My desire to develop an effective planning model for a small to medium-sized church has arisen from my own ministry experiences and the observation of the need of multiple congregations I have served as consultant or visiting preacher. My ministry has generally been with middle-sized churches. My first work was in a rural church of 150 members. In mentality, if not in size, that was a small church. During the next 15 years I worked with three middle-sized urban churches, with memberships varying from 150-225 as I began my ministry. (The largest of these grew to approximately 350 over the decade we spent together.) In the late 1980s I began work with a fifth middle-sized church, with an attendance of about 200 when I arrived. Eight years of ministry resulted in a 25% growth, which was followed after my departure by continued growth. That church experienced a 50% decadal growth. After a brief, seven-year time working in Christian higher education, I returned to ministry in a middle-sized church of about 250 in attendance in 2002.

I have had a continuing interest also in small churches. I grew up in a small church of less than 100. In fact, in my early youth, the church I grew up in had only about 50 in regular attendance. About 10 years ago, over a period of 18 months or less, I was assigned several speaking topics regarding the dynamics of the small church. I was completing doctoral work in the area of leadership cohesion, and perhaps the topic seemed a natural fit. Regardless, I found myself addressing topics such as Renewing Older Churches, Providing Help to the Small Church, and Leadership Dynamics in Small Churches. I simultaneously increased my consulting role with churches, and developed first-hand experience with churches primarily between 100 and 300 in size.

My experiences in ministry and consultation suggest that most churches of this size exist in a planning vacuum. Small and middle-sized churches can be independently identified through various factors or characteristics. It is also true, however, that small and middle-sized churches share several common features when it comes to planning. For example, one shared characteristic is a tendency toward frequent preacher changes. A second general characteristic is a tendency toward a plateaued or declining attendance pattern. Self-understandings are often similar.

The question that must be answered is "How can I help a small or medium church plan for effectiveness?" This study will attempt to answer that question by identifying the general characteristics of these churches and suggesting a planning model consistent with those characteristics. Since no two churches are identical, no planning model is universal in all of its details. The purpose of this study is not to develop a model with specific planning activities outlined, but rather to suggest a generic model of planning steps that can be adapted from use in churches of this type and size. Churches can incorporate into the planning process the goals, objectives, and principles unique to their situations. From this kind of planning comes vision and growth.

While this study is focused on the planning process of smaller churches, churches of any size will find the principles and observations here helpful in considering the way in which planning should occur.

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