Social Brain Theory and the Size of Churches

I have recently become aware of an intriguing convergence between the Social Brain theory of Professor Robin Dunbar at Oxford, and the Congregation Size theory that has been developed largely in the USA.

Dunbar is best known for ‘Dunbar’s number’, 150, the number of people with whom we can maintain stable social relationships. However, Dunbar actually recognizes a series of numbers such as 5, 15, 50, 150, 500 etc. Each number represents a barrier. If you want to go beyond it, you need different bonding strategies that are more time-efficient, and the nature of your relationships changes.

Read Social Brain Theory and the Size of Churches in full on my website.

Churches and Mental Health

I think that churches and other religious communities could do more to help people with minor mental health problems. Churches can probably make even more difference with mental though with physical health. The ‘walking worried’ (as one Psychiatrist I used to work with called them), are more numerous now than the walking wounded. And there is such a close intersection between mental and spiritual aspects of health that I think churches could really make a difference in this area.

Read the full article on my website.