Home Pastors Articles for Pastors Carey Nieuwhof: 8 Reasons Churches Don’t Break the 200 Attendance Mark

Carey Nieuwhof: 8 Reasons Churches Don’t Break the 200 Attendance Mark

8 Reasons Why Most Churches Don't Break the 200 Attendance Mark

While social media, and even traditional media, are still preoccupied with megachurches and multisite churches, the reality is that most churches in North America are quite small, well below the 200 attendance mark. The Barna group pegs the average Protestant church size in America at 89 adults. Sixty percent of protestant churches have less than 100 adults in attendance. Only 2 percent have over 1,000 adults attending.

Please understand, there’s nothing wrong with being a small church. I just know that almost every small church leader I speak to wants his or her church to grow. I get that. That’s the mission of the church. Every single day, I want our church to become more effective in reaching one more person with the hope that’s in Christ. So, why is it that most churches never break the 200 attendance mark?

It’s not:

DesireMost leaders I know want their church to reach more people.

A lack of prayerMany small church leaders are incredibly faithful in prayer.

LoveSome of the people in smaller churches love people as authentically as anyone I know.

Facility. Growth can start in the most unlikely places.

Let’s just assume you have a solid mission, theology and heart to reach people. You know why most churches still don’t push past the 200 attendance mark?

You ready?

They organize, behave, lead and manage like a small organization. Think about it. There’s a world of difference between how you organize a corner store and how you organize a larger supermarket.

In a corner store, Mom and Pop run everything. Want to talk to the CEO? She’s stocking shelves. Want to see the director of marketing? He’s at the cash register. Mom and Pop do everything, and they organize their business to stay small. Which is fine if you’re Mom and Pop and don’t want to grow.

But you can’t run a supermarket that way. You organize differently. You govern differently. There’s a produce manager and people who only stock shelves. There’s a floor manager, shift manager, general manager and so much more. So what’s the translation to church world?

8 Reasons Churches Don’t Break the 200 Attendance Mark

1. The pastor is the primary caregiver.

Honestly, if you just push past this one issue, you will have made a ton of progress. When the pastor has to visit every sick person, do every wedding and funeral, and make regular house calls, he or she becomes incapable of doing other things. That model just doesn’t scale.

If you’re good at it, you’ll grow the church past the 200 attendance mark and then disappoint people when you can’t get to every event any more. Or you’ll just burn out. It creates false expectations and so many people get hurt in the process.

Although it’s 20 years old, this is still the best book I know on the subject.The answer, by the way, is to teach people to care for each other in groups.

2. The leaders lack a strategy. 

Many churches today are clear on mission and vision. What most lack is a widely shared and agreed upon strategy.

Your vision and mission answers the why and what of your organization. Your strategy answers how. And how is critical.

Spend time working through your strategy. Be clear on how you will accomplish your mission and don’t rest until the mission, vision and strategy reside in every single volunteer and leader.