Rich Kao

Broad, not tall; out not up. We're aiming to be "flat & happy." In a city (Vancouver) where it's difficult to find land and develop space (zoning laws are highly restrictive; dozens & dozen of churches are meeting in existing facilities), we are aiming to thrive in spite of not having a building, or maybe as a result of being forced to be creative in our context.

Flat organizations are exciting.  It's people driven.  It's organic.  Ownership is spread out.  Overhead is low.  Each person acts as an ambassador, not the "staff."   The city becomes our "sanctuary;"  coffee houses, university canteens, community centers.   It's grass-roots and has more a movement like feel.  It's fun. 

More posts later on how we are looking to structurally and practically make our church flat.

Here's a snap shot of some church planting stats.  It goes against the oft quoted 80% failure rate (typically attributed to Acts 29 network).  In fact this study by Ed Stetzer shows only 20% failure rate after 3 years, with average attendance at 72 people.  Click here for snapshot.  Make sure to click on links Part 5 for full report (PDF) (very helpful).

Here's a great site for church stats by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

What's the average church size?  75

How many congregations are there in America? 335,000

If your church is under 100 members, you're in the 60th percentile.

If your church is between 100-500 members, you're in top 35% percentile.

If your church is over 500 people, you're in the top 4% percentile.

How much do much pastors make?  Small church pastors average just over $31,000 in total compensation.  Large church pastors (1000 or more members) make just under $82,000.  Interesting factoid:  Jewish rabbis make more than Catholic priests and Protestant pastors combined!

For more interesting and informative stats, check it out here.

This article from Scott Thomas, Director of Church for Acts 29 network (the one founded by Mark Driscoll). Great list, great thoughts.  A good pre-vetting list to evaluate yourself if you're called to church planting.  Click here.

According to a 2007 American Psychological Association study:

• A third of Americans report living with extreme stress.
• 48% of Americans report that their stress has increased over the past five years.
• 31% of employed adults report difficulty managing work and family responsibilities.

According to the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, 30% of workers say they are "always" or "often" under stress at work.

A 2006 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) poll discovered that "burnout from current job" and "difficulty balancing work/life issues" were among the leading reasons employees voluntarily leave their organizations, showing up as #7 and #13 respectively on a list of 25 possible reasons.

According to a 2007 CareerBuilder.com survey:

• The U.S. worker has the least vacation time of any modern developed society.
• A third of workers say they check in with the office while on vacation.
• 37% of all working dads reported that they would consider taking a new job with less pay if it offered better work/life balance.

According to a 2005 FORTUNE poll, 49% of the Fortune 500 executives surveyed are self-described workaholics. Still, there is some good news:

• 98% say they're sympathetic to requests from their direct reports for a better work/life balance.
• 73% believe it's possible to restructure senior management jobs in ways that increase productivity and make more time available outside the office.
• 87% believe that companies that do so will have a competitive advantage.

In a 2006 report by Sylvia Ann Hewlett, a fifth of high earners surveyed had "extreme jobs": logging 60 or more hours a week, many traveling regularly and maintaining fast-paced and unpredictable schedules that place them on call virtually around the clock.

What Is Burnout?
According to psychologist and counselor Dr. Audrey Canaff, "Job burnout is a response to work stress that leaves you feeling powerless, hopeless, fatigued, drained, and frustrated." And a team of psychologists in a major study on this issue reports that "Burnout is a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job, and is defined by the three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy." By contrast, its counterpoint is engagement, which is characterized by energy, involvement, and efficacy at work.

In today's hyper-competitive (and ailing) economy, we can easily fall prey to burnout that comes from information overload, "perpetual busyness," and constantly racing against the clock. In his book Crazy Busy, Edward Hallowell writes that being too busy can become a habit so entrenched that it makes us slaves to a lifestyle we don't like, but can't escape: "You can be so busy that you don't even take the time to decide what actually does matter the most to you, let alone make the time to do it."

Protection Against Burnout - Tips

Managing Yourself and Your Schedule

• Over-commitment: this often shows up as doing too may things, which often comes from an inability--or lack of resolve--to draw boundaries or say "no," or from being unrealistic about what it will take to complete projects.
• Resource issues: not having enough resources and/or not using them effectively (e.g., via delegation).
• Perfectionism: pursuing perfection instead of focusing on what's "good enough."
• Focus problems: focusing on things that are urgent but not important--and on things that just "come up" (e.g., simply responding to emails coming in versus managing your time according to your priorities); or procrastinating on things that are difficult.
• Manage your energy, not your time.  Find the little activities in your work day that provide "renewable energy."