Does Church Size Really Matter?

Every time I meet another pastor one of the first questions they ask is - How big is your church? May times when I meet a lay person and tell them I am a pastor I get the same question. Why we are so focused on size? Does having more people really make your church better at loving people or better at making disciples?

I am not sure that size really matters when it come to churches. I know of both large and small churches that are extremely effective at ministering to people, I also know both large and small churches that are ingrown, inward focused and ineffective. Obviously, churches that are effective will eventually grow numerically and churches that are large were probably effective at some point in their history, but the current number of attendees is a poor measure of effectiveness.

Is our main goal for people attendance or life change? When our goal is attendance we will try to do anything it takes to get people to attend our church service, event etc. When our goal is life change we will focus on the people who are attending and how to get them to let God change the way they think, feel and act toward Him and others.

We need to stop believing the lie that attendance = lifechange.

Many people have attended church for many years and yet have experienced very little if any real change in their lives, in fact they get very upset if you even suggest that something should be changed.

In my experience, the most effective and lasting life change actually occurs when someone is involved in a group of 12 or less people that is focused on the issues of the way we think, feel and act towards God and others. A small, focused group can provide a safe place for us to be transparent and open, it can provide a level of accountability. Most of us need a little bit of help when it comes to change in our lives. A small group is infinitely more effective at providing that help than is a very large group.

Jesus commanded us to make disciples (change people's lives). Why do we worry about attendance when a smaller group is actually more effective at accomplishing our prime directive.

A better question is - How many people do you have that are involved in an intimate small community of people who are focused on their relationships with God, each other and those outside the group? I wonder how many of us as pastors even know the answer to that question.