Let’s start with a quote from Tim Keller.
‘One of the most common reasons for pastoral leadership mistakes is blindness to the significance of church size. Size has an enormous impact on how a church functions. There is a “size culture” that profoundly affects how decisions are made, how relationships flow, how effectiveness is evaluated, what its ministers, staff, and lay leaders do. We tend to think of the chief differences between churches mainly in denominational or theological terms, but that underestimates the impact of size on how church operates.’
Acts 6 flags up to us that growth may be attended by pressures that could seriously effect the wellbeing of a local church (cf Acts 6.1). Stott argues that this represents one of the three great satanic counterattacks on the fledgling church — to fail to overcome these problems would be as bad as to wilt under persecution (Acts 4) or cave into compromise (Acts 5). Any reader, recalling the first exodus of the Old Testament, would hear a chilling word (‘grumbling’), and worry that complaints about food would now ruin the new work of God. Such pressures cannot be ignored!
Here are some ‘hints and tips’ for what growth pressures might look like:
Pressure 1
Size, complexity and busyness
There is a ‘thing about numbers’ we should not ignore. Arguably Luke’s narrative is arranged around significant numerical addition (see David Gooding’s excellent Acts commentary which demonstrates this). So what do additional numbers do? This is what happens:
A conversation of 3 people = 6 lines of communication
A church of 50 people = 2,450 lines of communication
A church of 300 people = 89,700 lines of communication (6x bigger than the 50 church, but 36x more complex!)
A church of 1,000 people = 999,000 lines of communication
A church of 6,000 people = 39,994,000 lines of communication! (Mark Driscoll)
Many find it hard to keep up with all that happens as a church grows. Feeling ‘out of touch’ as a member, or ‘isolated and remote’ as a leader, may be a function of sheer complexity. Sometimes, if numbers grow gradually, it can be hard to recognise that busyness and confusion are the inevitable results. Members may easily misidentify negative feelings and then blame each other or the church leaders when things ‘don’t seem good’. Being aware of this helps prepare people for it.
Pressure 2
Size and pastoral problems
It could be that slightly larger churches attract more problems. Acts 16 shows the gospel reaching all kinds of people. Lydia is reached through a worship meeting — ‘word ministry’, the slave girl reached through ‘deed ministry’, and the gaoler hears the message after ‘life-sharing ministry’. The last two brought painful problems for the believers (as well as wonderful joys)! It just could be that, utilising some of their greater resources, larger churches can implement plans to work alongside people through more specific ‘deed ministry’ (e.g. to the poor or addicted) than a smaller church. They may attract, therefore, disproportionately more ‘slave girl’ types (along with the associated economic and social problems). It could also be that larger churches attract needy people in general who think ‘this church will be better able to help me’.
Without being aware that the demands for pastoral help will increase rapidly as a church grows, leaders can be stretched and under-function in key areas (see Acts 6.2).
Pressure 3
Size, role and expectation
The New Testament uses a variety of interchangeable terms to describe a church leader. But, people can relate to these leaders differently in various size settings. In a smaller church, the initial ‘planter’ or first pastor will be regarded almost as an ‘honorary chaplain’ and spiritual ‘father’. He will know all the children's names, the anniversary of when you become a believer, when you got married and so on. His care will be hugely appreciated. Such a church may grow and then a full-time minister can be afforded. Some churches think that nothing can be achieved without a full-time leader, and then, when he comes, he is seen (at least initially) as ‘the answer to all our problems’. Young pastors may not realise what expectations are being placed upon them.
A larger church, say of over 150 (what has been called ‘an awkward-sized church’), develops when, no matter how hard a minister works, there is always too much to do. He will feel ‘Mr. Pulled-every-which-way’. What is worse, some members will recall ‘the good old days’ when the pastor was ‘my friend’ as well as ‘my pastor’. Established members may feel that ‘things aren't as they were’, and ‘what this church needs is a good pastor’. What they are articulating may be their lack of awareness of how size affects role. Many men find that the ministry, at this phase, almost stretches them to breaking point — the demands are too great and they may move on.
A large church has cherished values and its own ways of doing things. A leader of such can be described as ‘tribal chief and chief medicine man’, in that he represents the long-held beliefs and embodies the ‘desired best practice’ of the group. His endorsement of new ideas and practices may be crucial for the group to keep going forward. If he loses his nerve and stops making courageous gospel growth changes, in time the group will suffer. It doesn’t get easier to do this as he ages — we all tend to become ‘conservative’ and risk averse. He also will need to endorse other new leaders so that the transition to new leadership goes well. Paul took a lot of trouble to do this at Ephesus (see Acts 20.13-38) and also underscored how important it was that Timothy prepared future generations of leaders (1 Timothy 2.2). ‘Senior ministers’ of large churches need to be aware of how crucial is their role in setting the agenda for gospel change, but also for preserving the best of the past. Young assistants need to be aware of this too so that clashes don’t unnecessarily develop between older leaders (who may become unhelpfully defensive and feel threatened when they needn’t) and ‘young Turks’ who may feel they need to establish themselves by constantly challenging group values.
All these roles and expectations are often unwritten, indeed they may only be dimly perceived by many. But clashes over these regularly derail churches and cause leaders great confusion.
Keller argues: ‘The larger the church, the less available the main preacher is to do pastoral work. In smaller churches the pastor is available at all times, for most occasion and needs, to any member or unchurched person. In [the larger] church, the pastor simply is less available and accessible to every member. Even with the hiring of additional ministry staff, every member will not be able to have the same access to the senior pastor as they did before. Both the people and the senior minister need to acknowledge this cost’ (emphasis added).
Next month, we look at two more pressures of growth.
References
Mark Driscoll, Vintage Church (Crossway), especially pp.147-151.
Tim Keller, ‘Church Size dynamics’ article presented at the Next Level Conference, Redeemer Church Planting Center, September 2006.
Ray Evans is an elder at Grace Community Church in Bedford.
Home
Archives
Subscriptions
Adverts
Find a church
About us
Contact us
Site Map
Printable