by Franklin Dumond, Director of Congregational Ministries
The wise pastor who leads a church into growth recognizes early on the need for partners or allies to help accomplish this important task. The allies necessary to result in growth vary according to the size or style of the congregation.
- The Small Size Single Cell Church
The small church functions as a single cell. This means that everyone knows everyone else and the average attendance will generally be 50 or fewer but may extend to 100-150 if a larger family clan is included in the mix.
In the single-cell church, the pastor must draw his allies or partners from the inner circle of influencers and must have a majority of the congregation sympathetic to or directly involved in the process of growth. To work around or against those who hold influence or to identify with only a minority of the congregation can result in destructive conflict. This conflict almost always results in zero growth unless the replacement pastor moves to town with a larger family than the pastor who left abruptly.
One strategy here would be to develop new classes or interest groups. The groups are developed one at a time with the pastor as an initial leader and with two or three key congregational leaders recruited along with four to six new members. As the group grows to include new members then leadership can come from within the group that is gathered. Repeated on a two-year cycle, this strategy can double a small congregation in 4-6 years without transforming it into something it does not want to become.
Because about one-half of the churches in our country are small churches of fewer than 75 people, and because a single cell church can easily stretch to accommodate 100-125 people, most churches in our country could easily double in size without the painful transition of becoming a different type of congregation organizationally. - The Medium Size Stretched Cell Church
In the stretched cell/medium size church new programs attract new people. A medium-sized church will generally have 100-150 in attendance but may extend to 200, 300, or even 400 depending on the expertise, leadership, and energy level of the pastor and key lay leaders.
Leadership, however, is drawn from original or long-time families. Thus the allies or partners that the pastor must enlist are the leaders who will organize the new ministries.
Growth in the stretched cell/medium-sized church is limited by how large the cell can be stretched. For the pastor or key lay leader who can extend pastoral care to a large group of people, this model will stretch farther than it will for the leader whose people skills are not as well developed.
Often, the tie that holds ministry relationships together in the mid-sized church is the relationship with the pastor. The pastor in a medium-size church often gives permission for ministry to happen. The pastor also provides general oversight to a variety of ministry activities.
Decision making structures are significant growth restricting obstacles for this size church. For example, the monthly business meeting that effectively governs the single-cell church (where everyone attends everything), will not effectively govern the program-oriented middle size church. For one thing with frequent business meetings regular programming often cannot be established because everything must stop for a business meeting.
Stretched cell/medium-sized churches will face a definite limit on how large they can become. The often discussed 200 barrier is much more prominent in this group of churches. - The Large-Sized Multiple Cell Church
In the large church, the pastor’s allies are most likely the staff employed as specialists and ministry leaders. A few high-capacity volunteers may remain as visible leaders.
In the multiple cell church, there are too many people to know everyone. There are numerous groups and ministries where people can become involved. The church is a congregation of congregations with leadership drawn from several groups, classes, or cells. Staffing is very important in the multiple cell church since specialists are needed to resource, train, and monitor the lay leaders of the various ministries. Worship done with excellence and effective preaching, generally with life application type themes, are key elements that cannot be overlooked. Multiple worship services are often featured in these churches.
Ministry leaders (often associate pastors) function much as the pastor does in the mid-size church. Ministry involvement is the tie that binds. Assimilation strategies are developed around the personality and the style of the congregation with an emphasis on small-group ministries that enlist a high percentage of the congregation.
Summary:
Effective ministry can never be a solo effort. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro saw the value of having a team to work with the leader. In Exodus 18 he criticizes Moses’ solo leadership and outlines a method of shared responsibility. The wise leader in any size church will recognize the value of a team effort. The size and type of church, however, determine how the team is developed and who is included in it.