Sunday Reflection: When 20% Carry What 100% Were Called To

A Word Before We Begin

My heart is for the house of God to thrive. What follows may sound like strong critique, but it comes from love, from study, and from the many stories people have shared with me over the years.

As one who has studied churches, I sincerely believe the 20/80 imbalance is one of the greatest hindrances to church growth—both numerically and spiritually. I also believe we are living in a time when we cannot afford to settle for 20% of the people carrying the mission. We need 100% of the body showing up, serving, and growing.

This reflection names the problem, but it also points to a solution. My hope is that pastors, leaders, and congregants alike will read this as a resource—not to wound, but to awaken.

This begins my series on Ignite the Church

The Imbalance

I have discovered that in many churches, there’s an imbalance: 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work.

And it doesn’t just wear people out—it starves discipleship. It keeps spiritual formation shallow. It burns out pastors. And it leaves gifts buried that God intended for His people to use.

I’ve also heard of leaders who won’t let people serve unless they are giving “consistently”—or if they are not giving at all. But here’s the truth: some may not be giving because they don’t feel they belong. They refuse to fund their own oppression—just like keeping their dollars out of Target or Walmart. Jesus never used giving as a criterion to lead or serve. Peter denied Him three times, and still Jesus discipled him and handed him the keys to the Church. When we make giving the gatekeeper, we risk missing the shepherd boy—or girl—still out in the field. And this is one way the 20/80 imbalance has been created.

Why Home Doesn't Feel Like Home

Then there’s the “Welcome Home” slogan. So many churches use it. But what does home really mean?

Home is where you can move furniture, paint the walls, take responsibility for its care, buy new dishes, hang your pictures, and make the house better. In home, you have a voice and a say-so.

But in too many churches, “home” doesn’t work that way. The pastor acts as the owner of the house. He says: “We’ve got to pay the bill, so you need to give your money.” He points to the dishes: “They need to be washed, so you need to wash them.” He looks at the floors: “They need to be cleaned, so you need to clean them.”

And for the 80%, that doesn’t feel like home—it feels like duty. So they disengage.

Even some in the 20%—the faithful few who start out with energy—get restless. They sense there has to be more than just showing up Sunday after Sunday, Wednesday after Wednesday(the average mid-week church day), keeping the routine going. They begin to recognize that what was supposed to be home feels more like maintenance.

Why the 80% Step Back

And here’s another issue: too often leaders focus only on those who seem to be doing more and giving more—the visible 20%. And in the process, they ignore or dismiss the 80%. They never stop to ask: Why isn’t the 80% engaged?

Instead, they assume the 80% must be lazy, uncommitted, or unwilling. But what if it’s not that at all? What if they’re discerning?

What if they’re looking, observing, and realizing that some things simply don’t add up? What if they’re unsettled because they see red flags that others ignore?

And sometimes, this doesn’t mean they’ve never tried. There are people in the 80% who did show up, who did try to get involved. But they noticed that only a select few had a real voice. Only a select few were allowed to fully flow in their gifting. Only a select few were trusted to “make the house their home.”

And when that happens, it paralyzes the system. It becomes harder and harder to stay motivated when Sunday after Sunday, Wednesday after Wednesday, you see the same faces doing all the work—not because they’re the only ones willing, but because they’re the only ones allowed.

This is another reason why people disengage. Not because they don’t care. Not because they don’t want to serve. But because the culture of the house doesn’t make room for them.

And maybe this is the deeper issue: the 20% may have actually fallen into groupthink.

Groupthink happens when people go along with the group to keep peace or avoid conflict. They stop questioning whether the direction is right. They just keep the system running, even if it’s broken. And in the process, the 20% become more loyal to the routine than to the Spirit.

And let’s be honest—if the 20% are the ones who never say no, never question, never imagine something different—then that’s not heroism, that’s conformity. That’s not faithfulness, that’s captivity.

Meanwhile, the 80% aren’t necessarily uncommitted. Many of them have become disengaged because they are discerning. They see patterns in ministry that don’t align with God’s heart. They notice when systems elevate productivity over presence. They sense when leadership is more focused on control than on Christ.

The 20% keep moving because that’s what they’ve always done. But the 80% step back, not because they don’t care, but because something inside them says, “This isn’t the way.”

The Real Issue

And that’s the real imbalance. Not just numbers, but posture. A group that has fallen into groupthink, and a group that has discerned that something is off.

The imbalance is not a people problem—it’s a discipleship problem. It’s not the 80% who are broken; it’s the disciple-making process that needs to be reformed.

And yes, I know there will be pushback: “You can’t please everybody. You’ll never get 100%.” But this isn’t about pleasing everybody. This is about creating the kind of environment where integrity, transparency, hospitality, and missional imagination make space for the Spirit to move.

When that happens, people don’t just “help out.” They come alive. They see the hands and feet of God moving in everyone, not just in the faithful few. They are drawn into the house of God because they see the move of God.

The Solution

There is hope—because there is a solution.

This imbalance can be overcome, but not by pushing people harder or guilting them into service. The solution is to reform the disciple-making process.

• A process that takes everyone who is a part of the congregation deeper in their spiritual formation so they develop intimacy with God they discover who they are in Christ.

• A process that helps them discover their gifts and where those gifts fit in the life of the Church.

• A process where shared leadership is practiced, so responsibility is carried together, not hoarded at the top.

• A process of true assimilation—not just adding names to a roll, but helping people find a place where they belong, where their voice matters, and where they can grow.

And I want to be clear: I’m not talking about some far-off dream. I’ve seen it happen. When I studied one of the fastest-growing churches in America—a church plant—they launched with 100 people, and everyone was actively engaged. That church group grew exponentially, with a need for a third service, after just three years. The church hadn't just grown numerically; the people I interviewed (randomly) also had spiritual depth.

When I asked people about their involvement, no one said, “I don’t know where I belong” or “I don’t know what to do.” They knew their place. They were flowing in their gifts.

Was the process perfect? No. Every church has weaknesses. But it showed me this: engagement at that level is possible. Not only possible—it’s powerful.

I know the toll this imbalance takes. It doesn’t just exhaust congregations—it frustrates pastors. It creates restlessness in leaders who long for something deeper but feel stuck in a routine. It drains energy, creativity, and joy out of ministry.

But here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to stay that way.

I have no problem being a resource to pastors and leaders who feel trapped in this cycle. I know what it looks like, I’ve heard the stories, and I’ve seen the weariness. And I also know that when discipleship is reformed—when formation, gifts, shared leadership, and true belonging take root—the Church comes alive again.

Reflection Questions

For the 20%:

• Am I serving out of calling, or have I slipped into groupthink?

• Where do I need to recover courage, imagination, and discernment in my service?

For the 80%:

• What do I need in order to re-engage?

• What would help me feel at home—valued, heard, and called into my true gifts?

For Pastors & Leaders:

• What am I willing to do to move beyond groupthink and activate the 80%?

• How will I reform our disciple-making process so that every voice matters, and the whole body comes alive to lift Jesus?

God’s house was never meant to be a place where only a few carry the weight. It was meant to be a true home—a faith community where:

• Everyone is engaged.

• Everyone serves according to their gifts.

• Everyone grows in belonging, not in being used.

Let's build together: Stop burning out the 20%. Ignite the 80%. Let’s have a conversation if you want to turn your 20% into 100%.

📩 joycelyn@joycelynignites

📲 Facebook: @joycelynignites