Understand your Church Size

Understanding your Church size has significant implications for the pastor and leadership team and affects just about everything. Gary L. McIntosh in his book “One Size Doesn’t Fit All” and others like him have articulated in various ways the different dynamics that exist within small, medium and large churches.

For example, The way influence works in a smaller church, changes as it grows in size, and leaders need to be aware of the need to adapt their leadership style to the size of the congregation. The role of the pastor in each size of church also needs to vary for the church to thrive and continue to grow.

Summary diagrams of the different dynamics that may exist within a small, medium and large church are given here as examples (adapted from a Caboolture church presentation).

Understanding Size

Small, Single Cell

Medium, Stretched Cell

Large, Multiple Cell