Inside the Large Congregation

by Susan Beaumont

For five years, Alban Institute senior consultant Susan Beaumont has been giving voice to the organizational and leadership demands of large congregations. Through her work, she has identified five basic leadership systems that need to stay in alignment for the large church to function well for its clergy leadership roles, staff team design and function, governance and board function, acculturation and the role of laity, and forming and executing strategy.

She has also learned that these five systems operate with some important but subtle distinctions in what Beaumont calls the professional church (400-800 in worship attendance), the strategic church (800-1,200), and the matrix church (1,200-2,000). Often, she has discovered, problems in a large congregation are related to the fact that one or more of the five systems is inappropriately structured for the size of the congregation. In other words, the church isn’t acting its size.

Beaumont is invested in helping large congregations “rightsize” their leadership systems to better serve their ministry context. This book articulates why size matters and how it matters in the world of large congregations. It is written for anyone who wants to better understand the leadership and organizational dynamics of the large church—anyone seeking to understand the challenges of leading from inside the large congregation.

Genres: Leadership

Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2011

Reviews

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skimmed in an effort to figure out staff moves. I am curious how staffing has changed for churches in the face of regular attendance being more like once a month. Are churches weekly attendance still a good measure of involvement?
The last 3rd was the most helpful in terms of knowing who you are and your purpose.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for more than just large sized

I lead a multi cell sized church which is a precursor to large sized described in the book. These principles are immediately applicable and will help me lead my congregation to the next size in a healthy and responsible way.so good!

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overrated.

[E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be super helpful in my new call.

[Roderick Wolfson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book for people involved in the leadership of large religious congregations (400+ members). The Rev Ms. Beaumont identifies the 5 key components of a worship community, discusses how they need to be aligned with the worship community's size, and describes problems/solutions when a component does not keep pace with change in the congregation. She ends with an excellent discussion on strategic planning. I highly recommend this to clergy and lay leaders.

[Ross Mckinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vey sensible guide to the management of large congregations. The sections on organization and strategic planning in general were great. I'm a church board chair, and this book will be very helpful. That said, as a cover to cover it's a good practical guide more than an enthralling read. So it's true to its purpose. I can recommend it highly.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explains well how large churches function.

[Matthew Poole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic understanding of the church organization and what congregational leaders need to pay attention to.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for my new job, but also excellent sociology of organizations.