I just read a great
Carey Nieuwhof article
that deals with one of the persistent issues for small churches that average less than 200 in attendance. This includes most of the churches in America. Even a cursory glance at the relatively flat statistical history of most such churches will cause the curious reviewer to ask the probing question, “Why do they usually stay small?” Sometimes there are obvious physical barriers such as the size of the building or a shortage of parking, but most of the time such external factors are not adequate to explain the struggles small congregations have. In this article, Nieuwhof puts his finger on a some other key issues that are so relevant. In my experience as a pastor, I can say that I would affirm this list of issues that hinder the growth of small churches. Overcoming these becomes as much part of the strategy for growth as adding methods of outreach or staffing a nursery or improving parking.
Tag: church leadership
Dan Reiland has been leading and writing about leadership for many years. He is living what he is writing about at 12 Stone Church. This is an excellent short article giving 7 characteristics of a leader of good character.
One of the difficult things church leaders must do is evaluate how the local church is doing. It is not as easy as it sounds and our tendency as leaders is to fall off on either side of the middle path; either by emphasizing quantity at the expense of discipleship or by emphasizing quality at the expense of outreach. Here is a wise article that will help us to keep a balance.
http://www.churchleadership.com/leadingideas/leaddocs/2015/150128_article.html