Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/84

Contributor - Murray Moerman

Title - Staffing for Church Growth (Part 1)

Topic - Church Growth

Did you hear the one about the pastor who preaches, visits, runs the meetings, sweeps the floors, cleans the washrooms, administers the church office, and the people in the church wonder why the church isn't growing? It's no joke. A lot of churches expect the pastor to do this and more. Then they watch him leave, burned out, four years later, and are surprised that the church isn't any larger than when lie came.

Church growth requires adequate staff. Adequate staff will encourage and enable growth. Inadequate staff will keep numerical growth from happening. Why? Simply because just keeping the flock is more than a full time challenge. Adding to that flock from outside requires more calling, counselling, administration everything.

You may say: "We're not in a position to hire a pastor. it's impossible at this time." Before you become convinced of that, consider the following:

1. Staff does not need to be ordained. The R.C.A. requires only one ordained person per parish. Lay-staff are more economical, often more in touch with grass-root realities, and there is significant and growing evidence that lay-staff are more effective than ordained staff. (For example, Vineyard Ministries International, recently planted 60 new churches using 58 non-ordained and two ordained pastors. All 58 churches planted by non ordained staff grew more rapidly than the two churches planted by ordained staff! Most missionaries will also assert this to be true in overseas church planting situations.)

2. Staff does not need to be full time. You may start with a secretary who comes in one day a week and add one day each year until the position is full-time. (Parenthetically, if your pastor does not yet have adequate secretarial help, then you are employing the most expensive secretary around.) For every hour he is typing letters, duplicating bulletins, folding, stapling, filing, ordering supplies, etc., he is not doing the pastoral work You called him to do. There may be a semi retired person in your congregation who can help with evangelism and discipleship, pastoral care, counselling or hospital calling one or more days a week.

3. A staff position does not need to be a paid position. Every church has committed lay persons who volunteer their time and efforts to all kinds of community and service organizations. Why not the church? There may a widow, a young wife without children, a retired person or a teenager willing to commit two evenings an afternoon, or one day each week to fill a part time staff position without pay or for minimal pay. Internships, and Ventures in Missions" programs and the like are also good ways to add short term staff.

Further, let me suggest reasons why you should consider adding staff in one or more of the above categories now, rather than waiting three or five 'Years to seriously consider the possibility:

1. Staff must be added before growth takes place. Research indicates that a church should have one full time staff person for every 150 persons in worship. If attendance averages 185 persons, the time to add staff is now to avoid a plateau at that level, and to help attendance grow to 300. At that point, another, at least part time, staff person should be added. Adding a staff person before the plateau comes helps the church anticipate the influx of new persons and provides a church environment to accommodate them. If a church permits the staff congregation ratio to reach 1: 200-250, it is unusual to see any significant increase in active membership.

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