In our Americanized version of the New Testament church we often measure a local church’s health by how many people attend services, the number of programs that are offered, and the size of its budget, etc.
This should not be surprising as in our society we view the success of nearly everything by its size and how much it produces. Bigger is better! Growth is good! Or is it?
Kingdom growth is far more important than the numeric growth of a local church.
There was a time when I eagerly consumed church growth books and blogs. I attended more than one conference on the topic. At the time I viewed church growth (numerical growth) as key to a successful ministry. I was so misguided. Please know that I am not disparaging church growth experts. Most of them truly want to reach people with the Gospel and see the Kingdom of God grow. These are good and right motivations. The problem is that they often don’t have a right understanding of how the church should function. They view the success of the church the same way that our culture defines the success of any business or organization. Thus, their focus is on local churches numerically growing instead of Kingdom growth. They aren’t starting with key questions such as: Are new disciples being made? Are those disciples actively making disciples? How can we more effectively go to and engage lost people? There is nothing wrong with desiring to see a local church healthy and growing numerically. However, it must not be the primary focus.
Instead of church growth we should be focused on Kingdom growth. Our primary motivation as followers of Jesus Christ should be to see His Kingdom expand and grow and that may mean that a local church may not grow numerically. In fact it might mean that a local church needs to get smaller. I am not advocating that a local church should be a specific size. However, I do wonder if we were primarily focused on Kingdom growth, if there would be more smaller sized faith communities effectively representing the Kingdom of God in their unique neighborhoods and communities.
Church growth incorrectly views the church as an organization.
I recently participated in a training event for Christian business owners. Interestingly one of the presenters was a Pastor of a successful church plant. In four year’s time, he had planted a church that had already moved locations once and then had to do a large building project that they then outgrew which resulted in them starting a second campus. He walked through their growth strategy and outlined different organizational growth stages using a system outlined in a popular business book. The focus was completely on numeric growth as the measure of success. From his presentation it was clear that the numeric growth they had experienced meant that they had been successful. His advice was great advice for businesses but in my opinion it was terrible advice for churches. Why? Because a church is not a business. The church is not primarily an organization. It is a living, breathing organism. It is a living body of whom Christ is the head. When we read the New Testament, the functioning of the church is very different from a business. That is not to say there may be some similarities. However, the church’s primary function is to follow Jesus Christ, to love and serve one another, and proclaim His great love to a watching world. The church is His body empowered by the Holy Spirit. Marketing methodology, strategic plans, organizational charts, etc., are all secondary to the functioning of the church.
Defining success by the numeric growth of a local church is short sighted. As scary as this sounds, the success that we think we are having may actually be doing harm to the Kingdom of God. It is no secret that many churches that experience rapid numeric growth soon forget their mission. As a church grows the natural shift is to focus inwards and the needs of those with the church take precedence. Often this results in a major distraction from God’s mission as things like building a bigger building, adding more staff, or providing more programs to retain people take precedence over making and growing disciples.
When church growth is the focus it creates consumeristic Christians.
An emphasis on growing larger and larger congregations creates a culture of consumerism that runs counter to how the church of the NT functioned. When we become focused on numbers our values and motives start to shift. Much like the “influencer” who will do anything to get more followers. Instead of striving to make disciple-making disciples, we shift to trying to get more people to come to a service or event. Worship services become consumerist experiences where people come to be entertained or to feel good about themselves. The church becomes a crutch as people come to be taught about God with no expectation for them to go deeper in their personal relationship with Him or for them to go and make disciples.
When numbers and not souls become the goal we become pragmatic and will do whatever it takes to drive numbers higher. The end starts to justify the means. This creates a slippery slope that leads a church down a path that results in it striving to build its own Kingdom instead of the Kingdom of God.
A focus on church growth puts church leaders in a dangerous place.
A focus on numbers can drive the identity and ego of church leaders. As Tim Keller insightfully stated, “When you let success go to your head, failure will go to your heart.”
When church growth is the goal the identity of a Pastor or church leader can very easily be predicated on numbers. When this happens, an unhealthy mentality forms where a leader will compromise their values and even convictions. They start to see people as a means to an end. People become tools in service of the idol of church growth. Leaders will manipulate people to help them get more numbers and will dispose of those same people when they don’t. Loyalty to the organization and the leader is expected and demanded. When this happens, the leader is building their own Kingdom instead of God’s Kingdom.
Idolizing ‘growth’ is not the answer. Making church growth the primary focus is not going to produce a healthier church. If we really want to see healthy thriving churches, we must focus on following Jesus Christ’s example and submit to His authority. We need to communicate to all people the love of Christ. For those who do not yet know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, we need to demonstrate to them in word and action the Good News. When we keep our eyes on Jesus Christ we will hold the organization or form of the church loosely. The functioning of the church and expanding the Kingdom of God must be the priority.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:1-2
Written by Sam McKeen
