Why is 1 better than 1,000? It depends on the context and situation. In the context of money, $1,000 income seems better than $1, especially if you need that to pay rent, mortgage, or for food unless you are being paid to do something evil! In the context of friendship, 1,000 friends seems better than just 1, unless those are 1,000 enemies who are imposter friends!
For Christian pastors, they need to process the question in the context of a local church. Is it better to have 1 or 1,000 people attending and participating together? It seems 1,000 would be, but what if that’s a false premise to even begin asking from? What if Christian pastors are to think differently that 1 truly is better than any since it depends on what the 1 is, or rather, who the 1 is. To a Christian pastor, God is to always be the most important one they serve, receive instruction, and be guided by.
If not, then what or who does a Christian pastor follow in leading a local church among an area of people? It has been proven, even over the recent history of 100 years, that local churches and pastors can be misguided and misguiding to people. When pastors begin to make church life and their life about the numbers of attendees to a church service, they then misalign the tasks associated to pastoring and reveal their underlying motivations lack God and make themselves or others a god.
So, this question is not mean to compare pastors and people to God but rather provide distinction for Christian pastors to discern motivations, methods, message, and mission. The important distinction helps determine and decide what direction they will go in serving among local churches and areas. Christian pastors will be tempted and trained in all various ways (goods, bads, and uglies), and more often than not, Christian pastors are trained or intrinsically concerned for the numbers of people attending church services on a regular basis.
Attendance, in countless Christian pastors’ minds and memory, has a direct impact on them, their schedule, the church organization, income, and overall influence (i.e. more the better). Numbers then become ‘a’ or ‘the’ goal for Christian pastoral leadership and exponentially multiples into priority while sinking into the mind and motivations for Christian pastors, influencing conversations, counsel, teaching, preaching, visits, relationships, ‘ministry jobs,’ and any other pastoral tasks and opportunities.
