The Mission Deserves Margin: Minister To The Church You Have, While Preparing For More

A church of 50 people needs to be pastored like a church of 50 people. You can’t act like a church of 500. Or even 100. The systems, methods and relationship dynamics simply won’t fit. So how can a church grow, either in its size or effectiveness, if we’re only pastoring the people we have? While pastoring the people we have, we need to create in-house systems and outward ministry suitable for a church of double our current size.

April 26, 2018

by Karl Vaters

A church of 50 people needs to be pastored like a church of 50 people.

You can’t act like a church of 500. Or even 100. The systems, methods and relationship dynamics simply won’t fit.

So how can a church grow, either in its size or effectiveness, if we’re only pastoring the people we have?

While pastoring the people we have, we need to create in-house systems and outward ministry suitable for a church of double our current size.

Author

Karl Vaters

Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.

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