One Size Doesn't Fit All: Bringing Out the Best in Any Size Church (Paperback)

~ Gary McIntosh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Gary McIntosh has done it again with his book entitled, One Size Doesnt Fit All. For whatever reason, most pastors dream and pray towards seeing their ministry grow in influence and numbers. There is nothing wrong with that. At best a small church is a distant cousin of the larger ministry. While sharing some things in common, their diversity must be understood if their ministry is going to realize all that God intended it to be. "Whats good for the goose is not always good for the gander. Dr. McIntosh has the ability to analyze the similarities and differences, surface the important differentiating factors and communicate them effectively to the broader church public. I believe Dr. McIntoshs book will encourage the churches regardless of their size to accept their limitations of their demographics and build solidly on those principles and practices that address their specific individual needs. One Size Doesnt Fit All will encourage, break the complacency of others, and hopefully refocus churches on the realities of their mission accepting both its limitations and potential. Each size ministry has its unique opportunities and its consistent problems. What works on a size C ministry may not be effective at all in a size A ministry. Dr. McIntoshs insights and analytical abilities enable him to surface for us those non-negotiables that must be in place if a ministry of any size is going to be blessed. Building on the non-negotiables are the unique characteristics of the individual church of whatever category. -- Joe Aldrich, president emeritus, Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary

Gary McIntoshs book, One Size Doesnt Fit All, is the easiest and most informative book on church leadership I have ever read. Why didnt a few seminary professors teach me this stuff twenty five years ago? It would have saved me and some parishioners a lot of grief along the way. Garys description of the small, medium, and large church with its needs and expectations is a gold mine of practical insights for all pastors, no matter what size church they lead. This book will be a classic in the area of church leadership and growth. -- Dr. Michael Bradaric, senior pastor, Magnolia Baptist Church, Anaheim, CA

If only I had been able to read this book eighteen years ago when I became a pastor. What a difference it would have made! This is the most significant book Ive read in the last twenty-four months. It is a must read for every pastor, lay leader and committed church member. I intend to use One Size Doesnt Fit All extensively as I help churches to grow. This book has my enthusiastic endorsement. -- Dr. Mark Belokonny, church consultant

In this book Dr. Gary McIntosh uses his warm conversational style and vast years of experience in church analysis and consulting to provide a book of wisdom for pastors. We dont need more church growth information, but we do need more wisdom to apply the principles of growth and leadership in the unique context of the churches in which we minister. I believe Gary provides this wisdom in One Size Doesnt Fit All. -- Dr. David H. McKinley, senior pastor, Boca Raton Community Church, Boca Raton, FL

Nobody knows the organizational structure and social dynamics of the church better than my friend Dr. Gary McIntosh. I highly recommend this insightful book, which will enlighten your understanding of the critical differences that exist between various sized churches and how they function. -- Dr. Neil T. Anderson, president and founder, Freedom in Christ Ministries

Reading this book and gleaning its insights into the churchs orientation, structure, direction, growth, and so forth will save the so-called experienced pastor as well as the new pastor much frustration and pain in leading and ministering more effectively in the local church. -- Aubrey Malphurs, professor, Dallas Seminary and President of Vision Ministries International

The church is one of the most important institutions in our society today. In a world thats changing so fast, we need a little help in making sure the church stays on course. Gary McIntoshs new book One Size Doesnt Fit All is helpful to the small or large church trying to grow. This easy to read parable will help us bring out the best in our churches, no matter what their size. -- Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager

Theres something here for all churches. This book is an insightful resource for pastors, church boards and staff, and people interested in church growth. -- CBA Marketplace, July 1999

This book is a process of wisdom for church leaders in understanding the changes that impact churches at each stage of their development. This material was researched well, practical in nature and insightful for all church leaders. After serving in small, medium, and larger churches I wish that this material was available twenty five years ago. I wish every church leader would read and apply these principles. -- Dr. J. Michael Broyles, executive pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Santa Clarita, CA

This is absolutely a great book. Every denominational leader should make sure that their pastors have a copy of this book. It is the most enjoyable, practical, and capsulated version of church growth dynamics I have ever seen. I sat down and read through it in one sitting. It is great information encased in an enjoyable story. I know I will find myself referring to One Size Doesnt Fit All regularly in my ministry. -- Dr. Gil Stieglitz, senior pastor, Twin Lakes Community Church, Palmdale, CA

Product Description

Framed as a discussion between a pastor six months out of seminary and a veteran pastor, this book tackles the issues of how churches grow and how church size determines effective strategy for ministry. The pastors Saturday morning dialogues reveal ten areas that will help readers understand their own churchs psychology, addressing questions such as:

-How do churches grow?
-How does change take place?
-What is the churchs orientation?
-How is the church structured?
-Who sets the direction?
-What is the pastors role?

