The last couple of years I've heard a number of "transformational church" lectures from people like Paul Borden, Glen McDonald and Craig Barnes. We've been trying to apply some of those principles through the work of our presbytery. One point I've heard made more than once is that when a new church opens its doors, it should have be fully staffed (a full-time pastor, a church secretary/bookkeeper, a music director and a youth director) and have about 500 people attending the inaugural worship service. It is expected that average attendance will drop off after the first worship, but being fully staffed will help the church increase average attendance and giving quickly so that it can sustain itself. The theory is that a new church plant needs a "critical mass" when it opens in order to be successful--particularly in urban/suburban areas.
Like most other presbyteries, we have successful churches and struggling churches. To define my terms, a "successful" church has a stable or growing congregation, a low level of conflict, financial stability, and a ministry that makes a difference to the surrounding community. A "struggling" church is one with a dwindling congregation, a high level of conflict, financial problems, and a lower level of mission and outreach to its community.
It seems to me that in a metropolitan area like Houston, a church needs to have around 1,000 members (or 700 average worship attendance) to be successful. Before my gentle readers leap all over me for being too focused on numbers and not focused on ministry, hear me out.
Most people who live and work in a large urban setting are comfortable with large organizations. Many of them are used to commuting long distances to work. Their workplaces are in large office buildings and their employers are large businesses or professional firms. Their children attend large public schools. They are accustomed to working with specialists in every professional endeavor--from doctors to lawyers to accountants to niche businesses. Part of the attraction of living here is the wide range of choice in entertainment, shopping, employment, and educational opportunities.
Churches that are successful in a large metropolitan area reflect these realities. As that old Texas saying goes, "you gotta dance with who brung ya." People who are accustomed to long weekday commutes will drive past several smaller neighborhood churches in order to attend a larger church that offers more choices in worship, discipleship opportunities, music programs, children's programs, and mission and outreach efforts in the community. Successful larger churches have small group ministries that provide the intimacy and support that keeps individual members connected to the congregation.
Churches with large staffs offer the opportunity for church professionals to use their best gifts for ministry. After reading many pastor's blogs over the last couple of years and observing pastors in my presbytery, I think that being a solo pastor is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. In an urban/suburban setting, where people are used to a high degree of professionalism in all walks of life, it is almost impossible. All too often, solo pastors are expected to exhibit every gift for ministry. No one can do that. Dedicated church officers and members of smaller churches also find themselves stressed trying to exercise gifts which they do not have. As Paul said "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." (Romans 12:6) Yes, God calls us to stretch ourselves but I don't believe he calls us to exercise each and every spiritual gift ourselves.
There's a romantic notion about small churches that often doesn't comport with reality. As El Jefe and I can attest, building up a new church from scratch is a very difficult job. Recently I heard a story from one of our pastors about an effort from his church to develop a "mission probe" in a neighborhood close to the church. The goal of the probe was to create a house church congregation as an outreach mission from the church. What he discovered was that the unchurched people in that neighborhood were not interested in a house church--they were interested in the programs of an established church.
Most experts agree that it is impossible for a church with fewer than 100 members to support a full-time pastor--in an urban/suburban area it is more realistic to adjust that number to at least 200. Most people prefer affiliating with an existing organization rather than committing the time, effort and money that are needed to begin something new. There are economies of scale that make expanding a medium size church a better goal than starting a new one in an urban/suburban area. Sometimes that could mean relocating that church so that it could draw from a larger region than its own neighborhood, particularly when that neighborhood has changed from residential to commercial.
Understand that I am not saying that a small congregation in a metropolitan area cannot be successful by the definition I gave earlier. I know there are people who do not want to be part of a large congregation and that there are vital small churches in every metropolitan area in the country.
What I am proposing is that the PCUSA should develop an intiative that encourages and supports metropolitan area churches that are already "large" by Presbyterian standards (500 members+) to grow their congregations and missions. In an urban area like Houston, which is growing by leaps and bounds, we should emphasize growing large congregations larger. We need to play to our strengths rather than multiplying our weaknesses by putting as much effort and support into expanding existing congregations as we do into beginning new ones.
Churches with large staffs offer the opportunity for church professionals to use their best gifts for ministry. After reading many pastor's blogs over the last couple of years and observing pastors in my presbytery, I think that being a solo pastor is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. In an urban/suburban setting, where people are used to a high degree of professionalism in all walks of life, it is almost impossible. All too often, solo pastors are expected to exhibit every gift for ministry. No one can do that. Dedicated church officers and members of smaller churches also find themselves stressed trying to exercise gifts which they do not have. As Paul said "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." (Romans 12:6) Yes, God calls us to stretch ourselves but I don't believe he calls us to exercise each and every spiritual gift ourselves.
There's a romantic notion about small churches that often doesn't comport with reality. As El Jefe and I can attest, building up a new church from scratch is a very difficult job. Recently I heard a story from one of our pastors about an effort from his church to develop a "mission probe" in a neighborhood close to the church. The goal of the probe was to create a house church congregation as an outreach mission from the church. What he discovered was that the unchurched people in that neighborhood were not interested in a house church--they were interested in the programs of an established church.
Most experts agree that it is impossible for a church with fewer than 100 members to support a full-time pastor--in an urban/suburban area it is more realistic to adjust that number to at least 200. Most people prefer affiliating with an existing organization rather than committing the time, effort and money that are needed to begin something new. There are economies of scale that make expanding a medium size church a better goal than starting a new one in an urban/suburban area. Sometimes that could mean relocating that church so that it could draw from a larger region than its own neighborhood, particularly when that neighborhood has changed from residential to commercial.
Understand that I am not saying that a small congregation in a metropolitan area cannot be successful by the definition I gave earlier. I know there are people who do not want to be part of a large congregation and that there are vital small churches in every metropolitan area in the country.
What I am proposing is that the PCUSA should develop an intiative that encourages and supports metropolitan area churches that are already "large" by Presbyterian standards (500 members+) to grow their congregations and missions. In an urban area like Houston, which is growing by leaps and bounds, we should emphasize growing large congregations larger. We need to play to our strengths rather than multiplying our weaknesses by putting as much effort and support into expanding existing congregations as we do into beginning new ones.
