Welcome to the online resource list for Alice Mann's seminar, "Raising the Roof," offered through the Alban Institute. As a seminar participant, you may find the following resources relevant and helpful. The first three are Alban books focusing on size transitions.

For more information or to obtain a book or video, click on the resource title. Or, if you prefer to obtain it from Amazon.com, click on "Amazon" at the end of the resource description.

This resource list is also available in a print-ready version. (You will need to have installed the free download, Adobe Acrobat.)
 

Raising the Roof: The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition (Book)
Alice Mann, Author. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2001.

Of all congregational size transitions, the "pastoral" (up to 150 at worship) to "program" (151 to 400 at worship) transition may produce the most anxiety. Based on 20 years of Alban Institute experience working with churches of various sizes, Alice Mann offers a handbook for managing the change. The first three-quarters of the book presents research, ideas, strategies, and tools for facing a pastoral-to-program transition—as well as a checklist to determine if that is what your congregation is going through. The final chapter presents a learning process for congregational leaders transitioning to the next size and planning future action.
Amazon
 

The In-Between Church: Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations (Book)
Alice Mann, Author. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 1998.

Alice Mann explores the hindrances arising in the "plateaus" between church sizes to form a glass ceiling against new member assimilation and participation. Plateaus occur as a congregation’s attendance wobbles between 50 and 70 (family and pastoral size), between 150 and 200 (pastoral and program size), and between 350 and 400 (program and corporate size). Mann explains that in a "plateau," the appeal of the previous size is compromised while the value of the next size is not yet realized. The author guides readers in addressing questions of whether their church should be growing, and discusses the "why," "what," "who," "how," and "time frame" of size transitions.
Amazon
 

Size Transitions in Congregations (Book)
Beth Ann Gaede, Editor. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2001.

An anthology of fifteen articles exploring the impact of size transitions on congregational life, this resource builds on Arlin Rothauge’s classification and functional definition of four size-based church types (family, pastoral, program, and corporate). A range of issues are addressed. For example, Theodore Johnson examines some common misunderstandings in Rothauge’s theory and offers a helpful methodology for making size transitions; Roy Oswald addresses what members expect of clergy in different size churches. Whether congregations are struggling to grow in size, experiencing rapid growth, or slowly declining in number, this resource will be helpful to leaders seeking to understand size transitions and the problems they create.
Amazon
 

Be Not Afraid!: Building Your Church on Faith and Knowledge (Book)
Fredric M. Roberts, Author. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2005.

Drawing on a study of eight mainline Protestant congregations, Fredric Roberts addresses the fears of failure that commonly beset church leaders. He also shows that the values of "success" in our culture often ring false in mainline churches. Misplaced anxieties based on wrong diagnoses of church problems can cause leaders to overlook real challenges. Roberts recommends that congregations work to discover their uniqueness and build upon the strengths that already exist. At their core, congregations have a radically different "bottom line" than other institutions and need to organize around their unique purpose. Be Not Afraid! will help churches rediscover their calling to be nurturing faith communities, committed to discipleship.
Amazon
 

Congregation and Community (Book)
Nancy T. Ammerman, Author. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1997.

The impact of social changes—in population, economy, and culture—on more than twenty congregations in nine communities throughout the country are studied in this book. With attention to such issues as changes in community racial composition, growing gay and lesbian populations in neighborhoods, transformation from rural to suburban cultures, an influx of immigrant peoples, and economic dislocation, the book identifies four basic approaches that congregations take in response to those changes: persistence, relocation, adaptation, and innovation. The great variety of choices made by congregations in similar circumstances is one of the many illuminating features in this book.
Amazon
 

Congregations as Learning Communities: Tools for Shaping Your Future (Book)
Dennis G. Campbell, Author. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2000.

Dennis Campbell introduces the reader to the "Learning Congregation"—a congregation that never stops learning and changing, but engages and responds to new information and opportunities. Such congregations recognize that their most important work in our rapidly evolving culture is asking and discerning what God is calling them to do. These are the congregations, argues Campbell, which will thrive. After a two-chapter review of systems theory and its application in faith communities, Campbell walks congregations through various forms of questioning that can help them understand God’s call. Campbell also examines the values and assumptions of congregational culture and helps congregations plan their responses to God’s call.
Amazon
 

Congregations in Transition: A Guide for Analyzing, Assessing, and Adapting in Changing Communities (Book)
Carl S. Dudley, Nancy T. Ammerman, Authors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2002.

Carl Dudley and Nancy Ammerman worked with some twenty congregations to ground this workbook in the real changes and challenges of congregational life. Change is a constant: congregational members and leaders make transitions over time, and people differ in their perceptions and responses. Dudley and Ammerman remind us that learning to understand and manage difference is crucial. Here are practical exercises that will enable a congregation to notice its perceptions about what is and what may be. Here also is guidance from which a congregation may gather data with which to inform, if not alter, its perceptions and feelings.
Amazon
 

Finding a Way Through Conflict (Web Resource)
Dennis L. Burton and M. Wayne Oakes, Authors. Cary, NC: Baptist State Convention of NC, 2002.

