People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
Small Churches — Part 2
A look at three categories of small churches.
by James W. Moss, Sr.
There is a very common misconception about churches. Some think large churches are strong. Wrong! They are very fragile held together by tremendous pressure applied by staff and people. Some think small churches are weak. Wrong! They are very strong. The longer they have existed, the stronger they will tend to be. I believe there are three distinctly different kinds of small churches. There will of course be some overlapping in the categories but there are definitely distinctive differences.
Up to 34—There’s a Magnet Here
There is a tremendous magnetic force drawing churches to visit here. It is a church’s natural tendency to go here and stay. It doesn’t matter what size a church is when decline begins. Churches naturally decline.
There are three methods by which churches arrive here.
1. Some have been here for years.
2. Some entered by benign neglect. There was no conflict. Incompetent or negligent pastors served these churches. The loss was gradual and sometimes almost imperceptible. The church's inability to pay the bills shocked the people into a present reality. These are the churches in which it is easiest to generate growth again.
3. There is cataclysmic conflict. There was a big fight and many departed. There is much pain and frequently bitterness. These churches have the most difficult recovery.
Many of these churches receive service from tentmakers or are on circuits. The pastors tend to be more than 50 years old. The pastor must love the people and develop and communicate vision. The pastor frequently isn’t the leader of the church unless that pastor has paid his/her dues over several years. It is not uncommon to hear someone say, "I was here when this pastor came, and I will be here when this pastor leaves." And they are right.
A recent study of a group of these churches revealed an average weekly offering was $291.86. The average giving per person in the sample was low. Frequently, members will buy items the church needs without putting the money in the treasury. If the church has a significant need, the money "magically" appears, frequently as the gift of one person. These churches seldom have significant balances. When they do, leadership hides the balances from the members for fear people will stop giving. The budget for the week is Sunday's offering. Frequently the treasurer’s report may consist of reading from the check register. Pastors' salaries ranged from nothing to nearly all the money received in the offerings.
During the past 20 years some of these churches were over 100 in average worship attendance. You can find these churches everywhere. Many of these churches exist in rural areas. One can find them in the midst of populated areas. About one-third have very limited facilities. For many, facilities have been neglected. The people ignored significant repairs to the building for lack of funds. Some church buildings need a thorough cleaning and redecoration. The larger the facility, the more difficult it will be for the church in this category to sustain itself.
The dominant fear of the people is that the denominational authorities will close them. I oppose the closing of churches. However, I am content to allow churches to close. Keep in mind closure ends ministry. There is some justification for fear because in another generation the solution to "the small church problem" was to close them. However, one condition for them to remain open is their ability to pay their own bills.
There are few council meetings in these churches. A few people make most of the decisions while standing at the back of the church. It is not uncommon for one person to make most of the decisions. Constitutions, rules, and elections aren’t important unless trouble arises. New people have to spend time to earn leadership rights.
Several of the people are relatives. However this is not necessarily the case. "Family Chapel" may imply the people in these churches virtually become family. But this recent study revealed few new members were relatives of current attenders. In fact, most new members were transfers. There were few conversions and few child dedications.
The people in the churches in this group are one big small group. The worship service is a small group. One of the dominant characteristics of small groups is resistance to the arrival and acceptance of new people into the group.
There is little in the way of planning. These churches live week to week. There is little outreach or evangelism There may be no Sunday School. If there is, it may consist of one adult class and sometimes one children’s class. Many older people attend these churches. The younger people who do attend are often more comfortable with older people than with people their own age. There is almost a fatalistic resignation about the future in these churches. Once a church arrives here through decline, only a few will escape. However, they can remain plateaued here for decades.
35-49—Just Passing Through!
This category is a transitional state. Few churches remain here long. The average tenure in this category was two years. People in these churches really watch pastoral participation. It hurts the people if the pastor refers to "them" as opposed to "us." The people like to see their pastor involved in the community. A series of short-term pastors generally serve these churches. In fact, if a pastor stays with them, they begin to wonder what’s wrong with that pastor. They believe any quality pastor they get will go to a larger church. One active lay person in one of these churches protested by, "Isn’t it strange how God always calls pastors to larger churches with more salary?"
