What Difference Does Church Size Make in Discipling Men? Part 1

from Pat Morley

Volume 201
October 9, 2006

There is an issue in the Men’s Discipleship Movement that needs some discussion. David Delk, our President, and I have lamented many times about the dozens and dozens of small frame churches we see dotting the countryside, especially in the South.

Most churches are small. In fact, 70% of all Protestant churches have 125 or fewer attendees. Today I would like to start a series on the question, “What difference does church size make in discipling men?” I hope you will email me your thoughts as we move along.

In Small Congregation Big Potential, Lyle Schaller, the dean of congregational studies, reminds us that most churches are small. Of the 325,000 Protestant churches in America (not including 19,000 Catholic churches or house churches), Schaller reports quantities for seven categories of churches based on size:

• 50,000 churches average 25 or fewer at worship—1 out of 7 churches

• 40,000 churches average 26 – 50 at worship—1 out of 8 churches

• 110,000 churches average 51-100 at worship—1 out of 3 churches

• 25,000 churches average 101 – 125 at worship—1 out of 13 churches

• 75,000 mid-sized churches average 126 – 350—1 out of 4 churches, about 23%

• 18,000 large churches average 351 – 800: 1 out of 18 churches, about 5.5%

• 7,000 churches average more than 800: 1 out of 406 churches, about ¼ of 1%.

Next week, I will show you some statistical guesswork I have done to see how many people we are talking about in each category.

For this week, though, to get the discussion started here are some questions to consider:

• Do men in smaller churches deserve the same quality of discipleship that men in large, well-resourced, highly financed churches might receive?

• How can we make it possible for every man in every small church to be discipled as a Godly man, husband, and father?

• Who are the leaders who are going to make it happen?

• What are the delivery mechanisms?

• How can we communicate with their leaders?

• How can we make it economically and practically feasible to train their leaders and get them the discipleship resources they need?

No doubt, figuring out how to systematically disciple the millions of men in smaller congregations is a huge problem, but it is also a huge opportunity. And the fate of their families may well depend on how we address this issue.

His and yours,

Pat Morley, Ph.D.

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Each week, Pat shares biblical insight and encouragement on leading issues impacting men on Man2Man Express with Brian Doyle and David Beguerie. Click here to listen to Pat's latest broadcast.