I just want to thank all of you (over 600 senior pastors) who participated in one of my Top 3 Growth Barriers Webinars last week.  What an awesome experience!

Here’s one of the follow-up questions I answered about the SPACE growth barrier:

Q: As I was listening to you teach about the “space” growth barrier, I got to thinking about our situation and wondering if there is a “reverse space” growth barrier as well…

In other words, is there a point when the room is too empty?  At what point does the room feel so empty that the extra seats become another growth barrier altogether?  What can be done if “too much space” is having a negative impact to growth?

A: Thanks so much for logging on for the Top 3 Growth Barriers Webinar.  I hope you found it helpful!

Let me first say that your questions is a good one and it sounds to me like you’re asking the right questions trying to find out what’s keeping your church from growing.

Here’s my basic advice on this issue: It’s easier to make a large space feel smaller than to make a small space feel big.

If the space is too large, there are some very practical things you can do to “shrink” the area.

One great technique for shrinking the space is to put up pipe and drape (like you might see at a trade show) to cordon off part of the space so you have about twice as many seats as you need.  If you have the measurements of your building, a company like Georgia Expo can supply you with the pipe and drape.

Let’s say you have 100 people, you would use the pipe and drape to shrink the room to 200 seats or so.  As your church grows, you simply move the pipe and drape back, opening up more and more seats.  This does a great job of creating the smaller space and gives you plenty of flexibility to expand as you grow.

We use this technique at The Journey’s Brooklyn location and it works great.

I have also used custom chair covers to cut off the chairs in the back of the room (forcing people to sit toward the front).

I hope that helps!

P.S. You can learn all about SPACE and the other 8 most common growth barriers that all churches face, regardless of size, in The Growth Barriers Workshop.

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.