Churches face a variety of conditions that can prevent numerical increase-called "growth barriers." The lack of adequate parking or ample auditorium seating are very tangible barriers. On the other hand, less obvious conditions develop such as critical attitudes or low morale. Barriers come in a variety of types, but there are several consistent numerical barriers all churches face as they grow and approach different attendance figures.

The 200 Barrier

Calgary Church of Christ was challenged by the single greatest numerical obstacle that any congregation can comfort -- "The 200 Barrier." Eighty-five percent of churches of Christ never grow beyond 150 to 250 in their Sunday morning assembly attendance. Any congregation wanting to move beyond a small (less than 100) or middle-size church (100-250) must overcome this barrier to become a large church (more than 250).

Growing beyond approximately 200 in Sunday morning attendance requires significant changes in the way a church operates. These changes are so critical for success that they constitute a formidable set of obstacles to growth. These obstacles are often invisible to the average member. A vague sense of their presence may exist for some members, but seldom are they seen as a collective force, working together, holding a church back from growing. And to make conditions worse, some members are very resistant to implementing any of the required changes necessary for growth.

The 200 barrier is the most documented problem in church growth studies. Mter eight years of evaluating congregations, I have observed, like other consultants, at least seven characteristics present in this condition:

• One minister
• One Sunday morning assembly
• One fellowship formation
• Facility crowding
• Small church attitudes
• Inadequate member involvement
• Attendance between 150-250

Your congregation may not be facing the 200 barrier, but several of these obstacles can surface in any size congregation -- large or small. Any one of these conditions can be a growth barrier alone, and can halt a church's progress if gone unchecked. So this presentation could possibly benefit your congregation regardless of size. For example, the lack of adequate member involvement plaques almost all congregations, and even after corrected can redevelop in a matter of 12 to 24 months.

Calgary's growth history allows us to see these obstacles in a practical context. Strategies to address each will be discussed along with other growth principles that surfaced by way of Calgary's story. If you haven't read the previous article by Bob llarrington, I recommend that the reader start there with a careful review. As we proceed with the discussion of different principles, you might want to refer to Calgary's growth history to observe its application in a real and practical setting.

Precondition: Community

Community churches have gone the way of wide ties and bell-bottom pants. The only difference is that wide ties may come back into fashion (I really hope not), but there is little chance that churches serving an immediate community next to the facilities will return. What we have today is churches serving a ministry radius around the building. About a twenty-minute drive in any directibn from the building will compose a church's ministry area.

From a review of. the church's membership list, congregations will likely discover that about 40% live within three miles of the building, another 40% live between four and nine miles from the facility, and 20% live ten or more miles away. Percentages will vary some from church to church, but several unalterable implications should be taking shape.

What happens immediately around the building, and in a church's entire ministry radius requires regular monitoring and study. Both areas have an impact on a church's future. The best possible scenario exists when the area immediately around the building is free from deteriorating physical conditions and escalating crime, and the general ministry radius is experiencing growth.

Churches are not entirely at the mercy of their ministry radius for growth. If the area is growing, then church growth is easier. If the area is not growing, church growth is still possible. Harder work, however, is required. Even a growing ministry area does not guarantee growth. Effective strategies to confront barriers are still necessary.

Good conditions in a ministry radius serve only as a precondition for church growth; also it provides reasonable expectations for numerical increase. Typically, a growing church in a healthy community and ministry area can expect five to nine percent net growth per year, and maybe more. From Calgary's history, we can see periods of good growth and then some periods of extraordinary growth of 15 to 30 percent per year.

Other conditions make growth more difficult. Typically as communities age, residents become long tenured, and growth opportunities diminish. Well-established residents are not as receptive to churches as newcomers. When people move into communities -- old or new -- there are greater church growth opportunities. A community's mobility will determine to some degree church growth potential.

