One Size Doesn't Fit All: Bringing Out the Best in Any Size Church

The book is very helpful as I pastor a small church.It put things in prospective concening church growth.

This book offers many, many insights into the structure and organization of churches and the milestones that they need to prepare for as they grow. It has been immensely helpful to me as an elder, because it helps me to better oversee the church body given its size and current structure. It has also helped me understand what needs to change to help it function better (e.g. adding more staff, etc.).

This was a fantastic read in the dynamics of church growth. The book is a narrative of a dialogue between two ministers over the challenges and the opportunities for the various size congregations. The book basically deals with the small church 35-200, the medium church 200-400, and the large church 400-1000. The book talks about the process of growth with a practical understanding of the various situations and problems at each level. As I was reading the book, I was thinking that often different sizes congregations are trying to use small or large or medium methods to grow the congregation, but this is a pointless endeavor. This book was one of the most helpful books I have read on ministry in the last year. The sections on how are decisions made in the various size congregations was extremely helpful. The problems that one faces in the different sizes was excellent. The book deals with all the major questions one might have in helping a congregation grow. It dealt with how the minister should operate, to how the leaders perceive the church. This book will help any minister to engage in the best practices that will lead to growth in the congregation. Preachers quit beating your head against the wall and go buy this helpful book on church growth.

Did I get your attention? I realize that the pastor's best friend is God and best human friend is a spouse. I realize the most important book in the pastor's library is Scripture. But this book is VALUABLE with big letters! This book is valuable because it is solid and practical. None of it is novel. None of it is new. It is not experimental. It is all based on time tested proven data, readily available from a variety of sources and should be taught in any pastoral leadership course. This book is valuable because it is written with an easy to understand, step-by-step style that will open the eyes of laity on church boards. I took my church boards through this book, 3 chapters/week for 4 weeks. By the time we finished we had prepared an action plan that is turning our church around. This book is valuable because it lays down unmistakable guidelines to expose dysfunction. By the time our boards had finished this book there were few people who could hide dysfunction behind pious language. The people saw it for what it was. DRAWBACKS: The book does have a couple of drawbacks. It is written in story form. Some of my congregation did not like the story. They just wanted the meat of the material. Chapter after chapter added to one overall chart. By the time the book was half finished I had people who skipped the chapters we were on and went to the final chart. RESPONSE TO CRITICS: Most critics of this book point to its lack of theology and spiritual depth. That is not the point. Some pastors are competent but do not have a godly character. Others have character but lack competency. Some leaders have great personal spiritual depth, but lack public presence. Today's churches and church leaders need to have it all. Granted, this book has limited scope, but it doesn't pretend to be a theological work. It attempts to be a management tool. Leadership doesn't have to be "either/or", "it should be both/and". ADVICE: The drawbacks do not compare to the advantages. EVERY church board in EVERY church should go through this book, if for no other reason than healthy self-diagnosis.

This book is about the issues of church size and its effects on parish dynamics. The discussions of budget, finances, and church management are very useful as one considers stewardship issues and diagnosing the parish. It is written in the style of an experienced pastor giving advice to a new pastor, but the material is useful to laity, also.