Episode 36 - How Group Dynamics Creates That Dreaded 200 Barrier And What To Do About It

As we said in Monday's post, today's podcast is based on an article by Timothy Keller,  New York City pastor and author, titled Leadership and Church Size Dynamics. This article describes churches at each size level, and identifies three things: 1) the character of a church that size 2) How that size church grows, and 3) what it takes for that size church to break through the barrier to the next size category.

Keller says that a 200church's character is highly relational. The people all want to know everyone in the church personally, and they feel responsible to be a part of any ministry or event that takes place. Communication is still informal, and the pastor is in the role of a shepherd. 

Change still happens relationally and from the bottom up, and is processed by the whole congregation, and the leaders generally won't make a decision if it will cost them any church members.


How a 200church grows is that newcomer's are attracted by having relationships in the congregation. In churches under 100, people are attracted by having a personal relationship to the pastor. 

What it takes to move a 200church across the 200 barrier and toward the 300 range is five-fold:

1. Multiplication options. Multiple services requires a congregation to be okay with not knowing everyone, and not needing to attend every event. The more options there are with services, the more people will attend the church.
2. Additional staff members. Many churches are just not willing to employ a second staff pastor or ministry leader. But this is essential to crossing that 200 barrier.
3. The church must be willing to let power/authority move away from the laity and lay leaders to the staff. After 200 people, the old structure does not work anymore, and the old approach to decision making is cumbersome and limiting. The board will no longer be able to sign off on all decisions. The group dynamic simply won't allow it.
4. The church needs to become more formal and structured in assimilating people and in communicating to the congregation. Closing on the 300 attendance number, the church can no longer assume that communication and assimilation will just happen naturally. It won't. There needs to be formal structure and planning for it.
5. The church and the pastor must be willing to allow the pastor to shepherd a little less, and lead a little more. This is part of empowering the church family to do ministry, and allowing the pastor to lead, train, and equip them more to do so.

We hope that you enjoy Episode 36! Jeff and Jonny get a little testy with each other over... semantics? Or substance? You decide!

Is there anything in your 200church that is keeping it under 200 people? What is keeping your church from growing?