As Calgary outgrew their facilities, relocation was a major part of their growth plan. So if a congregation is planning to construct their first building or considering relocation, three things are crucial-location, location, location. Locate on a major travel route, not in the middle of a residential area hidden from view. This will increase the size of your twenty-minute drive ministry radius and improves your accessibility to more people Locate in an area free from deteriorating physical conditions and escalating crime. These types of immediate communities have killed more churches than any other single barrier. And locate near growing communities. New people moving into new areas are the most receptive for transfer and evangelistic growth.

Precondition: Leadership

The most important characteristic of a healthy growing church is a pulpit minister with vision and faith, and whose dynamic leadership is used to catalyze the congregation into action for growth. This is the single most consistent factor for growth. Every church growth study I am aware of strongly supports this vital sign. And Calgary Church of Christ is no exception, Bob began to exercise purposeful leadership in phase four. Through prayer and study, the entire congregation began to learn about growth possibilities that resulted in the necessary conditions for church growth planning.

No single individual, however, can cause growth in a congregation. The entire leadership must want the church to grow and be willing to pay the price. By the term "leadership" I am specifically referring to the pulpit minister and the elders. It is important to realize that if the minister does not deeply desire growth, the church can be confident that it will not sustain growth for any significant period of time. Likewise, this is true for the eldership and membership. All three must desire church growth and be willing to pay the price.

Both the elders and the pulpit minister have a God-given position of influencing power. The single greatest avenue of influencing power in the church is the pulpit. Because God has ordained the ministry of preaching, it is ludicrous not to recognize the major leadership role of the pulpit minister. All congregational movement first begins with communication, and the pulpit is consistently the most effective channel of communication. Preachers, through their pulpits, are truly "change agents. Over a period of time they tend to reproduce their own views and attitudes in the congregation for the better or the worse. That is an awesome responsibility that must be taken seriously by the entire church.

One of the characteristics of growing churches is that they have ministers with long pulpit tenures. In view of what has been said, this makes sense. It takes time (five or more years) for a minister to gain his maximum power of influence with a congregation. After credibility is established, the pulpit becomes a major leadership tool to help motivate and direct a congregation in growth. Of course, a long pulpit tenure will not guarantee growth -- it is often a precondition for growth.

In addition, the elders have their God-given avenues of influencing power. There are three separate roles for elders: decision making, administration, and spiritual counseling and teaching. Each area of service yields some degree of influence, especially decision making. In most churches of Christ the elders make the final decisions about programs and administration, including where the allocation of limited funds will go. The distribution of finances will have a major impact for growth or non-growth.

Far too often these two leadership roles, elders and ministers, are locked in adversarial relationships. There can be numerous reasons ranging from the compartmentalized view of leaders' responsibilities to conflicting views on the very purpose of the church. Regardless, a healthy beginning would be to recognize that neither role can operate effectively in a vacuum. Ministers and elders must work and spend time together so that they are one in vision for the church's future. They must be, and appear to the congregation, like-minded. Both have a God-given position of influencing power that is designed to work with the other. Consequently, it is imperative that they be spiritual-minded Christians seeking always to grow the Lord's church for the glory of God.

First Steps

Occasionally we need research findings to remind us of what we already know, so it should not come as a surprise to learn that studies indicate that spiritual renewal is a vital condition for church growth. Many congregations are realizing that prayer and other spiritual disciplines serve as a significant catalyst for congregational change and divine blessings. Members must change to effective planting and watering, and it's God who gives the increase.

Church leaders may know the latest methods, but change of any kind for some members is out. Certainly change for change's sake or of truth should not be a part of anyone's agenda. But if a congregation is plateaued or declining some type of change is the only hope. In fact, studies reveal that growth correlates highly with church members' willingness to accept change Growing churches can handle change, while declining churches are resistant to change.

What motivation or force can free people from a preference for the same comfortable conditions even though they are killing the body? Leaders, on their own, are powerless. God is the only source able to free us from our self-centered comfort zones and self-willed preferences. Members simply cannot approach God in prayer on a regular basis without being changed and willing to accept change that pleases Him. Prayer renewal in churches is the means God uses to prepare a church for growth.