The people's giving depends on whether the people like the pastor. The people will openly receive a new, caring, pastor. Pastors in this category tend to be younger. Pastors serve these churches either full-time, on circuits, or as tentmakers. The pastor may receive 60-70% of all the church's income in salary and benefits. The higher the percentage of the total income paid in pastor’s salary and benefits, the higher the risk for the pastor. Expectations of the people for the pastor rise as the percentage of income for salary and benefits rise.
A few people do many of the jobs. Participants believe some of their people go to larger churches so they don’t have to do so much. The leadership involves more people than in the church of under 35. Government takes on a bit more structure. Elections may still be sporadic. There may be just a mild adherence to the constitution in normal times. Gossip can hurt in this size church. Many have developed an intricate grapevine.
If a congregation drops into this category from a larger size, it can be a wake-up call for the church. A lot of churches visit here. In the study mentioned above, 40% of the churches in the research sample spent at least one year in the last 20 years in this category. There is frequently a general sense of dissatisfaction in these churches. Dissatisfaction can lead to change. Recovery is more probable in this group. Nurturing progress in a small church is a difficult and long-term job.
These churches frequently undergo cut-backs in expenditures. They have to be careful not to cut essential efforts. The larger the building the more difficult the recovery because of the basic expense of the building. Finances are a struggle. The average weekly offering is $860.67. The people in these churches had the highest ratio of giving per member in the study. They had the highest ratio of pastoral support to total income and lowest ratio of benevolence to total income. "Mission work begins at home" is a frequent comment. The giving will remain high until hope disappears.
The Sunday school averages 32 people in 6 classes. Generally, there is one adult class. The attenders say, "Anyone can 'fit' into the one adult class."
These churches can exist anywhere. More appear in small towns and rural areas. Most have existed a long time. Outreach tends to be to those who walk through the door. Three to five new families can greatly impact this church. It is people who are important in these churches. Things frequently have value because of a past connection to a special person. It is more important to win people than to win points in these churches.
We must remember a small church does not mean a weak church or an ineffective church. This category provides a special opportunity to know people closely. People in these churches must be open to the troubling presence of the Holy Spirit. Churches are just migrating through the picture in this category. The direction is dependent upon the leadership and people
50-79—Very Comfortable
The average Protestant church in America resides here—the average worship attendance in the United States is 75. As recently as 20 years ago this category could comfortably carry a full-time ministry. This is the category increasingly caught in the squeeze caused by increasing cost.
The people in these churches tend to be very comfortable with their status. These churches, apart from conflict, can be fairly stable and even survive very ordinary ministerial leadership. The average tenure for the churches in this category was six years. Over 20% of churches are in the category. More than half of the churches in the research sample were in this category at least once in the past 20 years. These churches will begin to lose "the everyone knows everyone atmosphere."
A pastor who does most of the ministry can sustain this church with a good deal of effort. To grow beyond this category, the pastor has to spend time equipping and deploying people in ministry. About half of the pastors in the sample were over 50. This category is frequently an entry level start for a full-time pastor. About 70% of these churches have their own pastor. This church was the stronger one on the circuit when served on a circuit. Most people will have a close relationship with the pastor.
These churches will have regular board meetings. The people will observe the constitution with more regularity. There will be regular elections. Leadership will come from several family units. There will be a sense of contentment if the church is stable without undue financial pressure. There will be a sense of excitement if the church is growing. Alarm bells will be ringing if the church is dropping through the category.
Most of the facilities would permit significant growth. The congregation provides adequate care for most of these facilities. Churches of this size meeting in a very large facility can have difficulty sustaining the building. About 75% of the churches in this category own a parsonage, though the pastor may no longer reside in it.
The average weekly income was $1,040.25. Benevolences averaged 13.5% of income. Staff salaries and benefits averaged 54% of income. Over the past 20 years, financial pressure has increased on these churches as it has become more expensive to sustain a full-time pastor. With that pressure has come frustration.
The average Sunday School attendance is 46. The average church in this category has eight classes. There are generally two adult classes. There are a variety of children’s classes, though there may be just two to four children in a class. This group is so comfortable, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain a full-time pastor here.
A Good Book: David Young, A New Heart and a New Spirit (Judson, 1994).
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Read about Jim's seminars and books.
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February 24, 1999. Volume 2, Issue 4. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.