How tall are you? I’m six feet and ½ inch. Some of my life-long friends are taller and some are shorter. Yet, all of us have quit growing (at least in height).
We all understand that height has nothing to do with maturity or competency. My doctor probably isn’t going to say, “you’re just three inches shy of greatness.” Instead, we all understand that our height is part of our design. It’s how God made us.
Still, many of us desire a different height. An aspiring basketball player may want to be taller while an aspiring Jockey might want to be shorter. Sometimes the desires are situational. For instance, when the box at the store is on the top shelf, you may desire more height, but when you are stuck on a flight with no legroom you may desire less height.
I have rarely met someone who is happy with his or her height. I guess the grass is greener at different altitudes!
The truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as the “best” or “most valuable” height. Every height has its own advantages. In other words, your best height is the height at which God designed you to be.
Similarly, there is no “best” or “most valuable” church size (numerically speaking). I believe that God designs churches of different sizes for different reasons. Each church size has its own distinct advantage.
Small churches may have relational advantages. Usually, in a small church environment, each member has the opportunity to know the pastor on a first-name basis. For that matter, everyone in the church can know everyone else in the church on a first-name basis if they desire.
Large churches may have resource advantages. Most large churches have the ability to produce resources and training for their membership or entire communities.
I can think of one small church in particular which has produced dozens of strong pastors and missionaries over the years. I can’t help but think that God has designed that congregation to remain small for the purposes of training new leaders. Its small size is perfect for a man to gain valuable experience in ministry. In this way, that small church has been a blessing to people all over the world!
Similarly, I can think of a large church that has supported dozens of missionaries over the years through its vast resources. God has designed that congregation for a unique equipping role.
Each congregation has a unique role to play in the kingdom. Like players on a basketball team, size enhances roles. You want your 7-footer to play center, not point guard.
Likewise, the best size is the size that God designed for your church. No size is “best” or “most valuable.”
Of course, not every church has reached the size God has designed into its DNA. Some churches are still in their infancy. (Several pastors may argue their church is in adolescence!)
Further, God may have different “size” plans for your church at different times in your church’s life. (That point doesn’t really fit into my analogy… so we’ll move on!)
With all of that said, I think there are two extremes every church must avoid. First, churches should never use size as an excuse to grow lazy. Small churches should not say, “God created us this way, so let’s sit back and relax” nor should large churches say, “God has blessed us, so we don’t have to work hard anymore.” Both attitudes betray biblical teaching.
On the other hand, churches should not get so wrapped up in becoming “bigger” that they are willing to utilize non-biblical means to achieve numerical growth. Like an athlete who takes performance enhancing drugs, they may grow in the short-term, but the un-natural methods will have negative effects on their health in the long-term.
What does all of this mean? If you aren’t happy with the size of your church, perhaps you need a change of perspective.
Embrace what God has designed for your church to be. Labor diligently for souls. Work with all your heart. And praise God for the results –whether tangible or not.