Church Growth: Whose Job Is It Anyway?
Every day junk mail floods church mailboxes luring pastors to jump on the church growth bandwagon. Information on the topic constantly streams forth in the form of seminars, conferences, and books. Pastors and laymen alike are urged to model their church after the newest, trendiest, most popular methods used by other churches. Unfortunately, there is no end in sight for this downward spiral.
Many of the concepts of what we know as “church growth” were developed by Donald McGavran in 1955 [1]. His book The Bridges of God is the birth certificate of church growth theory and provides the history of this recent flare in the modern day movement [2]. Peter Wagner defined church growth as “that discipline which seeks to understand, through biblical, sociological, historical, and behavioral study, why churches grow or decline” [3]. The concept of church growth is probably not foreign to most Christians today. Yet the emphasis on programs, strategies, and methodology so often obscures the beauty through which the church grows organically. Gospel growth (which often begins with depth not numbers) is often shunned for other alternatives to Scriptural principles for kingdom-advancement.
Certainly there is a need for visible, tangible growth in the church. The way many churches approach it though, is not only unbiblical, but could be considered unethical as well. Instead, there is a more distinct, biblical perspective on church growth rather than the one that simply imitates what the church down the street may be doing. This approach is oriented around the question, “Who is responsible for church growth?”
Who Grows the Church?
“Who grows the church?” could be answered in many ways. Is it the pastor’s responsibility? Do the elders shoulder the task? Is it every member’s privilege? Any of these questions could be pursued as the answer to the dilemma. But when too much of the responsibility is placed on man, what role then does God play? Of course, to some extent, this question is answered in one’s theological views of God’s sovereignty, human freedom, and the issue of election. However, deciding where this responsibility of church growth lies will ultimately display an individual’s view on God and human beings as well.
The most crucial truth concerning church growth is that the church belongs to Christ. Thus, He is the only one who truly builds it. It was on the rock of Peter’s confession that He declared, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18). Scripture frequently mentions the foundational role that Christ plays in the growth of His people, especially in the New Testament. Yet the neglected point here is that this is God’s work. And the growth is about bringing Him glory, not man. The universal church consists of workers who are laboring for God, but God’s work in individuals’ lives brings true spiritual growth. Members of the church must be ministered to through pastoral care, teaching, and discipleship. Yet, it is Christ who is at the cornerstone of this activity (Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:4-5).
However, a trend has emerged in the past few decades that calls for pastors, elders, and church members alike to succumb to the temptation of unbiblical church growth. Whether it is through entertainment, enticement, bribery, or the lure of compromising theology and positive sermons, the church has allowed compromise often times in trying to offer larger (but not necessarily better) church productions. This flirtation with compromise, which many churches use to identify more with the world than the bride of Christ, has harmed the church’s integrity and dulled its message. Unfortunately it is not just productions, figures, or programs we are dealing with. Rather, it is the souls of men and women.
Biblical Foundations
One can see this concept inscribed in the book of Acts in the early days of the church. Phrases such as “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47) demonstrates that the Lord alone enables the growth, advancement, and building of the church. It does not come from business schemes, nor successful market-driven strategies derived from sociological studies. Consider 1 Corinthians 3:6: “Together we sow, and together we water, but it is truly God who provides the growth!” When individuals through the power and presence of God unite to further Christ’s church using means that may not be uniform in all churches, but that are biblical, God’s glory is seen in the church.
Of course, responsibility still rests upon a Christian, propelling him to evangelize, disciple, teach, and to obey the Great Commission. The remarkable privilege Christ instills within the early disciples is given even to the church today: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:18-20). This mandate in no way diminishes our duty to carry the gospel of Christ to unbelievers everywhere. However, the building and growth of the church is not dependent necessarily on our going, but rather on God’s going with us as we go, to build His church through His appointed means.
Will God Build His Church?
One of the most liberating experiences a Christian may enjoy is being freed from the performance-based trap of church growth. This enables God to be Lord over His church with Him at the center. This is biblical, but also practical and refreshing. Instituted by Christ Himself, this mindset frees Christians, pastors, and growth strategists from trying to generate what only God can produce and what we are inept at doing ourselves, which is to ‘grow’ the church. Individuals, no matter how gifted, cannot do the life changing, Gospel-growth of regeneration and sanctification. This is left to the Father alone through His Word. Preachers may preach. Teachers may teach. Elders may labor in the church. Members may devote themselves to spreading the Gospel. But no person can impart new life into another person or the church apart from Christ, His Spirit, and His Word.
This should not sound new to us. While it all seems very straightforward, it is uncommon in too many evangelical churches across the globe and in our own backyard. Flattering words are issued and endless strategizing occurs, but in becoming more resolute about “growing your church” leaders continually turn to what the professionals know best. The cycle continues. The belief that growth is the work of man drives us to new structures and new paradigms, promotion and marketing. We unconsciously adopt the slogan: ‘If something works, and if it is successful, that means that what was done has validated itself, and thus God has his blessing upon it.’ This, however, is problematic theology that exalts human technique rather than God’s power.
The obsession that has been created in the church is with what we must create or produce and therefore, what we control. This lie litters the dialogue among Christian leaders today. It is what pollutes the pages of Christian literature, and what entices pastors to the well-known, large conferences and seminars. Clearly there are many who end up in churches due to these tactics and strategies. However, the dubious ethics behind this allurement ignores the sovereign voice of God that still convicts through His Spirit and changes lives.
God’s Plan
God’s power working through Word and Spirit causes true growth in the church that lasts in a way that short-term techniques do not. The right preaching of the Word, authentic love in the church, and prayer in the Spirit ushers in lasting growth. On the other hand, strategies are temporal and ever changing. But God’s Word endures forever (Ps. 119:160; 1 Pet. 1:25).
The principle of church growth and what we may do to help facilitate it rests not in us. It is rooted in who we are and who He is. One might conclude, “Who we are is more important than what we do.” The integrity of Christian leaders and the church as a whole is more revealed in the faith one may show as true church growth is released to a sovereign God who loves his bride far more than our measly passion for her.
Being led and transformed by God is more significant to one’s sanctification than the know-how to lure more people into a church. The continued spiritual growth of an individual, from initial faith and repentance to spiritual maturity is partially related to their discipleship. However, their relationship with the Lord is not dependent upon any of those. It is the individual believer and the working of God through His Spirit that produces lasting impact in congregants and congregations alike. That’s when growth happens for the long haul. Allowing God to reign supreme over all matters, including church growth, means ultimately that He develops the focus for its existence and mission. That is not human growth, programmed growth, or even “church growth,” that is Gospel-driven, Scripture-saturated, Christ- exalting, God-honoring kingdom growth.
_______________________________________
[1] Thom Rainer, The Book of Church Growth: History, Theology, and Principles (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1993), 21.
[2] Donald McGavran, The Bridges of God (New York: Friendship Press, 1955).
[3] C. Peter Wagner, Your Church Can Grow, rev. ed. (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1984), 14.
For Further Reading
Mark Dever, The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005).
Kent & Barbara Hughes, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome (Wheaton: IL, Crossway Books, 2008).
Jonathan Leeman, Reverberation: How God’s Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People (Chicago: Moody, 2011).
Recent Comments