E. Size of the Congregation The size of a local congregation determines the number of leaders needed to shepherd the flock, and it may determine whether or not a pastor needs financial support from outside the church. As a local church grows, elders and deacons need to be added. If the church grows to the point that a pastor can no longer attend to the multiple needs of the congregation, additional workers are needed. Such additional workers maybe specialized in accordance with their gifts. Elders should be sensitive to filling the needed positions in a growing church. There are various ways in which to address the needs for leadership in a growing church. A congregation may relieve some of the teaching responsibilities of a pastor by utilizing volunteer teachers in small groups that meet in homes or other locations. Some people have described such small groups as being like cells in a physical body. As cells grow, they divide and multiply. Ina similar way, as a small group in a home grows to about 15 people, it divides into two groups of 7 or 8, and the two new groups grow and eventually multiply into 4 groups. This cell-group method of managing church growth has been very successful in some places. Another way to address the needs of a growing congregation is for the church to commission a portion of a congregation to establish anew church. Smaller churches tend to grow faster than larger churches. So as a church grows to the point of needing an additional pastor, a group forms anew church with anew pastor. For additional information on church leadership and organization, seethe following web page. http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=533 As is true of any website that we reference, we may not agree with everything on the website, but the website contains useful information.
Page 5 of CHURCH LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION - Church Organization 1/7/2012 http://test.missionstraining.org/churchLeadership/ChurchOrganization.php
