Ministry Matters™

Where Two (or Two Thousand) Are Gathered (Aug/Sept/Oct 2013)

The challenges experienced by a tall-steeple church of one thousand members are very different from the challenges experienced by a rural congregation of just a few families. This issue tackles sometimes-sensitive topics related to church size.

In This Issue

Does Size Matter?

Does Size Matter?

By Jessica Miller Kelley
At any gathering of clergy, you’ll hear talk of new programs, building projects or repairs, and the perennial struggle of getting people to give. But church size is the… read more
How Big Is Big Enough?

How Big Is Big Enough?

By Mark Foster
Which is better? A green and yellow John Deere Row-Crop Tractor with a sowing speed in the single digits or a silver Porsche Carrera S with a top speed of 188 mph? It depends… read more
How Many Staff Do You Need?

How Many Staff Do You Need?

By Susan Beaumont
Personnel related expenses are typically the largest line item found in a church operating budget. Our buildings and our staff are the two primary resources available to us for… read more
Why Worship Shouldn't Feel Like Family

Why Worship Shouldn't Feel Like Family

By John Flowers, Karen Vannoy
A favorite question of judicatory leaders to local church members is: What is the most important thing to you about your church?” Can you guess the most typical answer… read more
Investing Leadership in Small Churches: A Story of Revitalization

Investing Leadership in Small Churches: A Story of Revitalization

By Amy Yeary Holmes
Telford UMC is the epitome of a small country church. It sits off State Route 34 in Telford, Tenn. Down the road and across the street is an abandoned train stop along a lonely… read more
A Higher Standard for Membership

A Higher Standard for Membership

By Carolyn Slaughter
In the spring of 1979, my husband Michael and I landed in a small church beside a county road in Ginghamsburg, Ohio. Coming from a “country club” church on the east… read more
No Cookie Cutter Leaders

No Cookie Cutter Leaders

By Circuit Rider
An interview with Bishop Alfred Johnson, retired bishop and current pastor of Church of the Village, in New York City When training leaders, we tend to elevate… read more
U.S. Women and Racial-Ethnic Clergy: Increasing, but Still in Smaller Pulpits

U.S. Women and Racial-Ethnic Clergy: Increasing, but Still in Smaller Pulpits

By Felicia Howell LaBoy
The good news is that the number of women and racial-ethnic clergy in the U.S. United Methodist Church nearly doubled between 1997 and 2008. The challenge: Women are far less… read more
Where Two or Three Are Gathered

Where Two or Three Are Gathered

By Dorcas Linger Conrad
I’ve been a United Methodist pastor for over 30 years in one of the smallest conferences in the denomination. What we think of as large churches would be considered mid-size … read more
Meeting Needs: Church Growth from the Korean American Perspective

Meeting Needs: Church Growth from the Korean American Perspective

By Sungho Lee
When I was in Korea, I experienced rapid growth of Christian churches regardless of their denominations. Conservative churches as well as liberal churches grew like crazy. Within… read more
The Tough Truth about Our Small Churches

The Tough Truth about Our Small Churches

By William H. Willimon
In Jason Byassee’s beautifully written book, The Gifts of the Small Church, he states that “the small church is God’s primary way of saving people.”… read more
Reframing Church Vitality

Reframing Church Vitality

By Bill Kemp
How do you ‘frame’ discussions concerning congregational vitality? What jargon, anecdotes, stereotypes, interpretation schemes, etc., do you use to explain why some… read more
Go to the People: The Multisite Model of Growth

Go to the People: The Multisite Model of Growth

By Bryan D. Collier
The realization hit me as I was standing in the middle of nearly 3,000 people at our largest event of the year—“as large as this group is, it is only a fraction of the … read more
So How Many Are Gathered in UM Churches?

So How Many Are Gathered in UM Churches?

By General Council on Finance and Administration
      Almost 90% of UM churches have fewer than 200 in average attendance 21% of United Methodists attend the largest 2% of churches Annual Conferences… read more