5-page paper synthesizing the 3-5 ideas from the readings that made the greatest impact on you, and how those ideas apply to yo

Closing the Back Door

Identify Barriers to Church Growth

Keeping the front door open while keeping the back door closed, church leaders can create a stimulating and growing church. First, church leaders must identify the barriers that keep people from entering the front door. Barriers to church growth come in many forms and must be identified and dealt with before a church can develop an open front door while making sure the back door remains closed.

Physical Facility

Carl F. George believes that a major “step in implementing vision is to tackle the blockage problem.”⁰ Church leadership should first analyze the current facility to identify ways in which it could serve as a hindrance to growth. For instance, people often choose not to attend a church if they do not have adequate parking. George, in identifying this superficial, yet important issue, believes that “your most crucial capacity determiner stems from your parking availability, not your seating capacity.”⁰ The average car carries two people when it arrives at church.⁰ Therefore, if the church auditorium seats 120 people, the parking lot should accommodate sixty parking spaces. If the church plans for continued growth, it must maintain a ratio of one parking space for every 1.75 to two people in attendance. Parking plays a critical role in church attendance; no matter how many other things the church does correctly, it will never outgrow its parking capacity.

A significant barrier to growth exists with regard to the church’s facilities. Many church consultants subscribe to the 80 percent capacity rule;⁰ Nelson Searcy, on the other hand, believes that people consider a church full when it is filled to 70 percent capacity.⁰ If an auditorium, on average, is filled to more than 70-80 percent of its capacity, people feel overcrowded. Church attendees may be willing to worship in very tight seating arrangements a few Sundays a year (Easter and Christmas); however, over a period of time, they may decide to go elsewhere. Searcy observes that

as church leaders, we love full rooms, so we say, ‘Pack ’em in, there’s still a few seats!’ But the truth is that when a room reaches 70 percent of its seating capacity, it’s full. Period. People stop inviting their friends because they perceive there is no more room. Some regular attendees stop coming because it is hard to find a seat.⁰

Another facility concern centers on the size of the auditorium compared to the size of supporting rooms for nursery and children’s activities. An obstacle can arise when the auditorium seats 200 people, but the nursery and other rooms for children only accommodate ten children. If a church desires to attract young families, it must provide ample room for nursery care and children’s ministry.

A church must find creative ways of overcoming barriers pertaining to their facilities. For example, a church could add another service on Saturday or Sunday, neighboring businesses might allow people to park in their parking lot during service times, staff and some members could park farther away and be shuttled back to the church. George suggests an innovative solution:

If you are short on Sunday school space, install two Sunday school seasons, one before and one after the worship. If your auditorium is small, then offer two worship services with Sunday school in between. If you are tight all the way around, think about holding Sunday school and worship simultaneously. Send everybody from the first hour home and then repeat the process for the second hour. By creatively using your existing space without enlargement, you can increase your membership by 50 percent or better.⁰

While issues pertaining to a church facility seem petty, the American culture demands quality facilities that comfortably accommodate people without feeling overcrowded or inconvenienced. Therefore, the church cannot ignore the importance of providing an environment that extends a warm welcome to both visitors and regular attendees.

Church Leaders

Church leaders can also create an obstacle to church growth. Many pastors assume a position intent on making significant changes, based on their personal perception of what needs to take place. In the process, they fail to build relationships before casting vision. Donald W. Morgan faced an enormous challenge when he assumed the pastorate of a church that dated back to 1635. Located in the eastern part of the United States, which some people identify as a spiritual wasteland, the church and its denomination had been in decline for a number of years. His immediate predecessor pastored the church for thirty-five years and, upon retirement, remained in the community and church. Morgan identifies a key concept:

If you want to know why many would-be-church leaders fail, here’s the key: They are so caught up in their own ideas and vision, they don’t value what was there before them. They come with lofty dreams, but they make no allowance for the importance of a sense of continuity. They throw out the baby with the bath water, as the saying goes.”⁰

Leaders must provide a sense of continuity to the past—even in the midst of change. Alan Nelson and Gene Appel caution church leaders: “Your role as a change agent requires that you honor those who love the ‘old’ ways. Too many leaders and progressive types err when they do not arrange for a respectful memorial of the things they are about to change.”⁰

Pastors, who become stagnant in their personal life, can become a hindrance to the growth of the church. Therefore, church leaders should implement a plan for continual self-development. If one’s church has plateaued or stagnated, the pastor should consider participating in various activities that will further his or her growth. As Searcy clearly declares, “Growing churches are led by growing leaders. So if you’ve stopped progressing personally, your church is not far behind.”⁰ Pastors and church leaders can proactively participate in a variety of personal growth plans that will reinvigorate their life and church. A pastor could begin reading on various subjects related to his or her current ministry, or attend conferences and seminars that will further his or her understanding regarding church growth. Most importantly, the church leader can seek out a mentor who could offer encouragement, while also pointing out blind spots or areas for growth. Ultimately, “personal development is essential not only for your own health and balance, but also for the growth of your church.”⁰

False Assumptions

False assumptions often serve as an obstacle to church growth. Church leaders must dedicate themselves to producing true disciples of Christ; therefore, they must examine their preconceived ideas about how to grow a church. George Barna identifies a few “comfortable assumptions,” which, by themselves, may be inaccurate:

1. 
   All it takes is good preaching to produce true disciples.
   
2. 
   Using the best curriculum money can buy will grow people spiritually.
   
3. 
   Hiring competent staff is sufficient to move the process along.
   
4. 
   Placing a large proportion of people in small groups generates true disciples.⁰
   

False assumptions regarding how to grow a church can easily steer the church leadership in the wrong direction.

Expecting Too Much Too Soon

Another barrier to church growth is expecting too much too soon. Before growth ever takes a quantum leap, it usually begins with thoughtful preparation and progresses slowly. Sam Walton became the wealthiest person in America. However, he started his first dime store in 1945 and waited seven years to open his next store.⁰ After twenty-five years, his business had grown to thirty-eight Wal-Marts. The big growth streak came after twenty-five years of diligent work. Between 1970 and 2000, Wal-Mart exploded to over 3,000 stores and $150 billion in revenues.⁰ Walton declares: “Somehow over the years people have gotten the impression that Wal-Mart was just this great idea that turned into an overnight success. But it was an outgrowth of everything we’d been doing since 1945. And like most overnight successes, it was about twenty years in the making.”⁰