Growing Pains
Calvin Miller
Church growth always demands social growth. Especially for the pastor.
—Calvin Miller
In that long ago, faraway book The Peter Principle lies the doctrine of my insecurity. The book states that climbers on the ladder of life are promoted rung by rung until they eventually reach a level they're not equipped to handle. Thus, by doing well, a person arrives at a plateau beyond his real capabilities and successfully "out-succeeds" himself. I have often been haunted by the fear that my church will one day outgrow my ability.
Only one word can prohibit this imagined debacle: adjustment. Not my adjustment to the crisis moments of ministry. Such moments belong to every pastor. Not my adjustment to wrenching business meetings or to those lonely nights that follow the hectic days when it seems that, for all my acquaintances, I haven't got a friend in the world.
No, the adjustment required is the ability to relate in different ways to the congregation as the membership expands. This difficult adjustment, I believe, is the reason many church planters cannot grow a church from inception to supercongregation. How does one relate to church members at the difficult plateaus of growth?
One church-growth expert said that because of personal inclinations, there are some "fifty-member pastors," some "two-hundred-member pastors," some "five-hundred-member pastors," and some "two-thousand-member pastors." I'm not sure his statement is altogether true. But if it is, I find myself wondering which is my own magic number of competency. I only know that congregational vitality is somehow related to my ability to lead, and I don't want my church to lose its vitality as it grows.
The whole subject makes me paranoid. Year after year, I cannot escape the dread ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,358 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
