So far we’ve looked at the essentials for breaking three barriers: 200, 500, and 1,000 in worship. We’ve learned that each barrier builds on the essentials of the previous two barriers.  Any one of the essentials that is missing will make your leadership much more difficult. Now, it’s time to look at breaking the barrier of 1,500 in worship.

Essentials for breaking the 1,500 in worship barrier:

1. The church should never put ministry on hold while in a building program.
2. The church always finds ways to grow even though it may be out of room.
3. The church needs an executive pastor as well as a business manager.
4. Now the pastor spends upwards of 45% of his or her time on sermon prep and preaches around 38 times a year.
5. Systems to close the back door are in place and function well. When churches reach this size the number one problem is the back door.  So many people come in the front door and leave out the back door without anyone ever knowing they were there in the first place.  In a church of 1200, for example, the odds are that every month more than 2000 different people attend worship. The more a church closes the back door, the more people it will disciple over time.

From now on space will always be a major issue for the church, no matter how large it becomes.  Some of the main space issues are parking, hallways, and entrances and exits to the property.

Question: Of this list, which essentials do you think are most important for a church of 1,500 or larger? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.

You Might Also Like:

• Essentials for Breaking Worship Barriers: Part One
• Growth Barriers
• Does Jesus Believe in Church Growth?