"Here is a brief description of each of Rothauge's four sizes and my understanding of what members expect of clergy in each size. As clergy move into new congregations they will profit from watching how a congregation's expectations of its clergy, growing out of the church's size and consequent dynamics, begin to be projected their way. "
Article online: How to Minister Effectively in Family, Pastoral, Program, and Corporate Sized Churches
Roy M. Oswald, Senior Consultant, The Alban Institute
From Action Information,
Volume XVII, Number 2, March/April 1991, pages 1–7
Volume XVII, Number 3, May/June 1991, pages 5–7
A September, 2001, report from Alban Institute, based on a study of issues in professional religious leadership in many denominations. Indicators include shortage of clergy, quality of pastoral leadership and retention of women in ministry.
Excerpt: "In light of the seemingly paradoxical realities of sea change and crisis, of ferment and turmoil, those who lead congregations—as well as those who support congregations in judicatory, denominational, seminary, and independent roles—face an important set of challenges. The recruiting, training, and support of new leaders require major changes in our assumptions, behaviors, and the systems in which we live."
The Leadership Situation Facing American Congregations
An Alban Institute Special Report
The Leadership Situation
Roy Oswald, Alban Institute consultant, provides an overview of congregational size, then applies this to the role of the professional Leader and the Society's expectations of the Leader at the different sizes. The second part of the article focuses on professional Leadership role changes when a congregation's membership is declining and its size profile changing.
Excerpt: "The theory of congregational size that I find most workable is Arlin Rothauge's, described in his booklet Sizing Up a Congregation For New Member Ministry.1 It was originally written to help congregations recognize the different ways different-sized churches assimilate new members. When a theory is on target, however, it so accurately reflects reality that it can be applied to other dimensions of a church's life and work. Rothauge's theory elicits consistent "ache's" from clergy who are reflecting on their transition from one size parish to another. Whether churches are growing or downsizing, congregations hold on to deeply engrained assumptions about what constitutes a dynamic church and what effective clergy do. The inflexibility of these expectations is an important cause of clergy malfunctioning.
"Rothauge sets forth four basic congregational sizes. Each size requires a specific cluster of behaviors from its clergy. The average number of people attending weekly worship and the amount of money being contributed regularly provide the most accurate gauge of church size. Since membership rolls fluctuate wildly depending upon how frequently they are evaluated, they cannot provide an accurate measurement of congregational size. Rothauge also holds that a church's size category is a matter of attitude as much as numbers."
How to Minister Effectively in
Family, Pastoral, Program, and Corporate Sized Churches
How to Minister Effectively
Roy M. Oswald, Senior Consultant, The Alban Institute