Based on the Role Renegotiation Model developed for business, "Finding a Way Through Conflict" outlines the stages through which relationships progress, emphasizing that disagreements and painful moments occur among even the most loving people in a congregation. When these moments happen, there can be "quick fixes" to patch things up. Often, however, there needs to be a planned renegotiation, whereby participants examine, clarify, and commit to new expectations. This Web resource provides processes and steps for such renegotiations, as well as suggestions for responding to communication problems and role confusion. Exit strategies for otherwise unresolvable situations are also discussed. Written for Baptists, this document is readily adaptable to other denominations.
 

How to Minister Effectively in Family, Pastoral, Program, and Corporate Sized Churches (Article)
Roy M. Oswald, Author. Action Information. March/April 1991. Vol. XVII, No. 2, pp. 1-7. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute.

The size of a congregation affects the ability of clergy to minister effectively. The skills and attitudes that are successful in one sized congregation are different from those that will lead to success in another. In part one of this article, Oswald provides a good overview of the different sizes of congregations—family, pastoral, program, and corporate—as first articulated by Arlin Rothauge. He describes clergy roles and congregational expectations in the different sizes. In part two, he discusses the changes that are necessary when a congregation's membership declines, changing its size profile.
 

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change (Book)
William Bridges, Author. Boulder, CO: Perseus Books, 1991, revised 2003.

In William Bridges’ model, transitions begin with an "ending," proceed through a "neutral zone," and then evolve into a "new beginning." Bridges focuses here on organizational transitions within industry (the psychological processes people go through to come to terms with a new situation), but his experience and insights readily apply to congregational life. "Managing" transitions offers a way to bring closure, let go, proceed through a dry period, and enter a situation of new personal and corporate opportunity. Persons applying this book to life in congregations can appropriate cases from their own experience and rework the assessment questions accordingly.
Amazon
 

Memories, Hopes, and Conversations: Appreciative Inquiry and Congregational Change (Book)
Mark Lau Branson, Author. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2004.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a powerful tool for strengthening congregations. Mark Lau Branson offers an account of how one Presbyterian church used AI to understand its history, encourage its members to discover and pursue their dreams, and call a new pastor who could help make those dreams reality. He explains that AI—an attitude as well as a process—broadly applies in many settings. Branson outlines a five step sequence: (1) focus on the positive; (2) inquire into stories of life-giving forces; (3) locate themes and topics for further inquiry; (4) create shared images for a preferred future; and (5) find innovative ways to create that future.
Amazon
 

More Than Numbers: The Ways Churches Grow (Book)
Loren B. Mead, Author. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 1993.

Loren Mead presents four types of church growth: (1) growth of members; (2) growth by members; (3) growth as a church’s reordering of the way it works; and (4) growth as a church’s enhanced impact on the local community. After opening with case descriptions of example churches, Mead offers reflections and questions addressed to issues and types of growth in each case. One can work immediately with the book’s thirteen interspersed worksheets and four-part framework for conducting a parish "strengths-and-weaknesses" analysis. Board members, clergy, and others concerned with numerical, spiritual, organizational, and missional growth will discover powerful starting points in Mead’s questions and worksheets.
Amazon
 

The Myth of the 200 Barrier: How to Lead through Transitional Growth (Book)
Kevin E. Martin, Author. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Pres, 2005.

While some "size transition" theories hold that an average Sunday attendance (ASA) of 200 presents a barrier beyond which many churches cannot grow, this book holds that the congregation's culture—not its ASA—is the key factor in its growth or decline. Kevin Martin believes that churches growing beyond an ASA of 150 will become anxious unless their culture changes. He outlines the elements of a transformed culture—including the development of ministries that respond to human needs; an organized paid and volunteer staff; a "multiple matrix" system encompassing several small "congregations" within the larger congregation; and a commitment to excellence. Martin explores these elements and explains how they work.
Amazon
 

Natural Church Development: A Guide to Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches (Book)
Christian A. Schwarz, Author. Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1998.

Defining "natural church development" as "releasing the growth automatisms by which God Himself grows His church," Christian Schwarz draws upon international research, observations of nature, and scriptural study to outline the factors supporting church growth and health. These factors feature the eight quality characteristics that distinguish growing churches: empowering leadership; gift-oriented ministry; passionate spirituality; functional structures; inspiring worship; holistic small groups; "need-oriented" evangelism; and loving relationships. In growing churches, no one characteristic is most important—they all are essential and interrelated. This book also discusses the "biotic" (or organic) principles of growing churches and suggests ten action steps for allowing God to grow your church.
Amazon
 

New Perspectives on Breaking the 200 Barrier (Book)
Bill M. Sullivan, Author. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1998.

