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Great Commission Research Journal 
Volume 17 Issue 1 Article 7 
4-1-2025 
Book Review: De-sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became 
a Science, then an Obsession, and What’s Next by Karl Vaters 
H. L. Scooter Jr. 
Community Church, Santa Rosa, FL, assocpastor@srbcc.com 
Follow this and additional works at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/gcrj 
 Part of the Christianity Commons, Practical Theology Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology 
and Philosophy of Religion Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Scooter, H. L. (2025). Book Review: De-sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, then an 
Obsession, and What’s Next by Karl Vaters. Great Commission Research Journal, 17(1), 77-78. Retrieved 
from https://place.asburyseminary.edu/gcrj/vol17/iss1/7 
This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ePLACE: preserving, learning, and 
creative exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Commission Research Journal by an authorized 
editor of ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. 
GREAT COMMISSION 
RESEARCH JOURNAL 
2025, Vol. 17(1) 77-78  
 
 
 
 
 
Book Review 
De-sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became 
a Science, then an Obsession, and What’s Next 
 
By Karl Vaters 
Moody Press, 2024 
240 pages   
US $15.99, Paperback 
 
Reviewed by: Rev. Dr. H. L. “Scooter” Ward, Jr.  Scooter serves as associate pastor 
and minister of music to Community Church in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.  After 
earning his B.A. in Theology from Southeastern Bible College in Birmingham, AL, 
he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force.  He holds an 
M.A. in Christian Studies, an M.Div. from Luther Rice Seminary in Lithonia, GA, 
and a Doctor of Worship Studies from Liberty University in Lynchburg, 
VA.  Scooter and his wife, Amy, have been married for over twenty-two years and 
reside in Freeport, Florida. 
 
In De-sizing the Church, Karl Vaters has addressed the elephant in the 
sanctuary—the obsession with size comparison among churches over the 
last five decades.  He proposes an alternative solution to size comparison, 
which restores a Biblical approach for pastors to consider. No matter the 
size, God brings out the best in every church, making it shine brightly with 
His love and grace.      
The book, which won Christianity Today’s 2024 Award of Merit for 
the Church/Pastoral Leadership category, is divided into four main 
sections, which address the problem of idolizing bigness, the history of the 
Church Growth Movement, and its subversion by American culture, the 
effects of size obsession, and a better way forward through a concept 
Vaters devised called “de-sizing,” which he defines as: 
1
Scooter: Book Review: De-sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Sci
Published by ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange, 2025
 78 Great Commission Research Journal 17(1)  
 
the process of assessing the value of something without obsessing over 
numbers.  In the church, choosing to evaluate the health and vitality 
of a congregation, a denomination, or a movement without using 
attendance figures, percentages, or numerical comparisons as the 
primary consideration. (9) 
 
The bottom line of de-sizing is that “numbers are meant to inform us, 
not define us” (11). Size—big or small—is not the primary indicator of a 
church’s success or failure, respectively. In other words, “Church size 
matters the way shoe size matters.  It’s not about one size being inherently 
better; it’s about finding the right fit” (14).  The key lies in “seeing our value 
as Christ sees our value. . .who He is, how much He loves us, and the role He 
calls us to play in the great salvation story He is telling” (15).  De-sizing the 
Church offers a better way forward that returns the Church to its Biblical 
vision and mission, equipping church leaders to apply practical steps toward 
increasing its impact on the world. The appendix to the work contains a 
survey called “The Church Health Assessment Tool,” which gauges four 
main areas of church health: theology, leadership, mission, and attitude. 
This book is much needed because I believe its content has the 
potential to change the trajectory of the Church and redeem its Kingdom 
influence in the world. The biggest takeaways from the book are: 1) the size 
of a church does not matter as much as we have been conditioned to think 
it does; 2) the Church is one Body of Christ, a living organism, that should 
be evaluated with Biblical—not business—metrics;  3) the Kingdom 
paradox of being faithful in the little things (i.e., integrity, relationships) 
has a greater impact than the big things we emphasize (i.e., numbers and 
size); and, 4) “Discipleship fixes everything” (160).  
Karl Vaters expands the topics presented in the book through 
discussions with authors that influenced him on ten subsequent episodes of 
his podcast called The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith and 
Ministry. He broke from his bi-weekly schedule to offer these interviews 
weekly from April 4, 2024, through June 6, 2024, which coincided with the 
book’s launch.  These episodes augment the book and are equally enriching. 
I believe that this book takes a tremendous step toward guiding today’s 
church leaders in renewing their churches’ spiritual health. I recommend 
De-sizing the Church to any pastor or church leader. Keep cycling the book 
through your staff and leadership teams. Discuss and apply its content to 
your context.  It will equip everyone more effectively to fulfill their roles 
and evaluate the local church’s success (or failure) in preparing the Bride 
of Christ for his return. 
2
Great Commission Research Journal, Vol. 17, Iss. 1 [2025], Art. 7
https://place.asburyseminary.edu/gcrj/vol17/iss1/7


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This I know (Video)

Wesleyan foundations for faithful callings : worshipping in the beauty of holiness (Video)

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Consider the Lilies: How Jesus Saves People and the Land

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Book Review: De-sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, then an Obsession, and What’s Next by Karl Vaters

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