10 commandments for the Mid-Size Church
(please note the lower case "c")
#1. The mid-sized church is different from other size churches.
(What may work well in the small or large church will not always work well in the mid-sized church. Indeed, to try and act like a small or large church, when the average Sunday attendance is between 150 to 300, is to guarantee poor ministry!)
#2. The mid-sized church must be intentional, if it is to offer effective and caring ministry.
(‘Intentional’ is a good word for the mid-sized church!)
#3. The mid-sized church must carefully welcome.
(New worshipers often come to church for the first time after experiencing a time of trial. Therefore, they need to be noticed and welcomed! But it is easy for members of the mid-sized church to overlook, or miss, new attenders. Greeters must be trained and all must welcome. The visitor needs to be noticed and welcomed by at least five different church members. “Hello! My name is (fill in your name)! I don’t believe we’ve met, what’s your name?” is a good way to first greet!
#4. The mid-sized church must provide fellowship opportunities for its members to get to know each other.
(In the small church, everybody tends to know just a bit too much about everyone! In the large church nobody expects to know everyone. In the mid-sized church everyone can’t know everyone, but everyone needs a small group to be a part of! These small groups provide for fellowship and actually do pastoral care. The mid-sized church needs to be intentional about creating small group opportunities and encouraging membership to join a group!)
#5. The mid-sized church must assist the pastor in offering pastoral care.
(In the small church, the pastor does all pastoral care and misses no-one, because everyone knows the need and many call the pastor. In the large church, staff attends to needs of the members and those in need know they must contact the church if their need is to be known. The mid-sized church, must work hard to notice needs that are not always mentioned and the officers/members must be trained to assist the pastor in the offering of care. Members of the mid-sized church must understand that their unmentioned needs may well be over looked, if they are not intentional about making their needs known.)
#6. The mid-sized church needs all active worshipers to be actively involved in at least one church ministry.
(The mid-sized church tends to have a chronic “worker” shortage! The small church isn’t all that interested in expanding programming, and the large church has lots of staff and members available, but the mid-sized church needs more programming and does not have the numbers of the large. In the mid-sized church everyone needs to be doing something!)
#7. The mid-sized church needs its members to offer it their full tithe.
(The mid-sized church also tends to have a chronic “funding” shortage! But then, since all churches - no matter what their size - are designed to run ministry based upon the tithes of membership, this is one area where what works for the small and large church, will also work for the mid-sized church!)
#8. The mid-sized church must welcome and be open to include children in its worship and ministry.
(A clean and well-staffed nursery must be provided for all church activities. Babies must be allowed in worship and their natural noise must be overlooked! Children need to be dressed as their parents deem appropriate. Indeed, the unofficial ‘dress code’ must be set aside and all need to be welcomed as they are!)
#9. The mid-sized church must actively invite others into its fellowship, ministry and worship.
(This is particularly necessary for Riverdale Presbyterian Church – given the reality that we are not located on a well traveled street! The small church tends to not reach out at all – that is one way it is able to stay small! The large church usually is located on a well traveled street and therefore, it attracts many uninvited visitors to its programing and worship. RPC must invite, for we rarely have any ‘walk ins.’ Intentional outreach – i.e our ‘welcome basket’ outreach to new neighbors – is a necessity!)
#10. The mid-sized church must understand that intentional efforts to become an effective mid-sized church are good for both membership and guests!
(Yes, simple human decency would challenge the mid-sized church to invite, welcome, fellowship, care for and involve everyone. But the mid-sized church must also understand that it is God’s Will for all sized churched to be the best they can be at their ministry! Indeed, our Lord, who cared for, welcomed, included, invited and challenged everyone to be part of God’s Kingdom did so quite intentionally! We but follow the good example!)
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