The church is not called to grow nor to shrink but to be the church. I heard this line from a professor nearly 20 years ago, and it has stayed with me. Granted, I always haven't embraced this approach. I'll admit it: I've been driven by fear to embrace a plan promising church growth. Nonetheless, I've frequently come back to this central thought. It has kept me grounded.
Making growth your goal can be toxic. Churches committed to nickels and noses can easily fail to be the church. Sometimes, churches need to slow down and be thoughtful. Focussing on nickels and noses might make this impossible. Also, what we are called to embrace as Christians might not result in numerical growth; it might even be detrimental to numerical growth (John 6:66). I outlined a book several years ago for the fun of it. The title is an attempt to be funny: "Your Church isn't Growing? Blame Jesus." The point is, Jesus is the hope of the world, but he is also a crucified savior, rejected by those who prefer business as usual. The Kingdom of God creates both friends and enemies. Growth should be a concern, yes. However, I'm not convinced it's a good goal in and of itself. Being faithful to Jesus' mission is a healthier goal.
Success-driven churches can easily lose a relational focus. In the church we have too many agendas that knock us off course. Jesus says in John 15:8, "In this my father is glorified, that you bear fruit and become my disciples." The fruit to which Jesus calls us in John 15 is living a life of love. What if the church stayed committed to this one simple agenda--living in God's love and sharing God's love. Perhaps fewer people would leave churches; and churches would be much stronger. You see, the church first and foremost is not about getting my needs met, nor is church about money, carpet or chairs. Fundamentally, church is about relationships and loving each other the way Jesus loved us. What if everyone simply wanted to grow in the sacrificial love of Jesus. Nothing else. What would the church look like?
Pragmatism is an idol in the church. I resent any seminar or conversation that begins with some story or guarantee on how this new plan will work. Don't get me wrong, I am interested in whether or not things work. However, I first want to know is this plan good. Does it reflect God and his dream for the world? Is it right and true to Jesus? Once I've heard the theological rationale, then I'm interested in how one might move forward with this new idea. We should never embrace something just because it works. Think about how far that logic will take you. There are lots of things that will work, but they might not reflect the God we worship.
Making growth your goal can be toxic. Churches committed to nickels and noses can easily fail to be the church. Sometimes, churches need to slow down and be thoughtful. Focussing on nickels and noses might make this impossible. Also, what we are called to embrace as Christians might not result in numerical growth; it might even be detrimental to numerical growth (John 6:66). I outlined a book several years ago for the fun of it. The title is an attempt to be funny: "Your Church isn't Growing? Blame Jesus." The point is, Jesus is the hope of the world, but he is also a crucified savior, rejected by those who prefer business as usual. The Kingdom of God creates both friends and enemies. Growth should be a concern, yes. However, I'm not convinced it's a good goal in and of itself. Being faithful to Jesus' mission is a healthier goal.
Success-driven churches can easily lose a relational focus. In the church we have too many agendas that knock us off course. Jesus says in John 15:8, "In this my father is glorified, that you bear fruit and become my disciples." The fruit to which Jesus calls us in John 15 is living a life of love. What if the church stayed committed to this one simple agenda--living in God's love and sharing God's love. Perhaps fewer people would leave churches; and churches would be much stronger. You see, the church first and foremost is not about getting my needs met, nor is church about money, carpet or chairs. Fundamentally, church is about relationships and loving each other the way Jesus loved us. What if everyone simply wanted to grow in the sacrificial love of Jesus. Nothing else. What would the church look like?
Pragmatism is an idol in the church. I resent any seminar or conversation that begins with some story or guarantee on how this new plan will work. Don't get me wrong, I am interested in whether or not things work. However, I first want to know is this plan good. Does it reflect God and his dream for the world? Is it right and true to Jesus? Once I've heard the theological rationale, then I'm interested in how one might move forward with this new idea. We should never embrace something just because it works. Think about how far that logic will take you. There are lots of things that will work, but they might not reflect the God we worship.
Simply put, the church is called to witness to the liberating light and love of Jesus that has come and is coming in his kingdom. The results are in God's hands. Some churches will grow, others won't. Much of it depends upon your soil. Bottomline, let's learn to be faithful to Christ. We don't have to win, we just have to be witnesses to the great story that Israel's crucified messiah is the Lord of history.
Peace.
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