Corporate Self-Esteem

March 30, 2011

The size of a congregation will, by and large, set the agenda for its future viability and effectiveness. We become what we think we are. The congregations attitutde about themsleves will set the pace for the future of the churches effectiveness. As Solomon wrote, "as a man thinks in his heart, so he is." Prov 23:7. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts.The self-image of a congregation is very important in its effort to grow.

I am not questioning the commitment and call of churches that do not grow. I am simply stating, mainly from my own experience in working with churches for the last twenty-three years, that ministry is slowed, and the danger of falling into a survival mode will be a greater probability.

Smaller churches struggle to grow. The reasons for this struggle are multiple. Smaller churches, while effective in some ways, tend to be more family oriented and do not allow visitors to feel at home as readily. Lyle Schaller refers to churches under the two hundred mark as “Collie” churches. Some people tend to wonder why these churches remain on a plateau in size or why church shoppers often do not return after that initial visit. Collies tend to have strong affection for members of the family, but they often bark at strangers. When any church falls into this mode of operation, growth becomes almost impossible. Myriads of books and articles have been written about the growth problems of the small church. The key to avoiding these problems is for a new church to reach the two hundred mark as quickly as possible. New church plants that do not grow rapidly will develop a small church mentality, stifling their ability to reach out and impact the community. Planting new churches should be an attempt to overcome growth problems, not emulate them.

Crowds attract crowds. To create new missions that break out of the mold of the self-serving, survival-minded, family-run organizations, leaders must find a way to plant churches that grow rapidly in size in a very short period of time. When a church is able to grow rapidly and gain momentum, it will create a healthy attitude among the members, A primary difference between growing and declining churches is their attitude. Growing churches feel they have something worthwhile to offer to their community. Their high level of self-esteem provides the energy and strength to share the gospel of Christ with people in the community.

Church plants, as well as established churches, that do not grow beyond the 150 average in attendance, will often lose momentum and fall into the smaller-church trap that will result in a low sense of congregational morale. Church plants are more vulnerable to a sense of low morale due to heightened expectations for success. When not met with immediate success, most church plants fall prey to discouragement.

The attitude of most members involved in an established church is usually fairly level. Most have settled into a routine way of doing church. Members may pray for, expect, and hope to grow, but the level of expectation for dramatic and rapid changes is not as high as in a new church. In contrast, the expectation of those involved in a church plant is one of rapid growth within a short period of time. When expectations are not reached at the level anticipated, a sense of failure is certain.

Once an attitude of defeat settles into the hearts and minds of the church planter and the new congregation, they begin to view themselves as small, weak, unattractive, powerless and frustrated with a limited future. Unfortunately, this attitude is the state in which many church plants find themselves. If conventional wisdom is true, two-thirds of church-planting attempts will begin to develop a small-church self-image.

Any church looking to break out and grow needs to reach the two hundred mark quickly or face a myriad of problems. Rapid growth will help a new church maintain momentum and offer it a sense of credibility. That growth will also give the church the ability to offer holistic services that can answer the felt needs of the community. A new church that does not reach this mark will struggle financially and may develop a sect-like attitude. The church plants size will perpetuate the problem. Both rapid or slow growth churches will generate a sense of corporate self image that can dictate the future impact of any church in its community.

Posted 3/30/2011 in Stephen Gray | 3 Comments - Add Comment

Comments:

     Confused: Listen, If God truly "draws" people, then growth is God's desire when a church explodes on the scene. Right? God draws people not the craftiness of the planter. Let’s keep the movement of God’s Holy Spirit in its proper context. Does God draw the people or is it the craftiness of the planter? A new church that does not reach this mark will struggle financially and may develop a sect-like attitude. Never heard any teaching on worrying about money or what growth was acceptable. Maybe we should just go back to the rejoicing over each and every soul that is transformed.

     Paul, Growth is always a desire of God's. I see no healthy church throughout history that hasn't grown. The problem arrives when all a pastor focuses on are "numbers". That is not to say numbers are bad. Every number is a soul! We need to pay attention to our number without getting myopic. I agree 100% that God grows a church and draws people to himself. However, the use of our intelligence and careful strategic planning is also needed. God chooses to work through us as well as in spite of us. These things are not opposed to each other. God expects us to use our minds to design, create and relate. These things flow through us, but are really God's doing. Let's be honest, we have a nation full of inwardly focused churches that struggle to survive every week. In fact, they have so few people, that they don't rejoice over the transformation of a life because they are content to rejoice of the fact that the lights were kept on one more week. My question is: Are they really churches, or just another club? The point is simple: Do everything YOU can to create an environment that removes any excuse an unchurched person may have for not receiving the invitation GOD is offering.

     There is a spectrum. One extreme of that spectrum is the mentality that God will do it all [directly], to the extent that we need not ever lift a finger to spread the gospel of Christ. The other extreme is thinking that it's up to us to do whatever is necessary to "get results." It seems clear that the Bible not only speaks of God willing things to happen, but also of him having means by which those things are accomplished. Certainly, the Bible teaches that we are involved in spreading the gospel, but it is not silent about how we are involved. I don't recall anything about latest strategies, marketing, or a "tips & tricks" section in the Bible for growing churches. We are called to preach that all have sinned, but God gave Christ who died in order that he could redeem a people unto himself. Preaching Christ. Practicing the sacraments, church discipline, and love for each other. I'm not sure that it's God's will for every church to grow to 150 or 200 or 400 souls, just as it is not his will for every individual to be healed of physical ailments (but some are). It is God's will that all his sheep are gathered into the fold, but we do not know the number. I'm glad Christians can have different opinions about many things and still be united in Christ!