The typical congregational planning process is overloaded with wishes, dreams, and myths, which undermine effective decision-making.
Nine common examples illustrate this syndrome:
Myth 1: If we build it, they will come
“We now average about 400 at worship, and we have designed a comprehensive strategy to double our membership over the next six years. The recent and projected population growth in this community suggests that is a realistic goal. Therefore we have launched a capital funds campaign to double the size of our physical facilities. We’re convinced if we build it, they will come.”
Reality: That slogan was a great story line for a wonderful baseball movie, but for churches, it overlooks two crucial variables: The initial focus on responding to rapid population growth should be on expanding the ministry and raising the quality of what is offered. That usually means that adding program staff should come before constructing additional facilities.
A second issue is the assimilation of newcomers. Unless the process for the assimilation of new people is improved and expanded, a 50 percent increase in membership may produce only a 10 percent increase in worship attendance.
Myth 2: Don’t make changes in the first year
“When I came to this congregation, three veteran pastors advised me to spend the first year identifying the lay of the land and getting acquainted with the people. They warned me to minimize the number of changes I should introduce in the first year.”
Reality: That may be wise advice in congregations in which the predecessor left under a cloud and the number-one priority is to reestablish trust in the office of pastor. In at least four of five situations, however, the new pastor would be wise to take advantage of the honeymoon period to (a) earn trust, (b) build alliances with future-oriented leaders, and initiate overdue changes.
Myth 3: Friendliness makes visitors return
“We’re a friendly church. We make it a point to welcome every first-time visitor. Less than a fourth of our first-time visitors, however, return a second time, and fewer than half of those join our church. How can we be more effective in persuading visitors we want them to return?”
Reality: While some church shoppers, especially those who live alone and those who were born before 1935, place friendliness at the top of their list in evaluating churches, the vast majority place another criterion at the top: Does this congregation appear to be one that will be relevant and responsive to my religious needs?
Myth 4: Money precedes ministry
“If we could solve our financial problems, we could concentrate on evangelism, missions, and improving our ministry with our members. Our people, however, are not generous contributors. Every year we have a deficit in our operating budget. What can we do to improve our financial base?”
Reality: In perhaps one out of five congregations, this is a genuine problem. In most, however, a financial squeeze is primarily a symptom of a larger issue. The three most common, basic causes of a low level of financial support by the people are (a) a low level of commitment resulting from the projection of low expectations, (b) the absence of a compelling and unifying vision of what God is calling this congregation to be and to be about, and inadequate internal communication of the financial needs. When all three conditions prevail, a low level of financial support is almost inevitable.
Myth 5: Effective leaders are facilitators
“I was taught in seminary that a pastor should be an enabler or facilitator.”
Reality: The enabler style of pastoral leadership is appropriate in perhaps 75,000 Protestant churches in the United States. These congregations average forty or fewer at worship. Most of them want a loving shepherd, not an initiating leader. That may explain, in part, why they are small.
Another 75,000 Protestant congregations average 125 or more at worship. In these, the guiding generalization is that the larger the size of the congregation, the more important it is for the pastor to accept and fill the role of initiating leader.
Myth 6: Community growth means church growth
“The planners tell us the population of this community will double during the next decade. We need to plan to accommodate that influx of newcomers. If the population doubles, our church should at least double in size.”
Reality: The number-one consequence of rapid population growth for long-established congregations is not usually an increase in attendance.
A more common result is a sharp rise in the level of “competition” among the churches. New congregations are founded. Several of the existing congregations often upgrade their physical plant or relocate to a larger site and construct new facilities. Staffs are expanded, ministries are enriched, and new programs are designed to reach the newcomers.
A second result is a rise in quality. The long-established congregation that earned a grade of B on the quality, relevance, and scope of its ministry ten years earlier waits patiently for the newcomers to come knocking on the door. The church shoppers, after comparing this congregation with the competition, will likely give it a grade of C or D. Rapid population growth means the bar for a grade of above average has been raised a couple of notches.
Myth 7: Economy of scale applies to church
“Our basic overhead will remain the same whether we average 300 or 500 at worship. The cost of our insurance, utilities, staff, and the amount we allocate to missions will rise only slightly if we grow, but a 50 percent increase in size should reduce our per unit costs by at least a fourth.”
In the business world, we call that economy of scale.
Reality: Unlike the assembly of automobiles or the manufacture of legal drugs, the economy of scale rarely applies to churches. As a general rule the congregation averaging 150 at worship will need $16 to $18 per worshiper per weekend to pay all operational expenses, including missions. For the congregation averaging 500 at worship, that figure is more likely to be $20 to $30, and for the congregation averaging 800 at worship, it often is closer to $45 than to $20.
The explanation lies in the size.
To be able to attract 500 or 800 worshipers usually requires a higher quality ministry than is needed to attract 150. The very large congregations usually offer higher quality and more choices. In addition, they tend to be more sensitive and responsive to the needs of younger generations. That requires more money!
Myth 8: Accommodate everyone in one service
“We’re so crowded for space we’ve had to go to four worship services every weekend: one on Saturday evening and three on Sunday morning. Our dream is to build a new worship center in which we can accommodate everyone at one service on Sunday morning. That should reinforce our sense of community.”
Reality: That may be the dumbest myth on this list. Apparently, this is now a congregation of congregations. To cut the schedule back to one worship service on Sunday would mean that most, if not all, of the people would have to change their schedule. It also would probably reduce the worship attendance by at least 15 percent.
A wiser alternative would raise two questions: First, how can we sharpen the differences among the four services we now offer so each is designed to reach and serve a clearly defined constituency? Second, when should we add a fifth service to the schedule and who are the people that new service should be designed to reach and serve?
Myth 9: Sermons should be shorter
“I’ve been told that sermons are getting shorter. In the 1950s the typical sermon was thirty minutes. In the 1970s it was twenty-two minutes, and now I’m told I should plan on sermons lasting no more than fifteen to eighteen minutes. Television and the faster pace of life have shortened people’s attention span. I noticed at the Republican Convention in San Diego last August that most of the platform speeches were ten minutes or less.”
Reality: Those are two irrelevant reference points. The number-one context for the length of sermons is the size of the crowd.
Three basic generalizations apply:
First, the larger the number of people in the room, and the greater the degree of anonymity among the people, and the larger the proportion who have been worshiping there for less than two years, the more time is required for music and intercessory prayer to transform that collection of individuals into a worshiping community. In small congregations, that is five to fifteen minutes. In very large congregations, that usually is twenty-five to thirty-five minutes.
Second, the larger the crowd and the greater the emphasis on teaching, the longer the sermon. The larger the crowd, the greater the need for humor, change of pace, revealing personal anecdotes, and redundancy.
Third, unless it is a highly liturgical format built around the Lord’s Supper, the larger the crowd, the longer the service. Forty to fifty minutes may be appropriate when attendance is under a hundred, but if it exceeds five hundred, that worship experience probably should be in the sixty-five to ninety minute range.
Lyle E. Schaller, parish consultant for the Yokefellow Institute, lives in Naperville, Illinois. He is a contributing editor for Leadership.
1997 by Christianity Today/Leadership Journal.
