• Managing growth adds the next most important thing. Managing shrink eliminates the least important thing—the easiest to cut is rarely also the least important.
• Two different ways to shrink are “tightening the belt” and “structural change”—we many times want to keep doing the same things, just more efficiently; but at some point we can’t just keep tightening the belt. For the life of the team we have to be willing to cut out an entire process or ministry in order to not be spread too thin.
• Figure out objective points at which you will pull the trigger on shrinking your team or your types of ministry—knowing some of these ahead of time allows people to prepare for the upcoming hard changes.
• Learn contentment with the spot you are in—apathy is a lack of care for where you are; discontent is being upset with God for the spot you are in. Our expectations often revolve around growth, but God’s plan is bigger than my life.
• Shrink tests what we are trusting in—if we trust the size or stability of our ministry instead of trusting in God, we should expect God to remove the idol in our life.

Closing Thoughts

• Ignoring shrink hurts people.
• Why you are shrinking requires honest evaluation.
• Some things can be more effective if they shrink a bit—in other words, growth can hurt success.
• Big is not always better—Jesus ministered to 12 disciples.