Calgary shows us a wonderful example of putting first things first. Prayer and study are the first steps in addressing the complex picture of church growth. And it laid a foundation for dealing with each challenge ahead, especially the one discussed next.

Number One Barrier: Institutionalism

From my observance, the most frequent problem found in churches today, regardless of size, is the eventual loss of vision, which leads to institutionalism. Times have dramatically changed and so have the ways effective ministry is conducted. Far too often churches make no adjustments along the way to keep ministry productive. Vision alone motivates leaders to seek the best methods. No vision produces churches doing the same things the same way with little concern for the results.

In contrast, new churches usually begin with a sense of mission (what God wants accomplished as revealed in His Word) and vision (how to accomplish God's will in our context, and how the end product will look). New churches with vision seek the best methods; for a new church startup it's a necessity for survival. And this aggressive approach usually brings growth for the first ten to twenty years.

Then as a church ages, it tends to no longer develop new methods. With the appearance of a comfortable building and ample Sunday attendance an aggressive approach disappears. The end results are repetition of the same things the same way giving the same results -- no growth.

Institutionalism (means become ends) firmly sets in when there is no energizing vision for change and growth. Ministry activities become routine and repetitious as if they were the organizations end purpose rather than the means to accomplish the end. Our mission to reconcile men and women receives only lip service. Serious efforts are non-existent to measure ministry results and make necessary adjustments.

Numerous symptoms in a congregation can surface when institutionalism fully develops. After years of no progress in spiritual and numerical growth, members may experience a condition of low morale. This is a feeling of low expectations and little hope for the church's future. The church's atmosphere lacks energy and enthusiasm so necessary for ministry motivation. And if a group stays this way long enough members assume this is natural, even to the point of resisting renewal or any attempt for change.

Another indicator or symptom is internal conflicts. Of course, conflicts arise apart from institutionalism, but when a church has no compelling vision to occupy members' time and attention, internal conflicts are frequently the results. Rather than looking critically inward, member need an inspiring vision to help him or her look outward to God and His purposes.

To breakout of institutionalism, or prevent it, each Christian generation should spend time rediscovering a clear understanding of the church's mission as given by God. A renewed awareness of mission based on scripture can serve as a catalyst for leaders to dream new possibilities even for old churches. This leads to new vision, new hope, new energy, and better methods.

In phase four we see Calgary wisely addressing this potential barrier. With intense study and outside help they were able to regain a sense of mission and vision for the future. Consequently, an evaluation of effective methods prepared them for the next important phase of planning. As institutionalism faded as a threat, indicators of increasing positive morale appear such as unity, tolerance, enthusiasm, and hope. This Christ-like atmosphere is what all churches need.

Planning and Goals

Planning is the process that separates proactive leadership from reactive leadership. Healthy churches have leaders who invest time wisely in the planning process while unhealthy churches get stuck on problem solving. Every congregation will have problems to solve, but reactive responses alone lack the motivating force to move churches beyond the status quo.

Growth planning develops strategies for moving a church from point A to point B. This means that leaders first understand point A, then point B, and everything between. Consequently, homework is a never eliding responsibility for effective leadership. This involves reading, attending training seminars, and visiting growing churches. Accurate knowledge is the required foundation for a good analysis of one's own local setting, and some churches are willing to use outside resources for analysis help. Based on homework, leaders can then complete an analysis of the local church that will surface the obstacles needing attention. Therefore, planning involves knowing the local setting through analysis (point A), having a vision of what the church can become (point B), and determining the ministry improvements and changes to get there (everything in between).

Calgary gives us an insightful case study. Fist, they wisely conduct a thorough analysis of their entire ministry. With an accurate understanding of their ministry setting they had a solid foundation for effective planning. Their analysis, for example, surfaced the 200 barrier and other obstacles. From this advantage point effective planning was possible.

