Church Size Does Not Equal Church Health

Whenever I attempt to better understand the culture in which I live and minister, a wise guide is a helpful—if not essential—resource. In his book, De-sizing the Church, Karl Vaters serves as such a guide, unpacking the church growth movement of American evangelical church culture, what the implications are and how we might move forward.  

More than 100 years ago, Donald and Mary McGavran served as missionaries in India. While there, Donald studied mass movements of individuals to Christianity. From these studies, he developed and answered four foundational questions that provided a framework on how people come to follow Christ. As outlined by Vaters, these studies and ideas—when combined with an American regard for growth and influence—have resulted in a default drive toward church “bigness.” This led us to equate size with health and growth with success. Vaters advocates that we decouple church size from assessments of health and emphasize discipleship as the core metric of church success. 

This book is accessible and thorough; however, it is not exhaustive or academically rigorous. Many of his sources are secondary rather than primary, and his analysis is unlikely to persuade someone outside his point of view.  

In many ways, this is a strength of De-sizing the Church, allowing a broad audience the opportunity to interact with Vaters’ insights. Ministry leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds, and in various paid and lay positions could easily use this book as the basis for many healthy and helpful conversations. Additionally, a pastor wearied by comparison and striving would not have to wade through an extensive historical survey to find an encouraging shift of perspective. 

De-sizing the Church has a dual focus—identifying some of the philosophical dangers presented by the relentless push for growth and proposing ideas for how we might move ahead in a healthier way. While both are helpful, both also seemed underdeveloped.  

As he recognizes the pitfalls of the church growth movement, Vaters spends too much time on practical advice rather than fully developing a way of thinking that would help displace the “bigger is better” and “healthy things grow” default. He could also have shortened parts of his church growth assessment, allowing him space to develop practical ideas beyond what in some instances seemed little more than a whiteboard brainstorming session. 

De-sizing the Church is a helpful guide for church leaders who want to understand the forces that often shape our decisions and priorities. For pastors feeling discouraged and disillusioned by a relentless push to expand, it serves as an encouraging read. If you care about the church today, it’s worth your time.