The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
CNLP 689 | DeSizing the Church, The Drug of Size, The Good and Bad of the Church Growth Movement, and What Small and Large Churches Get Right
Nov 12, 2024
Karl Vaters, an experienced pastor and author, shares insights on the concept of 'desizing' the church in today’s context. He discusses the obsession with church size and its pitfalls, advocating for a focus on spiritual health rather than numbers. Vaters highlights the unique strengths of both small and large congregations and the unintended consequences of the church growth movement. He also emphasizes the need for genuine leadership and community engagement over simple numerical success.
01:05:22
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Quick takeaways
- The pressure for continual growth in congregations can lead to pastor dissatisfaction, highlighting the need to redefine success beyond numerical metrics.
- Discipleship plays a critical role in church health, addressing challenges and fostering deeper faith within congregations, regardless of church size.
Deep dives
The Challenge of Church Size Expectations
The podcast discusses the pressure on pastors to achieve continual growth in their congregations. Many pastors feel burdened by an implicit expectation to increase attendance year after year, leading to stress and dissatisfaction. This pressure is particularly pronounced in the context of the church growth movement, which emphasizes numerical success as a measure of ministry effectiveness. The conversation suggests that this focus on size can overshadow the true mission of the church, which is to serve and impact lives meaningfully.
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