Hi there, one and all. Thanks for joining us.
During this month's Planter Session about “Big Events That Actually Build Churches”, Vine Church pastor Toby Neal provided us with plenty of insights and experience around what it says in that Planter Session title. To view the whole “Big Events That Actually Build Churches” webinar, click here. You won't be disappointed.
As a taster to an entire discussion about church growth that you really should check out, keep reading. Because part of Toby's discussion with Scott Sanders included how to build momentum, as a church plant. During his reflection on the early stages of church life, Toby highlighted the first two.
By understanding what is going on during each stage, and who is involved, Toby says momentum can be better harnessed and directed – for the greater good of kingdom growth.
1. Family Church (3-35 members)
When small or “family church”, it is relationships within the congregation that hold it together. The pastor isn't as important during that phase. Proximity/depth of relationship is the glue. Toby advised being aware of this, and using it to the advantage of your fledgling church. “When you are a small church, you've got to capitalise on that. Have dinners every week. Go out to BBQs. Spend lots of time. When new people come, invite them into the life of that.”
“I think that's the dynamic for growth.”
2. Pastoral (75-140)
The next stage of church life is the shift from “family church” to “pastoral church”. This stage is “more about [each member's] relationship with the pastor. You've moved from the congregation holding the church together, to the pastor holding it together.” Think of any church you'e been to, where the pastor does it all – baptisms, weddings, funerals and all things in between. Toby says that a church will never grow out of that stage, “if the pastor [continues to be] the most important person.”
To grow beyond this stage, Toby highlights how the church will be shifting from “organism” to “organisation”. Doing this requires the pastor and his team to “write more programs that don't depend upon [the pastor]. The body of Christ has to be lifted up, to do more.”
While this is a move back towards greater congregational involvement, it will be notably different to the “family church” stage (due to the changes to relational capacities and complexities). For more on building momentum, view Big Events That Actually Build Churches.
Extra resources
Toby cited two articles which he believes are most helpful to thinking about building momentum in your church plant – Rick Warren's “How to Break Through the 200-300 Attendance Barrier”, and Tim Keller's “Leadership and Church Size Dynamics” Chuckling about a “strange similarity between these two documents”, Toby promoted them because they do delve into the machinations of development and growth – within smaller churches. Click the links below, to access the articles.
To read the Rick Warren article, click here.
To read the Tim Keller article, click here.
– Ed.
