Loading ...Attitudes for Growth: Names
Church growth is depended on foundational attitudes within the congregation. These attitudes can be verbally expressed or silently believed. Mostly these attitudes will dictate the growth of a congregation. There can be negative growth attitudes that will hold a congregation back as well as positive attitudes that will push a congregation ahead. Never will all of the members be on board for all of the positive or negative attitudes. There will always be a blending of the attitudes within a congregation. It is pointless to introduce new plans and projects into a congregation without changing the majority of the negative growth attitudes into positive growth attitudes. The foundational attitudes will establish the growth of the congregation. A congregation in a certain area can be grow while other local congregations are decreasing because of these attitudes.
One of these foundational attitudes that can hinder a congregation is “We need to be small enough to know everyone’s name.” This is the attitude of community closeness. People will stop growth because of new faces and people in the pews. It is not so much the lack of knowing names but really the lack of self-importance. People have the basic desire to be special within a community. If people do not know the newcomers names maybe people do not know my name. There is the sense of losing community closeness. But really this desire to know everyone’s name is a little neurotic. It seems to be a admirable desire but few people truly live by it. It is more idealistic than realistic. In fact, it seems hard to believe that on the day of Pentecost that everyone was required to learn everyone’s name who were saved. I would chance that probably few people within congregation of 200 members can go through the entire church and list all of the names. We think this is a admirable goal but really it is more fanciful desires. The desire for community closeness can digress into community exclusivity. It bars people from entering the fellowship of the congregation.
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About The Author
Unfortunately, some people think of growth solely in numerical terms. Quantity with little or no consideration of quality–people don’t realize, if all we wanted was numbers, we could get numbers, and fairly easily really. *Sometimes* growth just might require us to decrease in number. And i fear that in places where the marketing aspect of doing church has permeated the thought of leaders and congregants, such a notion is practically heresy. i find it interesting that several times when Jesus acquired huge numbers, His very next move was to present a teaching so demanding that it sent well over half of them packing. Jesus wasn’t much of a marketeer i don’t gather.
just curious–do you ever read the Toothpaste For Dinner comics? (like the one you have on this post)
You are right, growth is more than numbers. And you are right, we sometimes grow by subtraction instead of additions. And no, I do not read those comics.
In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell references a study that shows humans can only handle about 150 relationships. This number includes friends, relatives, and coworkers. In fact, one business he mentions bases its business model on this; constructing locations and parking lots to accommodate only 150 workers. When they get close to this amount, they build a new location and QUALITY growth is spurred. Gladwell continues to say that there is some proof in this 150 amount going back hundreds of years. I’m not suggesting that churches should adopt this same principal. However, I am saying that it may be wired within us to only handle a certain number of people at once making it a stretch to expect someone to learn everyone’s name in a large congregation. Remember, it’s quality, not quantity that counts a lot of times.
Most studies mention this number. This is also why in church growth material, you have what is called the Pastoral Size congregation of 100-150. This is all that one man can kept up with. If it gets higher, it starts to burnout the minister.
I’ve heard some churches say “we grow larger by going smaller” meaning small groups. I don’t understand why some people don’t want there church to grow. If a church is spiritually healthy it will grow numerically. Naturally healthy churches naturally grow. Thank you Matthew for your wisdom here. God bless you and your D MIN classes. Sounds really cool and exciting. Lord willing I start Sunset classes Aug. 11th. I’m excited too.
Growth should always be looked at as quantity plus quality. Church growth is this: bringing new people to faith and existing believers to a deeper faith. It must be holistic. God came to die for all so if we try to excuse numbers we are in fact letting down part of the Gospel. However if we excuse quality at the mere gain of attendance then we neglect the instruction to “become” like Christ. For most churches growth is simply tied up in attracting people from other congregations. Many will deny this but it is reality. Also many congregations are filled with believers that have believed for 40+ years and have yet to really grow spiritually.
It’s a philosophy embedded in the Western mind-set, a theory essential to the American dream. Popular culture and history books have long stressed the importance of individual initiative and inherent skill in achieving success. Indeed,