Size Matters?

Thought this week I would share a few thoughts on numbers, on the things we measure, on attendance type stuff. So…

One time I was on a plane with a pastor of a church that had skyrocketed to about 3,000. Our church was pretty young and probably running around 400 or 500. So this pastor said to me, “Vince, when we first started I thought: If we ever get to 200, I’ll be satisfied. When we got there I thought: Well, if we ever get to 500, then I’ll be great. When we hit 500, I thought I would be content at 1,000. Then it was 2,000. Then 3,000. Vince, all I’ve experienced at every size is a strange sense of discontentment, even disappointment. Vince, you better find something other than the success and size of your church to give you joy.”

So be honest: Are you looking to the size and success of your church to give you joy? And, if so, when do you think you’ll figure out that that’s a game you just can’t win?