Many Protestant congregations have gotten trapped in a “culture of smallness.”
They don’t value growth, they resist change, and they look askance at megachurches. True virtue, they want to believe, lies in the small, in face-to-face intimacy, in the pastor who knows every story well. Some of this attitude is defensive, of course. Their churches aren’t growing, so they develop an ideology of non-growth.
But on a more positive note, I just think we need to see that “effectiveness” isn’t synonymous with “smallness.” It is possible for a vast congregation to be effective in serving people’s need for intimacy and story sharing. It is possible for a changing and growth-seeking congregation to achieve virtues like friendliness, one-on-one care, feeling “known.”
The challenge in effectiveness is to “work smart.” Large churches need to encourage small groups and other venues of intimacy. The pastor isn’t the only one who can learn members’ stories and provide significant care. Valuing change can mean open doors, new opportunities for ministry, discovering gifts among parishioners, seeing God in new ways. All we need are effective ways to greet strangers, to assess societal needs, to identify gifts and to learn together.
Control is an issue, of course. Pastors of growing churches quickly lose the control that comes from being the keeper of people’s stories. Lay pillars lose control gained through history and repetition. But that lost control was an illusion.
Fear of failure is another obstacle. But I believe every congregation has a future. Even the smallest and least endowed can grow and serve in fresh ways. Even congregations saddled with old buildings and unpromising locations can chart interesting courses.
Not every 200-member congregation will grow to 2,000 members. But it can, through seeking effectiveness, grow to 250, or 300, or who knows what God has in mind?
For “best practices” on membership development, consider the Church Wellness Project (www.churchwellness.com).
Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus,” and the founder of the Church Wellness Project.