This is a vital resource for any new pastor, church planter, or lay leader concerned about his or her local church. Each chapter concludes with a Taking It Home segment.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Revell (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800756991
• ISBN-13: 978-0800756994
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #260,569 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical help for leaders in growing or "stuck" churches, May 6, 2000

By	Eddy Hall "Senior Consultant, Living Stones A... (Goessel, KS USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

McIntosh divides churches into three sizes--small (15 to 200 worshipers), medium (201-400), and large (401+)--then describes how what makes each size congregation tick is different. Obviously, any such generalizations are oversimplifications, but they are nonetheless useful.

In my work as a church consultant, I have used quotes and insights from this book to help churches understand what changes are needed to allow them to go to the next step of growth (for example, transitioning from decision-making by committees to decision-making by staff as part of the transition from medium to large) as well as to understand aspects of why the church has quit growing (for example, a medium-size church is clinging to ways of operating that are appropriate for a small church).

McIntosh makes this three-way comparison in 11 areas, including structure, leadership, primary role of the pastor, decision-making, etc. One of the simplest comparisons is that the small congregation needs their pastor to be a Lover, the medium congregation needs an Administrator, and the large congregation needs a Leader. This helps to explain, for example, how a Lover pastor who can grow a congregation from 50 to 200 may not be able to take the church further if he or she is not a strong administrator and continues to relate to members primarily one on one.

My one qualification about this material is that it seems to me that a number of the changes that McIntosh has described as taking place in the medium-to-large transition would serve the church better if they take place before the church reaches 400. (Perhaps the author is describing what is more than what should be.) For example, it seems to me a church that transitions from being committee-led in decision-making to being staff-led earlier than 400 is more likely to experience effective visionary leadership.

I use this material to help churches see why they are stuck, how their church culture will have to change to remove growth barriers, and to show some churches that certain changes in their culture/structure are overdue. This sometimes sheds light on why a church is feeling frustrated with structures and processes that used to work well when they were smaller.

If your church is up against any of these issues, this book is well worth your time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Falls Short, December 24, 2007

By	Terrance (Oregon USA) - See all my reviews

This book focuses on church administrative structure and related insights that are intended to smooth the path to church growth and making disciples (p. 11).

The book's older fictional pastor who presents McIntosh's ideas says: "'According to my figures, most churches could grow around 5 percent a year if they retooled and refocused their resources on making disciples.'" (p. 118)

What does "making disciples" mean. McIntosh doesn't really say. He doesn't look to scripture for ways of measuring success in making disciples. Even disciple making factors like difference in lifestyle from secular culture or biblical literacy are not used. Growth in church attendance is the only clearly defined goal.

To facilitate growth rate McIntosh looks to American corporate structure. The pastor is seen as a business administrator. Thus, the pastor of a church with 800-1,999 attendance needs to act like a corporate president, 250 to 349 attendance as middle manager, 200 to 249 as a supervisor, 75 to 199 as a foreman. (p.65) To be successful, the pastor must "'understand where the leadership power resides and work with it. . . .'" (p. 57)

So, what is the success rate for churches following the McIntosh plan? The book's young fictional pastor sees phenomenal growth--going from 35 in his church to 280 five years later--a 50% a year growth rate! As for real world success rate, McIntosh gives no stats from the 500+ churches he has served.

He does mention one real example of churches implementing a size-based strategy similar to his own. (p. 19) Unfortunately this mid-sized denomination posted a small negative growth rate from 2000 to 2005 (according to information compiled by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research taken from The Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches).

This book seeks to give pastors and churches helpful advice on being more successful at making disciples. Sadly, even in the limited area of church growth, the evidence points to major flaws in the plan.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pastor's Best Friend, June 8, 2006

By	R. Kirkham "jrkirkham" (Rushville, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Did I get your attention? I realize that the pastor's best friend is God and best human friend is a spouse. I realize the most important book in the pastor's library is Scripture. But this book is VALUABLE with big letters!

This book is valuable because it is solid and practical. None of it is novel. None of it is new. It is not experimental. It is all based on time tested proven data, readily available from a variety of sources and should be taught in any pastoral leadership course.

This book is valuable because it is written with an easy to understand, step-by-step style that will open the eyes of laity on church boards. I took my church boards through this book, 3 chapters/week for 4 weeks. By the time we finished we had prepared an action plan that is turning our church around.

This book is valuable because it lays down unmistakable guidelines to expose dysfunction. By the time our boards had finished this book there were few people who could hide dysfunction behind pious language. The people saw it for what it was.

DRAWBACKS:

The book does have a couple of drawbacks. It is written in story form. Some of my congregation did not like the story. They just wanted the meat of the material. Chapter after chapter added to one overall chart. By the time the book was half finished I had people who skipped the chapters we were on and went to the final chart.

RESPONSE TO CRITICS:

Most critics of this book point to its lack of theology and spiritual depth. That is not the point. Some pastors are competent but do not have a godly character. Others have character but lack competency. Some leaders have great personal spiritual depth, but lack public presence. Today's churches and church leaders need to have it all. Granted, this book has limited scope, but it doesn't pretend to be a theological work. It attempts to be a management tool. Leadership doesn't have to be "either/or", "it should be both/and".

ADVICE:

The drawbacks do not compare to the advantages. EVERY church board in EVERY church should go through this book, if for no other reason than healthy self-diagnosis.