on the church’s community (responsiveness of area). Potential declines
with church age. Every church can grow a little even in low growth areas.

Small churches – attraction model. Healthy relationships, show love and care. Usually grow from
invites. Start by praising your people for showing love to those inside, ask them if God wants them to
share their love with others, discuss how they can show love to others.

Get them to discuss:

- Why did I visit this church the first time?

- Why did I decide to join?
 - What is special about this congregation?
- What might a new person gain by being with us?
- What might our congregation gain by inviting friends to be with us?
- Do we really want new people in our congregation?
- How do we invite friends to visit?
- Are newcomers welcome here?
- Are we ready to be inviting people?
- How can we begin to share our love with friends outside our church?

Medium church – program model. Some new programs become a star ministry. Based on Pareto
Principle, focus on ministries that produce most results, attended by most people.

Large church – proclamation model. Thru preaching, advertising programs, word of mouth due to
large number of people there.

10. What are the obstacles to growth?

Small-church image can lead to low morale. Happens when leaders set unreachable goals, don’t
celebrate victories, lose the trust of congregation, manipulate church-wide decisions, don’t fulfill
promises.

10 signs of positive self-esteem (Members…)

1. Feel good about their church

2. Want others to experience their church
3. Get involved in the life of their church
4. Look to the future more than the past
5. Are willing to take reasonable risks
6. Take pride in maintaining their church facilities
7. Feel their church is something special
8. Are constantly affirmed by their leaders
9. Set high standards for excellence
10. Have vision for the future

Small churches think of the bigger is better mentality so they believe they can’t evangelise. Not true,
as small churches can be effective through better relationships built. They must have a sense of
mission, urgency and an open fellowship.

Small churches suffer from cutback syndrome and have lesser programs. Problem is that it stagnate
or decline. This can lead too downward momentum and church become survival mode.

11. What are the strategies for growth?

We cannot cause growth, we can only create a climate in which growth can take place.

Small church

- Renew a sense of purpose: focus on the work of Jesus Christ and that he came to seek and
save the lost.
 - Begin new ministries: Most fellowships are ingrown and saturated. Only add one new
ministry each year to main open to new persons. Develop new ministries around Events,
Experience and Education. If we don’t meet people’s felt needs, we will never meet their
real needs. You may need to add a second worship service as it provides options, expends
space, increases church’s faith, enlarge ministry and reach new people.
- Cultivate evangelism: The pastor needs to be active in outreach and take advantage of key
situations when people are most receptive to Jesus – death, illness, need for counseling,
child ready for Sunday School, wedding. Hard to do church-wide evangelism training class so
1) to train one or two interested key people, 2) train in small peer group, 3) help
congregation develop evangelism consciousness by preaching and teaching, 4) retool some
ministries to be outward focus, 5) challenge members to make a prayer list of unchurched
friends of family and pray for one year 6) establish a group solely for outreach, 7) develop
2/3 outreach events a year where members can invite pple they praying for.
- Celebrate victories: Focus on positives to improve self esteem. Report good results of
ministries, focus on strengths and praise God for each victory.
- Start new groups and classes: Usually churches have a membership circle and a fellowship
circle. Newcomer welcomed as member but not the fellowship one until they spent a few
years there. Most leave the church. So, the church must create new groups for new growth.
Instead of forcing new people into an old group, create a new group for them. Slowly add
new groups for those who are not participating in one.
- Involve new people: Get newcomers involved in serving within first 6 months of their first
visit.

Medium church

- Develop a distinct identity: Build on key ministry to be unique. Find your uniqueness by
finding which ministry is best known by people in the community or newcomers. Once you
know, intentionally highlight it inside and outside church.
- Add more staff: Add 2nd staff before you reach 200 pple.
- Use facilities multiple times: you’ll run out of space quickly but don’t go out to purchase
more land! This will be very expensive. When 50% of budget goes to facility payment etc,
you become servant to the building. Use your building more times to reach new people,
increase income but not expenses, add new units, involve more people. Also, keeps people
together in the same church building.
- Multiple worship services: Don’t build new building until your current building has 3 or 4
worship services. You can add services on nights not used by church.
- Write long-range plans: Learn to think big.
- Improve quality of ministry: Should be excellent in facilities, worship, children’s ministries,
leadership and staff.

Large church

- Renew the vision: Communicate vision at least once a month from pulpit as well as five
other ways so everyone knows it
- Design an assimilation plan: What is the income-outgo numbers of visitors?
o Pastor responsible for organizing, deploying and maintaining the assimilation
process
o A team is put in place to work under this pastor. Regularly monitors the process.
 o A clearly defined process for becoming involved in the life of the church is
established. An orientation class, involved in a care group, how they can serve.
o Uniting of new people is celebrated regularly
o Continuous evaluation of process
- Streamline procedures: Use temporary taskforce instead of committee to speed up
decisions.
- Offer needs-based events
- Adjust leadership roles: Allow chosen leaders to lead rather than congregation, governing
board changes from decision making to policy setting board, senior pastor exercise directive
leadership.
- Increase number of small groups: To get bigger, you have to get smaller.

12. Where to from here?

Add, Divide, Multiply strategy.

Add: Add a few new pple, focus on relationships. Help church to accept and love newcomers. Preach
and teach on hospitality. Organise a plan for all members invited each other to their homes for
dinner to get to know each other. Cultivate practice of hospitality to newcomers also.

Divide: Added second worship service. 1) Convince leaders to try it out for 6 months, 2) establish a
common fellowship time between two services, 3) privately ask some long term members to attend
the different services.

Multiply: Add new units of classes and groups.

Insights:

- Some people say they want the church to grow but what they really mean is they do not
want the church to die. Some want the church to grow without changing!
- Problem start when leaders forget what the church is all about. QN: What was our church’s
original dream, has that been changed or reached, what is God’s dream for us today?
- Church leaders usually see problems but they don’t realize how severe the problems are.
Pastor must check if the problem are temporary or permanent to deal with it.
- Growing churches are full of paradoxes. Win some, lose some (some can’t adjust to growth).
Tune in, tune out (not need to respond to every complaint). Tear down, build up. Good dyas,
bad days. (focus on longterm plans).
- Any size church must have Home Base ministries before it can add a lot of newer creative
ministries. 6 Home Base ministries are: Children, Youth, Christian education, Worship,
Administration, Finance.
- Give people a wide latitude in developing ministry ideas. If members have idea, find 5
people to work with them, develop a plan how it will fulfill church’s mission statement, and
present it to the board.
- Always have a plan for the future.
- Keep praying: Assign people to pray for each block or area. Pray for salvation
- Face the facts
- Communicate your vision.
- Expose your leaders to one size doesn’t fit all.
- Maintain care. Find ways to care for new people and existing ones.
- Wait patiently. Success if not how many games you win, but how hard you practice after you
lose.