Lewis Center for Church Leadership - For Leading Ideas for Ash Wednesday, 5 March 2014
A Report from the Director
Part 6: Challenges Facing Different Size Churches
Changes Congregations Are Facing Today
A Tenth Anniversary Series
Churches do well to understand their context, including their church size, as they plan for effective ministry. What has changed?
A significant part of the Lewis Center’s work involves researching trends that affect churches of various sizes. This article looks at some of the characteristics and challenges today among churches.
Small Membership Churches
Small churches are where people have been from the beginning of Christianity until today. They constitute the overwhelming majority of U.S. Protestant denominations that spread across the country as the nation settled the “West” (anything west of Philadelphia). Churches were established close together in a country that was 75 percent rural in the early twentieth century with limited travel ranges. Most of these churches continue to serve their communities even as the population is almost 80 percent non-rural today. It hardly needs to be said that smaller churches face many challenges.
Very small churches (50 or fewer in worship) are more numerous each year. Despite the fact that it is from this group that almost all church closures come, there has still been an increase of over 2,000 such United Methodist churches, for example, in the past ten years. And these constitute a majority of the denomination’s congregations in the United States. Fewer of the very small churches are showing attendance increases each year. For a long time, about one-third of these churches would show attendance gains in any given year. That percentage now has fallen below 30 percent. Economic sustainability is a prime concern for very small churches, and innovative models of providing pastoral leadership for these churches are required.
The larger small churches (51–99 attendance) share characteristics of churches both smaller and larger than they are. There are fewer churches of this size than ten years ago, primarily because so many have declined into the small church cohort. They are more likely to gain attendance in any year than the very small churches, but less likely than larger churches.
A major challenge for most small churches is to recapture the once common multigenerational character of small churches. Churches can survive with vitality generation after generation if they can maintain a multigenerational constituency. The dilemma is seen in the high death rates among smaller churches. In the very small churches, the death rate is often twice that of the general population. The aging of membership and changes in the makeup of communities often mean that the primary source of younger members in the past — their own families — is not a source today. In all likelihood, new children and youth will not come primarily from those related to or perhaps even known by current members. It is from a renewed engagement with the community, especially any new neighbors, that some small churches are finding new life and hope.
Mid-size Churches
The mid-size church (100–349 attendance) is a pressured size church these days. On the one hand, they are large enough that people expect a full range of ministries and programs. On the other hand, they do not have the people and financial resources of nearby larger churches to carry out these ministries. There are many fewer mid-size churches than ten years ago. While some have grown to be large churches, many more have declined to become small churches. They are more likely to grow in any one year and generally have a somewhat younger constituency than small churches.
The way some mid-size churches are responding to their particular challenges is two-fold. They know that they must maintain a relatively complete array of ministries to meet the spiritual, educational, and outreach needs of persons across all ages. One way to think about this is, “What would newcomers feel they have a right to expect at your church?” Some of these offerings will be stronger and some weaker, but they need to be in place. But the second part of the equation is that mid-size churches also need something distinctive that is compelling for current and potential members. For some, it is captured in their vision. It may be around mission, commitment to the community, children, discipleship, or it might be in a distinctive spirit that makes the congregation a place people want to be.
Churches that fail to cover the basics will lose people because their minimal expectations are not met, but a church doing no more than offering all traditional church services and programs will not present an alternative different from dozens of other churches. One church in a mid-size city where there were a dozen churches similar to theirs chose to focus on health and healing for body and soul. In this community with several hospitals and a very health-conscious population, they went from being one of many similar churches to the one church that viewed its ministry through this particular lens. Members of growing churches tend to think that their church is different from other churches in the community in some important ways. Those in declining churches tend to view their churches as “about the same” as other churches.
Large Churches
For many years, persons attending large churches were more likely than not to be found in churches on the smaller end of the range (350–499), then later in the middle range (500–999), and in the very recent years, they are more likely to be found in the very large churches averaging 1,000 or more in worship. It is noteworthy that the two groups of churches that are growing in numbers of churches are the very smallest (50 or fewer) and the very largest (1,000 or more).
Within the broad group of large churches, those on the smaller end will share challenges with the mid-size churches, and those somewhat larger will share experiences more common in the very large churches. As churches get larger, the likelihood of growth each year increases as does the average age of the church.
But while large congregations are the strongest of churches in many ways, they are also the most vulnerable. Even among churches of 1,000 or more attendance, 25 percent of those this size ten years ago have at least 1,000 worshipers today.
The results of a change of pastor that does not go well or any other type of conflict can produce more downturn proportionately than might occur in smaller congregations. Even when these churches have shown sustained growth, the decline typically occurs faster than the growth came. Large church leaders need to be as vigilant as those in churches of smaller sizes in monitoring their health and vitality. Many such churches are building in periodic leadership reviews of key indicators in order to detect possible vulnerabilities they face.
Conclusion
There is no “right size” for a church. Neither is there any virtue in remaining one size or another. Churches of differing sizes offer advantages as well as limitations. Size matters to the extent that it provides particular opportunities and challenges. Churches do well to understand their context, including their church size, as they plan for effective ministry. The goal is always to fulfill your church’s mission in the best ways possible given both the internal context of the congregation and the external context of the community.
Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Part 1: Worship Attendance Patterns
Part 2: Finances
Part 3: Newcomers
Part 4: Mission Engagement
Part 5: Diversity
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Register for the Engaging Local Schools Conference in Washington, DC
Saturday, March 22, 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Wesley Theological Seminary
For many congregations, local schools are the new frontier of mission. Schools, perhaps more than any other institution, mirror the needs and hopes of every segment of our community. Engaging Local Schools, our inaugural Serve Your Neighbor conference, will guide your congregation in considering questions that are critical to the success of a school-focused service initiative. Learn more and register today.
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Preorder the Engaging Local Schools Resource and Save
Bring the best of conference presentations and workshops home to your church. This resource, available in downloadable and DVD/CD formats, includes videos, narrated presentations, outline of key points, and supplementary materials to guide your congregation in considering questions that are critical to the success of a school-focused service initiative. Save $15 — $75 $60 through March 22. Learn more and order today.
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Register for Increase Generosity in Your Church in Charlotte, NC
Saturday, March 29, 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Myers Park United Methodist Church
Developing secure and reliable funding to support ministry is a concern of virtually every church leader today. At the Increase Generosity in Your Church conference, you will learn to develop sound approaches to stewardship and finances. Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, will present three practical and engaging sessions to help congregations enhance resources for ministry. Learn more and register today.
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Is Your Church Using Its Educational Space Well?
Churches are much more conscious these days about using their facilities to full advantage and, at the same time, ensuring they have adequate space for designated purposes. Robert C. Foreman shares valuable ideas in “Does Your Church Need a Space Utilization Check-up?” written for the Weekly Update of the National Association of Church Business Administration.
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LPLI Helps Good Clergy Become Better
LPLI, the Lewis Pastoral Leadership Inventory™, is a confidential, online, 360° leadership development instrument. It helps pastoral leaders improve their ministry effectiveness by identifying individual strengths and weaknesses. LPLI uses a three-fold understanding of fruitful leadership encompassing Character, Competence, and Contribution. Users receive a personalized leadership profile report that can be used for self-discovery, gathering feedback from others, setting goals for improvement, identifying continuing education needs, and tracking progress over time. Learn more.
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Editors: Lovett H. Weems, Jr., and Matthew Lyons. Production and distribution: Carol Follett
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Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Wesley Theological Seminary
4500 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016 United States
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