The Parable of Congregations

Note: Management guru Peter F. Drucker says that the size of an organization's management challenge isn't measured by the organization's dollar volume; it's roughly proportional to the number of people in it.

Once upon a time, a regional Church leader established three new churches. For each of these he designated a pastor, and then helped the pastor form a congregation. He gave each pastor the same speech: "You know that I want this congregation to do mission and to grow. When I return, I will hold you accountable for your congregation." In the first congregation, he left the pastor with 250 members; in the second congregation, 100 members; and in the third, 50 members.

Several years later, the Church leader again visited the congregations. In the first, he found that the membership of that congregation had grown substantially. In proportion to the increased mission being performed, the number of members had grown from 250 to 500. "Well done, you good and faithful pastor," he said. "You have made your part of our Church and its work grow by 100 percent, and that is just what Jesus assigned in the Great Commission. You have done well and I am pleased."

In the second congregation, the Church leader found that the pastor of that congregation had also caused the mission and membership to double, so that the number of members had correspondingly grown from 100 to 200. "Well done, you also are a
good and faithful pastor," said the Church leader. "You also have made your part of our Church and its mission grow by 100 percent. You have done well and I am pleased."

When he got to the third congregation, however, the Church leader found a different situation. The membership was precisely the same as when he had left three years before, and only the same original people were present. "What's going on here?" the Church leader demanded. "Your assignment was to make your congregation’s mission activities and membership grow." "I know, sir," the pastor responded. "But to make a congregation grow, the members must be pastored by someone who is highly-educated and experienced. Consequently, I myself stay in the office to take care of any new people who may come
in or existing parishioners who may need special attention. Once a week, I give an erudite sermon to the congregation, and during Lent. I also do Wednesday evening lectures. But I'm not sure the members are learning any faster than they're forgetting.
And no matter how many hours a day I keep the office open, I can't seem to get the congregation to grow. So I've got exactly as much money in the bank as when you turned the congregation over to me, and I still have all the members."
"That's not the point," said the Church leader. "You have failed in your assignment." And the Church leader assigned that congregation and its members to the first pastor, for, as he said, "To those who succeed at the mission, more will be given to do. But to those who fail, even their initial mission assignment will be taken away."

Ted Mollegen (with apologies to Matt 25: 14-30)
Stewardship Committee
The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut

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