13/03/2017 Why'StepAsideSotheChurchCanFindaPastortoGrowIt'IsaBadIdea|KarlVaters

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PivotBlog,September2015

CHURCHGROWTH, READTHESEFIRSTTHEESSENTIALS

Why'StepAsideSotheChurchCanFinda
PastortoGrowIt'IsaBadIdea
Sixreasonsmostsmallchurchpastorsshouldstay,evenifthenumbersarestatic.
byKarlVaters
September4,2015

Therearebrokenchurchesintheworld.Brokenchurcheswithfailingpastors.

Mostofthosechurchesaresmall.Thankfully.Butthatsjustbecause90percentofallchurchesintheworldaresmall.

Image:GlennG|Flickr Soyes,therearegoodreasonsforfailingpastorstoleavefailingchurches.

Butnotallsmallchurchesarebroken.Andnotallsmallchurchpastorsarefailures.

Notallsmallchurchesare OvercomingthattoxicallydangerousmindsetiswhyIopenedmybook,TheGrasshopperMyth,bywriting,I
amaSmallChurchpastor.AndIamnotafailure.
broken.Andnotallsmall
churchpastorsare
HowdoIknowImnotafailure?BecauseImblessedtobethepastorofoneofthebest,healthiest,most
failures.
innovativeandoutwardreachingchurchesIknow.

It'sjustnotverybig.

TheMythofInevitableChurchGrowth

Idontthinktheresbeenamonthinthelast15yearsinwhichafirsttimeguesthasnttoldme,Wow,whatagreatchurch!Youguyswontbesmallfor
long.

Imstillwaiting.

Andworking.Andpraying.Andtrainingleaders.Andremovingobstaclesthathindergrowth.And(yougettheidea).

Butwerestillsmall.

Occasionally,afterhearingaboutourattendanceplateau,someonewilltellmeIneedtostepasidesothechurchcanbringinapastorwhocangrowitbig.
(Itsalwayssomeonewhosneverbeentothechurch,bytheway.)

ButIvedecidedtostayforthelonghaul.23yearssofar.Eventhough,asIadmittedinTheSurprising,GuiltFreeReason80%ofChurchesDon'tBreak
the200Barrier,Istinkatchurchgrowth.

Andno,it'snotaboutego.Ifitwas,I'dhavefollowedmyegooutthedooroveradecadeago.ButIstayed.AndI'msogratefultoGodthatIdid.

SixReasonsImNotLeavingMyHealthySmallChurch

1.BiggerIsntNecessarilyBetter

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13/03/2017 Why'StepAsideSotheChurchCanFindaPastortoGrowIt'IsaBadIdea|KarlVaters
Smallerisntbettereither.Butsmallisnormal.

Notonlyare90percentofchurchesunder200,80percentareunder100.Thatsawholelotofsmall.

InregionswherethechurchisexperiencingthegreatestgrowthasapercentageofthegeneralpopulationlikeAsia,AfricaandLatinAmericathe
growthisalmostexclusivelythroughthemultiplicationofsmallchurches,notthroughthegrowthofbigones.

Yettheperceptionremains,mostlyinthewesternworld,thatabiggerchurchisabetterchurch.

No,bigchurchesarentbadeither.Ithinktheyregreat.Buttheyrenotautomaticallybetter.

2.SmallDoesntMeanBroken

Decliningorplateauingcongregationnumbersshouldneverbeignored.Theycanhelpuszeroinonproblemsthatotherwisemightnotbefound.But
attendancenumbersalonedonotmeasurethehealthofachurch.

Reachinganumericalplateaudoesnotmeanthechurchhasstoppedbeingeffective,orthatthepastorhasreachedtheendoftheirleadershipabilities.For
moreonthischeckoutmypost,HowtoTellIfaSmallChurchIsStrategicorStuck.

3.PastoralTransitionsAreMomentumKillers

Ofallthewaystodamageachurchandkillmomentum,pastoraltransitionisatornearthetopofthelist.

Pastorsarenotinterchangeableparts.Youcantunplugone,pluginanewoneandthinkeverythingwillkeepgoingfullsteamahead.Especiallyin
smallerchurches,wherethepastorknowsmostorallofthepeoplepersonally.

Leavinganotherwisehealthychurchwiththeexpectationthatthenextpastorcantakeoverwheretheoldpastorleftoffissonave,itsalmostbreathtaking.

4.ThereIsNoChurchGrowthFormulaOrIdBeDoingIt

Wevebeentoldthatifyoutaketherightsteps,numericalcongregationalgrowthisinevitable.

Itsnot.

Ivereadallthebooksandbeentoalltheseminarsonchurchgrowththatyouhave.AndIveappliedalltheprinciples.Theyworkedtoacertaindegree,but
notentirely.Therearenoguarantees.Theyrenotwrong,buttheresultsarenotuniversalorinevitable.

Checkoutmypost,TheMythofInevitableCongregationalGrowth,formoreaboutthis.

5.WhereDoThesePastorsWhoCanGrowChurchesComeFrom?

WhenpeoplesuggestIleavetomakewayforapastorwhocangrowthechurch,itmakesmewonder.Dopeoplethinkthere'samagicgardenwhereyoucan
pickapastorthatwillhelpyourchurchgrow?

Dopeoplethinkthere'sa Ifso,whynotjuststartthere?

magicgardenwhereyou
canpickapastorthatwill Iknowthatsoundsmorethanalittlesarcastic,butisntthattheimplicationwhenpeoplesaygetoutoftheway
andletsomeonewhocangrowthechurchtakeoverforyou?
helpyourchurchgrow?

Theideathattheresareadytogogroupofpastorswhocangrowchurchesmightmakesomesenseif90percentofthechurchesintheworldwerebigand
only10percentweresmall.Butthenumbers,aswe'vealreadyseen,areexactlytheoppositeofthat.

Individualcongregationalgrowthhasalwaysbeenhardtodo.

Eveninthelast40years,withsomuchhelpfulmaterialfromthechurchgrowthmovementandtheadventofbig,megaandventisizedchurches,the
percentageofsmalltolargecongregationshasntchangedinanystatisticallymeaningfulway.

6.OnlyJesusGrowsChurches

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13/03/2017 Why'StepAsideSotheChurchCanFindaPastortoGrowIt'IsaBadIdea|KarlVaters
JesussaidIwillbuildmychurch.(Matt16:18)

Hischurch,notmine.Hisgrowth,notmine.

ThemomentmypresencehindersGod'splanforthischurch,I'llbeoutthedoor.AndI'lljoyfullyrollouttheredcarpetforthenextpastor,withthehope
thatthechurchwillbecomehealthierandbiggerthananythingIcouldimagine.Butuntilthen,I'mgoingtokeepdoingwhatJesuscalledmeheretodo.

Jesustoldustomakedisciples.Andhetoldpastors(alongwithapostles,prophets,evangelistsandteachers)toprepareGod'speopleforworksof
service.(Eph4:12)

Ifyourenotdoingthat,eitherstartdoingitorleaveyourchurch.

Ifyouaredoingthat,you'reagoodpastor.Dontletanyoneoranyattendancerecordstellyouyou'renot.

Copyright2015bytheauthororChristianityToday/LeadershipJournal.
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2017ChristianityToday

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