For as long as I can remember church growth has been something that we have all discussed, strategized about, labored, and even toiled over. It's been a topic of great conversations in Bible college and in seminary and especially in staff meetings throughout the past 20 years of ministry. Every few years it seems like there's a new book that has the golden ticket or magical key that will fit the door to church growth. There are literally hundreds of books about church growth if not thousands that have been written through the years. If I'm honest, they are an incredible tool for church leaders to grasp onto however I believe scripture gives us the greatest advice about church growth that can be found.
I have been part of churches that number in the thousands and I have been part of churches that have struggled to be in the hundreds and the main difference is not the worship, or the facilities, or the lighting, staging, or even preaching. The difference between the growing churches and the dying churches that I have been a part of is that those that are growing have an outward focus and those that were dying were completely focused on themselves.
The truth is that the responsibility for church growth of course initially lies with the responsibilities and vision/mission that is handed out to the people from senior leadership but even then if not embraced, accepted, and owned by the congregation, growth will never happen.
Jesus gave us the "Great Commission" and the "Great Commandment". They go hand in hand. I would even go as far as saying that I believe without embracing and living a great commandment lifestyle a church will never be a great success and experience the kind of growth they want.
I know I am stepping on toes with what I am communicating...and that is okay with me because I say it with love and compassion. The mission of the church has never been about making disciples, growing them in maturity to only sit in the church. No! Without an outward focus, the generations to come will never have the opportunity to experience the blessings of a growing, healthy church family like you and I may have experienced.
We get so tripped up by focusing on our own feet that we become useless to the growth of the kingdom. Jesus is calling the church at large to do more. He is calling us to flood our communities with the love of Jesus. He is calling us to repentance for being so focused on ourselves that we have ignored those around us literally on the road to hell. We would rather have our own sacred idols that we hold on to while the world around us goes to hell. What is more important to you? A piece of property, a song, a pew, a style of worship, the comforts or preferences within a church, or the soul of your neighbor who is on their way to hell. We must be more about rescuing the perishing than comforting ourselves!
The key to church growth is you! The key to church growth is me! The key to church growth is loving others more than we love ourselves! The key to church growth is us getting off our lazy tails and going to those around us. We must literally flood our communities with loving relationships. We must serve them more than we serve ourselves.
When we go to them and they begin to see the ways God is moving and working, they will want to be part of the movement. Christ uses the body to grow the church and until we ALL take responsibility for our inward focus, repent, and love people with tenacity knowing their very life is at stake, nothing will change.
Who will we love most? Ourselves or our community? The choice is up to you.
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