Christian Unity
How Church Size Culture Is Affecting the Decline of Denominations
The size of the church we minister in has almost invisibly become a greater point of connection and disagreement than our denominations.

We live in an increasingly post-denominational world. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, it’s just the way things are now.

Years ago, virtually every friend I had in ministry was within my denomination. Every program we used came from our denominational headquarters. The idea of ministering in any significant way outside our ranks wasn’t forbidden or scary – it just didn’t occur to me.

Not any more. Now my denominational connections are just one factor among many that determine my pastoral friendships, my church’s programs and my ministry opportunities.

I haven’t rejected my denomination. They haven’t rejected me. It just doesn’t factor into our decision-making in the way it used to.

Something else has taken over as a stronger factor in how my church makes its decisions.

The size of my church.

And I’m not alone in this.

Every Church Has a Size Culture

In The Grasshopper Myth, I quoted Lyle Schaller, who said “Churches have more in common by size than by their denomination, tradition, location, age, or any other single isolatable factor.” Since then, I’ve come across a very good paper by Dr. Timothy Keller, entitled “Leadership and Church Size: How Strategy Changes with Growth”. In his lengthy piece, Keller makes a similar argument.

According to Keller, every church is hugely influenced by its “size culture”. He writes that “The difference between how churches of 100 and 1,000 function may be much greater than the difference between a Presbyterian and a Baptist church of the same size.”

Church Size Culture is a much bigger factor than most of us realize, until we know to look for it.

Church Size Culture is a much bigger factor than most of us realize, until we know to look for it.

For instance, while I have ministry friends from churches of all sizes and denominations, when it comes to talking shop, the greater the difference in church size, the less we’re able to find common ground, unless I have a prior relationship with them. But when church sizes are similar, we tend to connect rather quickly, and denominational differences disappear.

Again, I don’t know if that’s good or bad, it’s just the way things are now. But I do think it presents us with some wonderful new opportunities.

From Denominationalism to Post-Denominationalism

The old ways of connecting and separating along denominational lines are fading away.

When I started in ministry, it wasn’t unusual to hear the members of one Christian denomination referring to members of another denomination as “those poor, lost people”, even if their theology was all but indistinguishable to anyone else.

There’s still some residue of that hanging around, of course. And it’s not that theology doesn’t matter. It does, and it should. But most of us have accepted the idea that no one will go to hell for walking into the wrong building on Sunday morning.

As long as there is agreement on the basics of the Gospel, the denomination (or lack of denomination) matters less now than perhaps any time since the early church.

While that change is almost universally good, the end of a denominational culture also means we have to discover new ways of finding common ground. Let’s hope we can do it without demonizing “the other” this time.

As a result, Church Size Culture has almost invisibly become a greater distinctive for ministers and ministries than our denominations. This goes for members as well as clergy. People who attend small churches define a quality church experience differently than those who attend big or megachurches.

Responding to Our Church Size Culture

Being a relatively new phenomenon, Church Size Culture is something we need to be aware of, observe carefully and adapt to wisely.

Church Size Culture is something we need to be aware of, observe carefully and adapt to wisely.

Denominations are trying to figure out how to respond to this new reality. Pastors are finding better ways to connect with each other. Independent churches are discovering that there are both joys and challenges in having no denominational authority or accountability. Many denominational churches are discovering there are more like-minded churches outside their ranks than inside.

We need to see the distinctions between large and small, not as reason to separate, but to appreciate what gifts each has to offer. It’s about how big and small can work together. Let’s hope the eye doesn’t ignore the hand this time.

A Post-Denominational Opportunity

Our communities no longer care what denominational tag is on our church sign. This is not a problem, it’s an opportunity. An opportunity to overcome old barriers and stereotypes. To work together. To put Jesus first.

Let’s reach across denominational lines, church sizes and other petty differences to connect with each other and reach our communities with the love of Jesus.

Maybe this time, we can lead by example.

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June 08, 2016 at 10:33 AM

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