Reaching more people often means changing how we do things, and that’s not always easy. John Jackson, pastor of Carson Valley Christian Center in Minden, Nev., offers the PDF Breaking Growth Barriers, which gives concepts and ideas to help churches break some of the typical growth barriers. Most of the document focuses on churches with under 200 people (which account for 85% of churches), but it also covers the 200-400, 400-700 and 700-1500 barriers.
The site to frustrate, educate and motivate the church to communicate, with uncompromising clarity, the truth of Jesus Christ
Kevin D. Hendricks
When Kevin isn't busy as the editor of Church Marketing Sucks, he runs his own writing and editing company, Monkey Outta Nowhere. Kevin has been blogging since 1998, runs the hyperlocal site West St. Paul Reader, and has published several books, including 137 Books in One Year: How to Fall in Love With Reading, The Stephanies and all of our church communication books.
4 Responses to “Breaking Growth Barriers”
RC of strangeculture
May 28, 2006
Thank you so so much for posting this…it relates very much with were our church is at.
–RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com
Frank Johnson
May 28, 2006
Aggressive and successful outreach does not necessarily mean that individual churches will become large. In fact, the argument can be made that in the New Testament era, the opposite was true. Multitudes were reached but individual churches, meeting in houses, remained small.
What if the barriers to growth we often regard as hindrances are actually God-ordained? What if God’s desire is that individual churches remain small but the number of congregations be multiplied so as to saturate cities with gatherings of believers?
I would submit that the depth of Christian community which is foundational to effective outreach (John 17:21-23) is much more difficult to develop when individual churches become large rather than remaining small but multiplying themselves throughout a community.
John Jackson
June 7, 2006
Hey guys…this has been downloaded a BUNCH…thanks for the reference and don’t hesitate to connect any of your readers who will be helped to my blog at:
http://leadership.pastorpreneur.com
John Jackson
November 24, 2008
This booklet is no longer available. However, many of the concept are presented in expanded form in God-Size Your Church, which you can find on Amazon at
http://astore.amazon.com/pastorpreneur-20/detail/0687649099ooklet