Size Changes the Kind of Impact, Not the Amount

I recently boarded a small plane in Columbus, Ohio, headed home. I was already seated when a huge young man came down the aisle. He was a massive specimen of a human. 

A person next to me told me his name, and he currently plays defensive end for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He's 6'6" and 303 pounds. Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan all recruited him heavily, and unfortunately, he chose the Buckeyes. (I'm a Michigan grad.)

I watched him squeeze down that narrow aisle and thought, I would not want to run into him on a football field. His arms were HUGE. He's built to be a defensive end, and he'll no doubt play that position well in the NFL someday.

Then I thought about Russell Wilson.

Russell Wilson is 5'11" and 206 pounds. He led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win.

The defensive end’s size is a real advantage for the role he plays. Wilson's size didn't keep him from winning it all. Size affects the nature of your role. It doesn't determine the degree of your impact.

Why a Bigger Church Isn’t Necessarily Better

I've seen the same thing in churches. I've worked with congregations as small as 5 people and as large as 25,000.

A larger person isn't a better person. A larger church isn't a better church. Neither is a smaller person or a smaller church.

A larger church does have more resources. They often have more finances, facilities, volunteer man-hours, and reputation in the community. That positions it to fill a different role and make a different kind of impact than a church of very few people. But we must be careful not to call it a better impact.

How Small Churches Multiply Impact Through Leaders

This fall I'm speaking on the topic of "leading leaders." By that title, I don't mean telling leaders what to do. I mean studying them and creating an environment where they can flourish in their own strengths.

If leadership is influence, then all of us get to lead leaders. Every one of us influences people who will go on to influence others. That's what true leadership is about.

And that changes the size question. If leadership is influence, and influence determines impact, then a smaller church can make a tremendous difference by leading leaders.

I've had the privilege of working for and with a lot of very gifted leaders. Some of them read this blog, and I'm honored. I've often influenced leaders who eventually had far more influence than I ever dreamed or imagined. When I worked with them, that wasn't the case yet. But I was faithful with them where they were at the time.

What I Pictured in My 30s

In my 30s, I envisioned that I would be leading a large church. That turned out not to be my calling. My calling wasn't to lead a large organization. It was to make a large impact.

I now know that means influencing leaders, not being famous.

In the last decade, I haven't spoken to a group larger than 15 or 20 people. If I measured impact by the size of the congregation or the organization I lead, or even by the size of the audience I speak to, I'd be a tremendous failure.

But impact isn't determined by size. Size may shape the NATURE of your impact, but it doesn't determine the AMOUNT of your impact.

Impact That Shows Up Generations Later

For a smaller church, that impact may show up generations from now through the leaders they influence. It's no less significant than the impact a larger church can have. It just looks different.

Remember the defensive end and Russell Wilson.