The Rule of 150

According to Malcolm Gladwell, author of the book, TIPPING POINT, human beings are limited in the amount of information their brains can contain. Once humans “pass a certain boundary, we become overwhelmed.”

Maintaining a relationship with a best friend requires a minimum investment of time. Any more time spent requires drawing from a reservoir containing emotional energy. It is exhausting to care for someone deeply. Most people can handle deep, close, personal relationships with 10 to 15 others. After that, overload begins.

The amount of people with whom we can maintain a simple social relationship expands. Most humans can socially interact with approximately 150 people. As Gladwell says, these would be the people that you and they would feel comfortable getting together in a restaurant, should you accidentally run into them.

This number has held true in various cultures throughout the last several decades. This reality has social implications. Studies have indicated repeatedly that is hard to get more than 150 people “sufficiently familiar with each other so they can work together as a functional unit.”

Corporations exist that recognize the reality of the rule of 150, and organize their corporate culture around this principle. Gore Associates is a privately held, multimillion dollar high-tech firm based in Newark Delaware.

A major portion of their strategy has been this: in organizational planning and structure, observe the rule of 150. No single entity within the corporation grows past this point. If one plant approaches 150 employees, a new plant is built. When it approaches 150 employees, another plant is built. By doing so, Gore assures itself that each employee works well relationally with the other employees in each plant. Output is at maximum capacity.

I'm wondering if the rule of 150 has implications for church work. Perhaps, we in congregations would do well to organize ourselves in such a way that we assure that no member is expected to work with and relate well to more than 150 other people.

Perhaps it would be beneficial for leadership to emphasize community taking place within the context of small groups, Bible classes, shepherding groups, and other units of relationship. Maybe it is time we recognize that to expect our members to know more than150 other members is taxing. In doing so, we are placing a burden upon them they are not capable of bearing.

It could be for this reason the average church in the United States maintains a membership of less than 100. This is not to say congregations cannot grow larger than 150 members. Indeed, our church is larger than this, and I hope we grow to be even larger. There are many blessings a larger church can offer, unique to its size. I know, I have done foreign mission work with groups of less than twenty people. Believe me, there are limits to smallness!

Still, a church larger than 150 could be guilty of asking its members to offer more than they are capable of delivering. This is exasperating to them, and it reduces the ability of the church to minister. Ultimately, members typically express their frustration or pain by quietly leaving the church.

Maybe I should not be surprised to read about the rule of 150. After all, Jesus had huge crowds, but he did not pretend to know each crowd member on an individual basis. Instead, he sought to relate to people on a much more intimate level. He reduced the masses into a group of 120, then there were the 70, then there were the 12 apostles, then there were the three apostles closest to Jesus (Peter, James, and John), and then, finally, there was the disciple whom Jesus loved–John.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1.  TIPPING POINT came out a few years ago, but it is still extremely relevant. I found it a useful read and would recommend you skim it.

2.  Rangers win Game 5 against Tampa, lose Game 1 (heartbreaker!) against the Yankees, and then dominate Game 2. What’s next? Tonight, Cliff Lee vs. Andy Pettitte. It should be fun to watch.

3.  May a church never love me like the Dallas Cowboys love Wade Phillips.

4. Blessings to you, Lady Panthers, in your playoff game Tuesday night.

5. Thanks to John and Trish Eastland, I am in Dallas today listening to Troy Aikman, General Colin Powell, and more. This should be a good day.