Bill Sullivan examines the decisions that affect congregational life in general and congregational size in particular. These decisions—called "choice points"—are not overt; often they are not conscious. Nevertheless they are widely believed, firmly held, and resistant to change. "Once the decisions are made, congregations appear to cycle up and down within the size allowed by the organizational issues of the choice point." If a church can identify and name the decisions that have stalled or prevented growth, they can change them. Sullivan emphasizes the importance of training both clergy and laity to understand the changes that result from growth. An accompanying teacher's guide is available on the related Web site, www.growthbarriers.org.
Amazon
 

One Size Doesn't Fit All: Bringing out the Best in Any Size Church (Book)
Gary L. McIntosh, Author. Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming Revell, 1999.

Gary McIntosh summarizes the differences in style and structure among different sizes of congregations, as well as typical obstacles to growth at each size. He also offers the most promising growth strategies for each situation. Framed as a dialogue between a younger pastor and a more seasoned mentor, the book features a conversational tone, a clear outline, helpful charts and diagrams, and "quotable quotes" highlighted in each chapter. One Size Doesn’t Fit All will be especially useful for clergy and lay leaders who are envisioning and planning growth or who feel confused and frustrated about the failure of their own change efforts.
Amazon
 

Rocking the Church Membership Boat: Counting Members or Having Members Who Count (Book)
Jan G. Linn, Author. St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2001.

Jan Linn urges congregations to revitalize the commitment level of their members by redefining church membership as a spiritual discipline aimed at "loving Jesus and loving the way Jesus loves." Through "covenant membership," congregants hold one another accountable for practicing this discipline in specific ways that are captured in the acronym, TEAM: Time in attendance, Energy in ministry, Attention in prayer, and Money in support. Covenant membership also involves pledging oneself to share in ministry and worship groups, serve as a positive force in the community, and witness to faith. True to its subtitle, this book points congregations toward "having members who count."
Amazon
 

Staff Your Church for Growth: Building Team Ministry in the 21st Century (Book)
Gary L. McIntosh, Author. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2000.

Presenting an approach to church staffing that is both functional and biblical, Staff Your Church for Growth helps senior pastors answer key questions about the "what" and "how" of multiple staff ministry. But it also addresses the "why" of multiple staffing, pointing to the needs in churches for a variety of gifts and ministries, the decline in church volunteer hours, the increasing number of larger churches, the higher expectations of church members, and the drop in church and denominational loyalty. Included are models for team ministry, guidelines for determining when to add staff, techniques for interviewing staff candidates, and steps for dealing with staff conflict.
Amazon
 

Twelve Keys to an Effective Church (Book)
Kennon L. Callahan, Author. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1997.

Twelve Keys is designed "to assist local churches in their strategic long-range planning to be effective churches in mission." It includes an overview of strategic long-range planning and twelve "keys" that distinguish effective and successful churches. The first, and most important, is having "specific, concrete, missional objectives." The other keys are: pastoral and lay visitation; corporate, dynamic worship; significant relational groups; strong leadership resources; a streamlined structure and solid, participatory decision making; several competent programs and activities; open accessibility; high visibility; adequate parking, land, and landscaping; adequate space and facilities; and solid financial resources. The book describes these characteristics and advises on how to achieve them.
Amazon
 

What Size Should We Be? Visioning the In-Between Church (Video)
Alice Mann, Presenter. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2000. 100 minutes.

Providing a solid understanding of size transitions, this video expands on many of the ideas in Alice Mann's The In-Between Church. Four foundational segments cover seven questions that churches need to address: "What size are we?" "Are we facing a size transition?" "What happens between sizes?" "Why are we stuck?" "Should we be growing?" "Why make the sacrifice?" "What will it take to make the change?" Three additional segments cover special issues: "Do we have space limitations?" "Should we add a new worship service?" "Should we add staff?" The accompanying leader's guide offers suggestions for using the video as well as preparatory exercises and follow-up discussion questions.
 

When Not to Build: An Architect's Unconventional Wisdom for the Growing Church (Book)
Ray Bowman, Eddie Hall, Authors. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2000.

When churches have space problems, the natural reaction is to construct a new building or expand existing facilities. Often, however, other creative and less-costly solutions exist. Ray Bowman and Eddie Hall offer information to help pastors, church leaders, building committees, and others find alternatives and avoid unnecessary costs. This expanded edition includes questionnaires designed to help congregations determine their motivation, readiness, and financial preparedness for a major building program. The authors provide a fresh take on how to use existing church facilities, making suggestions that have helped some congregations grow well beyond their initial space estimates. Included are examples of how churches are putting these suggestions to use. Also see the related Web site, www.living-stones.com.
Amazon
 

Who Is Our Church?: Imagining Congregational Identity (Book)
Janet R. Cawley, Author. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2006.

After congregations have examined historical and statistical information about themselves, and after they have articulated their core values, the question still remains: "Who are we, really?" Janet Cawley offers a creative way to answer that question. Drawing on composite congregational stories, she explains how to construct a metaphor of the congregation as a person and then apply that metaphor to generate options for future mission. She demonstrates that congregations with a clear identity—those that know and love who they are—can be flexible and respond to change because their basic sense of themselves is affirmed. They are then empowered to make faithful and appropriate choices.
Amazon