While I was contemplating this over lunch, I remembered something. I remember reading an article a few years a go and I can't find the link. I'll try to convey what the article broke down.
The notion was that leadership effectiveness is limited by the numbers. I remember the example being monkeys. Let's say you just love monkeys. So you buy a monkey. You love that monkey. He's almost like your best little friend. You adore him, he adores you. Then, you find a lost little monkey. Since you love monkeys, you take in the second monkey and now you and the monkey have grown to love one another. In addition, the two monkeys are best buds and adore one another. Then one day your friend gives you a monkey because they are moving to a place that doesn't allow monkeys. Now you have three monkeys, and all three of you are doing quite well. But as the days roll by for one reason or another... you keep acquiring more and more monkeys. You eventually have 10 monkeys, then 20. Then you find yourself with 40 monkeys and then 80. Eventually you get to the point wherein you cannot actually provide the emotional investment in every monkey that is necessary for happiness. Also, the limited time you get with each monkey only causes each monkey to feel less and less emotionally attached to you. You no longer have any best buds, now you have little mouths screaming for food, only to smile and run off to play with other monkeys after you've fed them. To make matters worse, some monkeys find it funny to throw poo at you when you least expect it.
I remember the article mentioning psychological dynamics that cause the average human being to only be able to forge around 120 true relationships at any given time. And at 120 relationships, each relationship is rather strained and isn't as deep as the original few, but they are sincere. At about 120, additional human relationships begin to replace one of the 120 in value or they remain relatively...
unimportant... on a subconscious level.
For example: You might start a church group with 10 people. It is exciting, intimate, edifying, loving, and almost like a family. As more and more people come into the mix the dynamic changes and soon you have 120 or more and it is more like a social club. At any given point in time... only 120 feel close to you. And at 120 you are less likely to extend the necessary emotion or care you extend to the original 120. Or number 121 demands so much additional care, one or more of the original 120 will suddenly feel as though they mean significantly less to you. Now, people are leaving out the back door as more people come in through the front door. Eventually you see 20 new faces... but only 100 of the original 120 faces. And the number is still only 120! You try harder to win more people... only turn around and see 50 new faces... but only 70 of the original 120 faces. And you're still at around 120!
Now the actual number might differ from leader to leader, but once the limit is reached, the dynamic is still the same.
What is a leader to do???? One of the wisest bits of advice in the Bible came from Jethro. He advised Moses concerning how to lead the people....
Exodus 18:13-27 (ESV)
13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”
24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.
To better meet the emotional and psychological needs of people, leaders often need to delegate. Moses delegated duties down to trustworthy dedicated leaders. This helped better meet the needs of the people.
Now, let's say that a pastor has 120 to 200 people. According to the article I read he's going to at least need an additional leader to help with meeting the people's needs. However, if the additional leader only connects with the same 120 or so individuals as the senior pastor... the remaining 80 still stand a chance of drifting away.
What to do? What to do?
Small group ministries.
Jesus directly ministered to only 12 disciples. And even within the twelve, Jesus had an inner circle of Peter, James, and John (consider these best buds).
Now, imagine if there were 120 in a single congregation under pastor and 12 elders. The pastor could teach and minister on the day that the entire group gathered together. However, during the week, 12 groups of 10 individuals could meet in a small group, each sitting under one of the 12 elders. The pastor could then rotate through by visiting one group each week as the special guest. This way each group never grows so large they lose a sense of closeness and intimacy. Also, each group gets a chance to have more participative 1 on 1 time with the pastor. Each elder could be responsible for Bible study/teaching and the ordinances of the church (baptism and Lord's Supper). They can also provide mentoring, but all serious counsel could be referred to the pastor. And, on a given evening each week (or once or twice a month) the pastor could meet with the 12 elders and provide a leadership focused study...like what we see with Jesus and the disciples.
Now, that establishes the network, intimacy, and closeness that keeps the fabric of the present congregation strong. But how can this body grow?
Traditional logic says, well, have everyone reach someone and bring them in! That's the mission. Under each elder is around 10 people. Let's say that each group grows by 1 extra within a six month period. That's 12 people. Guess what? Appoint another elder, he has a group ready. In essence, any group exceeding 12 people should be a strong indicator that an elder needs to be appointed over a new group. Essentially a congregation of 1000 people could meet to hear the pastor teach on Sundays... but be meeting in 100 different groups of ten throughout the city during the week.
A local house church network was set up much like this in Dayton, Ohio. The church had around 1,300 people who would meet on the main campus (a massive and beautiful church facility) every Sunday. But during the week, individuals were encouraged to attend any one of 78 house churches. You might say, "What about the remaining estimated 364?" Well, not everyone committed to a house church. Some only attended on Sundays at the main campus. And that's fine. But they were encouraged quite often to link-up with a house church. The pastor would often say, "Listen to me, if you want t truly feel connected and be blessed, I can only encourage you to join a house church. That's where the
ministry really takes place."
Now, they're Baptist. But I don't see why an Apostolic church couldn't build a sense of intimate community, multiply, and grow the same way.
Here's a link to this house church network that has truly blessed me and opened my eyes to what can be done through house churching. I have visited and still tend to visit several different house churches within their network. They are a great bunch of people and they really love Jesus. Yes, I think they need to be shown more light. But I've seen God move among them in spite of any doctrinal differences we might have with them. Here's their link:
http://www.apexcommunity.org/who-we-are/
Also, here's a video about this network: (This video was filed three blocks from my house, and the church building in the beginning is not their church building, it is a Methodist church where the Quaker group I like to gather with holds their meetings! LOL):
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