You're probably familiar with the concept of critical mass. An obvious example in church life is that before you begin a second or third worship service, you'd better be sure you have a critical mass of people who'll provide the energy and sense of community to make it viable. Sociologists suggest that as few as 5 percent of people in a culture can change it, but critical mass is usually around 16 percent. The bottom line is that critical mass is important in many leadership, ministry, and social settings.

Last week I was with a group of megachurch pastors, interviewing them on how their churches had grown so large. Several pastors referred to getting the size of the governance board correct. For example, some had started out with 18 to 25 people and found that this was impractical and messy. While the theme of this series is Me to We -- moving away from pastor-centric ministry toward empowering and equipping others -- you need to be smart. More isn't always better. Sometimes, less is more.

If you get too many people involved in a governance board, chances are you'll have a critical mess, not critical mass. Some churches have by-laws that require a certain number of ministry representatives and any number of other organizational nuances. But as a leader it's your job to initiate the process of helping your church be more effective.

Obviously, churches run by autocratic solo pastors are dangerous, but having more than a dozen people on a governance board is bad stewardship in the other direction. Studies show that people interact the most when they're in groups of four. The more people you add, the less interaction there is. Group dynamics also change significantly after 10, so the larger the board, the more difficult it is to come to terms with a critical decision.

Now that I work for a Christian publishing company, I've had another view of group dynamics when it comes to making decisions on artwork, projects, marketing campaigns, and books. While you may want more people when it comes to idea gathering, decision-making is nearly always best with smaller groups. Larger groups take longer and the resulting impact is reduced because the final outcome is usually "the least common denominator," meaning that to get it passed, you have to take away creative and/or dynamic effects. Vanilla is the preferred color of larger groups.

As you look at your church's polity and structure, realize that the optimum "We" on a governance board is probably six to12. That means that if one or two members are absent from a meeting, you can still progress with a quorum. Too few and you're in trouble because of not enough input and ownership. Too many and you're vulnerable to politicking, lack of individual input, and bureaucracy. If you're in a critical mess, consider assigning an ad hoc team to come up with proposals on how you can hit the six- to 12-member critical mass for a governance board.

Alan Nelson is the executive editor of Rev! Magazine, the author of a dozen books, and has been a pastor for 20 years. email him at anelson@group.com or visit his blog, Rev! Unplugged.

ME to WE: A Pastor's Discovery of the Power of Partnership Explore practical way to move your church from a pastor-centric model to one that maximizes its volunteers, staff, and everyone in your church. Includes a variety of "best practices" from interviews with churches that have released their pastors from "doing it all" -- and successfully turned the way they do ministry upside-down. more here