Most churches face growth barriers when attendance reaches 100, 200, 400, 1,000, 1,500 and 2,000. These barriers come at key moments and require that a church make adjustments to successfully navigate the difficult transitions required.
Growth barriers are often specific to the context created by different attendance numbers. Other aspects of church growth barriers can be generalized to include common themes across almost all of them.
Several resources addressing growth barriers, along with a summary of the most important barriers identified by each author, are provided below.
“7 Internal Barriers to Growth in a Church” by Thom Rainer
Thom S. Rainer Blog (August 31, 2015)
- Growth Barrier 1: Facility Barriers
- Growth Barrier 2: Governance Barriers
- Growth Barrier 3: Staffing Barriers
- Growth Barrier 4: Cultural Barriers
- Growth Barrier 5: Church Calendar
- Growth Barrier 6: Worship Times
- Growth Barrier 7: Website Barriers
“5 Barriers to Church Growth” by Nelson Searcy
Outreach Magazine (November 14, 2012)
- Growth Barrier 1: Space
- Growth Barrier 2: Self-Development
- Growth Barrier 3: Sharing
- Growth Barrier 4: Worship Service
- Growth Barrier 5: Staff
“30 Barriers to Growth” by James Emery White
Church and Culture Blog (April 15, 2013)
- Growth Barrier 1: Teaching
- Growth Barrier 2: Assimilation
- Growth Barrier 3: Invitation
- Growth Barrier 4: Evangelism
- Growth Barrier 5: Structure
- Growth Barrier 6: Location
- Growth Barrier 7: Facility
- Growth Barrier 8: Atmosphere
- Growth Barrier 9: Worship/Music
- Growth Barrier 10: Children’s Ministry
- Growth Barrier 11: Student Ministry
- Growth Barrier 12: Participation
- Growth Barrier 13: Serving Recruitment
- Growth Barrier 14: Internal Communication (among staff)
- Growth Barrier 15: Communication to Church Members/Attenders
- Growth Barrier 16: External Communication
- Growth Barrier 17: Marketing
- Growth Barrier 18: Discipleship
- Growth Barrier 19: Next Steps
- Growth Barrier 20: Vision
- Growth Barrier 21: Mission
- Growth Barrier 22: Internal Morale
- Growth Barrier 23: Volunteers
- Growth Barrier 24: Staff Morale
- Growth Barrier 25: Staff Quality
- Growth Barrier 26: Leadership
- Growth Barrier 27: Volunteer Leadership
- Growth Barrier 28: Macro-Thinking
- Growth Barrier 29: The Relay Race
- Growth Barrier 30: Prayer
“8 Reasons Most Churches Never Break the 200 Attendance Mark” by Carey Nieuwhof
Carey Nieuwhof Blog (September 30, 2013)
- Growth Barrier 1: The Pastor Is the Primary Caregiver
- Growth Barrier 2: The Leaders Lack a Strategy
- Growth Barrier 3: True Leaders Aren’t Leading
- Growth Barrier 4: Volunteers Are Unempowered
- Growth Barrier 5: The Governance Team Micromanages
- Growth Barrier 6: Too Many Meetings
- Growth Barrier 7: Too Many Events and Programs that Lead Nowhere
- Growth Barrier 8: The Pastor Suffers from a Desire to Please Everybody
Growth Barriers (Books)
George, Carl F., How to Break Growth Barriers: Capturing Overlooked Opportunities for Church Growth (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993).