People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
Churches Have Personalities
Just as human beings have unique personalities, so do churches.
by James W. Moss, Sr.
Let me begin by saying that no two churches are the same. There are no two snowflakes exactly alike. Each person is unique and different. Every church has its own character and individual attributes. Even two churches of the same denomination, about the same size, in the same community, will be distinctly different. There will often be more differences between churches of the same denomination than there are between churches of different denominations.
There are a number of personality tests. Myers-Briggs and DiSC are but two of them. They respect individual differences but also recognize that individuals who have similar personality traits will tend to behave in predictable patterns. Even though churches are very different, those with like personality characteristics will tend to behave in expected patterns.
The second learning from these personality tests is that there is no right or wrong to personality types. They just are. It has been tremendously freeing to me to understand that for myself and others. I believe that to be true of churches as well.
The church is not a building but people. The bethel or house of God is just the tool the church uses. People never called a building a church in the early years of the Churches of God. Why? A building is not a church. It is just the place the church meets. This issue sometimes confuses church people. I had made this presentation in a very large church. A leading layperson who had significant responsibility for the building came and talked with me. He said, "I’ve been so preoccupied with the building that I forgot that the church is really people. Thanks for reminding me." It is easy for heritage people, because of their attachments to things, to forget that the building is just a tool.
There are four major factors that drive the personality attributes of churches.
1. Spiritual Climate
Churches exist to foster Christianity. A spiritually healthy church will behave and act according to Christian principles. A spiritually dysfunctional church will act inappropriately. Significant prayer life, comprehensive Bible study, reaching out to lost people, and caring for the hurting are all signs of spiritual health.
2. Size
The size of worship attendance is one of the factors dictating the personality of churches. Various consultants, researchers, and writers have their own formulas for size. The following are basic sizes as I understand them, based on average worship attendance. Small churches are up to 34, 35-49, and 50-79. Mid-size churches are 80-99 and 100-149. Large churches are 150-225, 226-400, 401-800. Gigantic churches are 801-2,000 and 2,001 and up. There are basic traits that accompany each category with variations for each sub-group. I will write about this in the future.
3. Flow
The direction of the overall flow will affect personality. A growing church will tend to be optimistic and upbeat. They are a lot like an athletic team that is on a winning streak. They just believe they can and become more aggressive. These churches are characterized by the beginning of new ministries and expansion of services rendered. Participants frequently invite others to participate.
Declining churches frequently are involved in discontinuing or merging ministries. Few participants invite others. The attitude of declining churches depends on whether the decline came from benign neglect or conflict. Benign neglect is fostered by incompetence or neglect by the leadership. Conflict of course occurs when people are fighting or a church has been split. The atmosphere is not as harsh in the churches that have declined through benign neglect. Frequently healing is required before growth can occur.
4. Community Morale
The overall morale of the community is an important factor in a church’s personality makeup. A community experiencing positive population growth with a solid economic base will reflect that attitude in many of the churches in that community. Conversely, a church in a declining community with a shrinking workforce will also be reflective of that community. A church will have to work hard to overcome that spirit.
5. Pastor
Churches become mirrors of their pastors. They reflect the image of the pastor. Pastors who take a long look at the churches they serve see their own image reflected back. How does a church become a mirror for the pastor? A new pastor arrives on the scene. Certain people in a congregation will remain in the church though the new pastor’s style of ministry may be much different than that of the predecessor. If the style of ministry of the new pastor is substantially different than some members expect or desire, they will discard leadership roles, become less active, or drop out. New people who begin attending are those who appreciate the new pastor. Few new people spend much time with a congregation if they don’t appreciate the pastor. Thus, the church quickly becomes a mirror for the new pastor. This dynamic makes changing pastors extremely difficult. Every pastoral change is a trauma for someone. Longer pastorates reduce the number of traumas a congregation must experience.
Churches have personalities. They are as individual as people or snowflakes. But certain behaviors are predictable.
A Good Book: Aubrey Malphurs, Maximizing Your Effectiveness (Baker, 1995).
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Read about Jim's seminars and books.
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January 26, 1999. Volume 2, Issue 2. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.