Charles Arn, President of Church Growth Inc., has written extensively on the topic of church growth. One such article, written for Wesley Seminary’s Wesley Connect site, focuses on the link between pastoral longevity and church growth. Multiple studies have found that the vast majority of growing churches are led by pastors who have been serving in their current role for five years or longer. Arn’s own informal study of the largest 25 Wesleyan churches revealed an average pastoral tenure of over 15 years.
So What?
Pastoral longevity does not cause church growth, but such growth is rather rare in congregations with frequent pastoral turnover. Arn suggests:
I believe there is a relationship between the three following statistics:
1. A pastor’s most productive time usually begins in years 5, 6, and 7;
2. The average pastoral tenure in Protestant churches is less than 4 years;
3. Nearly 85% of today’s churches are not growing.
Think about your own local congregation.
- Did your congregation grow, decline, or remain unchanged last year? What about each year over the last five years?
- How long has your senior minister served your congregation?
- Do you agree that it may take as long as four years for a new pastor to become highly productive in that role? Why or why not?