Customer Reviews

The Myth of the 200 Barrier: How to Lead through Transitional Growth

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I would subtitle this book, "How to Think Like a Leader." Written in a very readable style, Kevin Martin invites the reader into the thought processes of a pastor leading a church in the 75-225 average Sunday attendance range.

Acknowledging that one size does not fit all in terms of churches as well as leaders, this book shows that different pastoral leaders do, indeed, have different gifts, and that there is not one certain type of mold that pastors of growing and healthy churches (these terms are not necessarily synonymous)fit into.

Particularly for the pastor who feels that he or she is "stuck," this book gives a variety of suggestions of getting "unstuck" without having to change everything wholesale.

Many resources on the 200 growth barrier in churches focus on the barrier. Sometimes, it makes the barrier seem so large that it is impossible to get through. Martin instead focuses on the underlying health of the church in transition and gives practical advice for increasing overall church health, structure, and thought processes. It also focuses on the stress of living in a transitional sized (140-225) church environment.

Martin takes a real look at this dynamic without the pep talk mentality of many other resources.

The title of this book is quite frankly uninspired. I expected a discourse on programs and ideas on how to set up a church-growth strategy.

This book was so much better than I had anticipated.

Instead of proclaiming that bigger is better, it spoke about what church health looked like at every level. Instead of blithely saying that every pastor could lead a church into the high hundreds or thousands, it recognized that a pastor's faithfulness is the goal, not just growth.

Yes, the book discusses how to lead through transitional growth (and the distinction it makes between congruent and transformational growth is VERY helpful). Yes, it demonstrates the sociological reasons why churches tend to fall into certain size ranges, and it teaches pastors how to set the stage for future growth to the next size. But the author has his priorities straight. Growth for its own sake is not promoted. Rather, the book promotes faithfulness to God where the church is right now as the highest good.

On top of all that, the writing is engaging and interesting. At times, the book is even somewhat devotional.
Highly recommended.

This is a must-read book for any church leader (pastor or lay elder). Instead of simply assuming that growth is always good, this book demonstrates, through the latest research on organizational development how churches of different sizes meet different needs, and require different leadership styles. It also shows why congregations may grow or resist growth and what are healthy sizes for each type of church.
This is a clearly written and easy to read book which would assist pastors and elders to understand why their church is growing or not, and to decide whether or not they wish to make the changes necessary to move to a different level in church size. While it does not set out a formula for church growth, this book does model some approaches and identify some important leadership areas that will need to be considered in transforming from one church size to another.

Martin does an excellent job helping understand the difference in "thinking" of smaller churches and more middle-size churches. We used this for a leadership summit and found it excellent for discussion. Though I think he somewhat goes against his title of the myth of the 200 Barrier (I think he would describe it as a barrier of 150 - 225), his discussion helped us analyze some of the history of our church and why we may struggle to move forward with church growth.

This is the best book I have read concerning the 200 Barrier. Miller goes beneath the surface to reveal a greater understanding of the changes that must first take place in order for a church to grow pass the 250 mark. Extremely insightful and very helpful. Highly recommended.