From planning comes measurable goals. Goals demonstrate a serious commitment to go about the Father's business. Here are the ways leaders make tangible their proactive leadership, a commitment to mission and vision, and a willingness to confront institutionalism. No more lip service. Goals are the means to make a tangible difference.

Churches take "quantum leaps" with goal setting. Each goal is really a statement of faith. They state what the members believe God can accomplish through their efforts. And based on scripture and personal experience, I believe you would agree with me that God honors faith by giving the increase.

So what holds back so many churches from setting goals? One reason is the fear of failure. What a big misunderstanding! Goals do not make us successes of failures. They just point the way for progress. If a church overshoot the goal-great-give God the glory. If a church undershoots the goal-no problem-measure the progress and give God the glory. Either way there is progress. We have intentionally planted and watered, and God is thanked for his blessings.

Leaders will need to understand one other critically important ingredient for successful planning and goal setting. The old leadership style of making closed boardroom-style decisions no longer works with well-informed and highly educated members. There was a time when decisions made at the top, without involving members, were given to the group with little objection or resistance. Today, members want some input in major issues affecting their church life. "Participatory style leadership" is a key ingredient for today's suceessful leadership.

A participatory style of leading does not mean an abdication of strong proactive leadership nor democratic decision-making. Churches cannot function well with a pure democracy; the larger the church the more it depends upon strong leadership. Strong leadership requires a balance, however with a sensitivity to their well-educated members. Leaders cannot successfully lead where members are not prepared to follow. Therefore, when major changes are needed that affect a large percentage of the members, effective two-way communication is required.

Planned time must be spent in settings like large gatherings or small groups discussing plans and options. Such meetings are not decision-making times, but periods of two-way communication between members and leaders. Activities such as these allow leaders to share their vision and get accurate feedback as to where the members are on key issues. It takes careful planning, time, and work, but the results are worth the effort. For an excellent example of participatory leadership in action read Randy Moody's article on having a Friend Day.

Also, Calgary masterfully illustrates each principle discussed above in phase five of their growth history. Even without all the details one can see that proactive leadership was exercised; planning followed a thorough church analysis; members participated in the processed; and the most tangible results followed the setting of goals.

200 Barrier Obstacles

As discussed earlier, there are several characteristics of a church facing the 200 barrier. A congregation may not manifest every symptom, but the majority will be present and recognizable. Do not take lightly any obstacle. Together, the combination of obstacles truly form a difficult barrier. So much so that too few churches get beyond the small or middle-size church. And some of these obstacles can surface in large churches as well. Because they are significant to most size churches, I will briefly discuss several of the remaining obstacles in this section.

In days past it was not uncommon to visit churches with 300 to maybe 500 in assembly attendance, and they had only one full-time paid staff-the preacher. Occasionally, you may still find one. But this situation is getting rare with no expectation of a return. Members' life circumstances have dramatically changed, requiring a different scenario in a staff-to-member ratio. Today, if a church ignores these conditions, they are almost guaranteed to plateau and even decline.

Space will not allow for a full description on changes facing the church. No one, however, should fail to see that members' lives are more complicated, more stressed, and more time pressured than ever before. In earlier years, people had fewer problems and more volunteer time than today. These are sweeping statements, but each has strong social science documentation. And these factors require churches to hire more staff to deal with the growing complex condition.

Ratios indicate a need for one full-time staff person for every iso in morning attendance. If a church increased allendance into the 200 range without increasing staff, they discover a major obstacle. Observations indicate that one energetic preacher and a small core of active members can move a church to about 200. What happens at this point is a saturated work load for the preacher and members. Typically, a minister can work with 100 to 200 people. Everyone has limits. Under today's conditions the limit for a preacher is about 150 or so. At this point multiple staff is required to move beyond the 200 barrier. Staff-to-member ratios, however, apply to large churches as well. lust because a church of 1,000 in attendance has four paid staff does not exempt them from facing this significant growth barrier.

