The Myth of the 200 Barrier by Kevin E Martin

The Myth of the 200 Barrier by Kevin E Martin

This is the best book I have ever read on congregational development I wish I had written it. (Lyle E. Schaller, Parish Consultant)

The common experience of large congregations getting larger and small congregations getting smaller has given rise to the belief that growing congregations tend to hit a barrier at the 150-200 attendance mark. The dividing line in American Church attendance is 150 people on an average Sunday. Churches below this seem to have a harder time growing. Above this, churches seem to have an easier time growing. Trying to grow a smaller church can feel like trying to break through what Martin calls the 200 barrier. Martin explains that there is no barrier; there are just two different ways of being a church--the Pastoral Size church and the Program church. The Transitional Church is really a hybrid of these two cultures, and this dual nature produces stress and tension where the idea of a 200 barrier often becomes a self-fulfilling expectation.
How does the Pastor Size church culture really work? What are the key elements of the larger American Church? How does this create a large church culture that becomes self-supporting? Martin looks at these elements and shows how the Transitional Church can avoid mistakes in their effort to grow beyond the barrier, and why transformation and change is so difficult.
Drawing on sociological and anthropological studies about the significance of numbers in human organizations, Martin proposes practical steps that leaders of Transitional Churches will want to take.

Martin, Kevin: - The Rev. Kevin E. Martin serves as Assistant Priest for Christ Church Episcopal in Plano, TX, and is also the Executive Director of Vital Church Ministries whose mission is to encourage and equip church leaders to fulfill the Great Commission. He is a well-known preacher, teacher, author, and consultant throughout the nationwide Episcopal community.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780687343249
ISBN 10	0687343240
Title	The Myth of the 200 Barrier
Author	Kevin E Martin
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Abingdon Press
Year published	2005-10-01
Number of pages	136
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.