Additional staff should not do the work for members in any size church. Rather, staff is necessary to train members for ministry as clearly taught in Ephesians 4:11-12. Minister responsibilities include modeling ministry (they do the work), and then training other members to d9 the same.

Getting past 200 and keeping a large church healthy have this in common: success ultimately depends on how many and how well the members serve. One preacher and a few core workers are fine up to 200. After that, a high percentage of active members determines success. Now, we have a clear connection between multiple staff and an active membership. It requires staff to run the various ministries, motivate and train members for involvement, and to offer quality service. It should not come as a surprise that growing churches have a better staff-to-member ratio than non-growing churches.

One warning, most members and some elders are not aware of understaffing consequences. Remembering the good old days gives confidence that investing in additional staff is not necessary. Even under a sever staff shortage, I have discovered members evaluating their church as overstaffed. Information and education are way past due.

Another major contributor to the 200 barrier and no growth in general in churches of Christ are the facilities. Churches, as a rule, tend to underestimate their future facility needs. A building is somewhat like a turtle shell. The turtle has a hard time in outgrowing his shell. Once a building is up, it often determines the size of the congregation, and the church's ministry is often designed to fit the facilities rather than around the spirltual needs of the members. In addition, the typical facility will house about 200 or less.

Churches should give serious consideration to overcoming this barrier. One of the most effective strategies is for the church to hold two Sunday morning worship services. It has two very beneficial effects. First, it helps a church overcome their "one big, happy family" attitude. This attitude is the main reason church members will object to having two services, but it is the very attitude preventing the church from growing. Second, it allows a church to grow without additional facility cost. To be successful with two services requires careful planning and communication, but the results can be worth it. Eighty percent of the churches that go to two services experience a 10 to 15 percent increase in attendance.

The last obstacle I will mention is the absence of evangelistic growth in most congregations. Members in churches of Christ have a deep-seated desire for evangelism. But it's not happening, and we must honesfly evaluate the reasons. It's too easy to pass the buck by saying "Christians are not as committed as they once were." First, I don't believe that. Second, from a careful look we can discover a few churches such as Calgary evangelizing. And they are not in a typical growth setting. This should offer us encouragement and hope.

Evangelism will not stand alone. This is the most important point I want to make in this brief discussion. A church successful in evangelism will likely have a host of supportive activities and a positive morale among members. Effective outreach requires several items in place such as an inspiring worship assembly, well-managed groups to assimilate new converts, a specific well-planned evangelistic method, and several trained individuals to conduct one-on-one Bible studies.

Effective evangelism is closely tied to the entire life of the church. For example, members' willingness to invite their unchurched friends to the worship assembly correlates highly with evangelistic growth. The most frequent reason people give for visiting a church is due to a personal invitation, and the reason they give for returning is the quality of the worship assembly. Also, what I have discovered is that members will only invite friends if they feel the assembly will be an upbeat and inspiring experience for their guest. So effective evangelism depends on several factors such as worship, and this requires the whole congregation to see it as a team effort rather than a few lone rangers trying to do the job for everyone.

Conclusion

Any effort to grow will be unwelcome by Satan. Calgary maintained vigilance and effort. Likewise, every church should see growth as a never-ending process. Persistent efforts, constant prayer, and appropriate changes should characterize our lives and churches. And we can have strong faith that God will reward our labors.

Calgary Church of Christ has graciously given to us a glimpse into their growth history with the application of so many effective and timely principles. I was not able to discuss all of them. But their story is so encouraging that we can only respond with "thanks."

For further study on understanding how a church grows you will find helpful the book, Church Growth Through Groups: Strategies for Varying Levels of Christian Community. It is available through The Center for Church Growth.

1 John W. Ellas is editor of Church Growth Magazine since 1994. He has written Church Growth Through Groups, Clear Choices for Churches, and Measuring Church Growth. Ellas has completed a number of "Church Growth Diagnostic Evaluation" in helping churches grow. This editorial introduction was published in Church Growth Magazine 8 (October - December, 2000): 5 - 9.