Spiritual Growth vs. Congregational Growth
This is a topic that requires much time for thought, reflection, and attention. I have read and heard various perspectives on this, and many of them (which speak from opposite ends of the spectrum) present valid points. I will offer a quick thought to the discussion.
I recently had a wonderful discussion on this with my coach, and I was asked how I measure our church's success. Well, my response was that I do not measure the success of our new church on numbers. My goal is not to create the largest congregation. My goal is for lives to come to Christ and be transformed from the inside out. With this ideological mindset, I find that a church can grow.
Ultimately, I measure success by the testimonies of the people. For example, someone from our congregation recently shared with me how they have seen their life change. This person is what we call at Arise an "unreachable." They grew up in a church where Spanish was only spoken, and this person eventually left the church at a young age because they did not understand what was being said. This person has now found a church where they are feeling whole in their identity and being discipled. Understanding this brief background, this person was on vacation one weekend, and instead of taking a vacation from God on the Sunday morning of their vacation, they took time in the morning to read the Bible, listen to what we call "Arise music" on their mp3 player, and took time to meditate and pray before heading out to the theme park. Wow! For someone who is now starting to build a relationship with the Lord, this is amazing. This is what ministry is about.
Now, this does not discount the importance of a church planter and/or pastor needing to be attentive to church growth as well. Why? Because if the church is not growing, there is a possible "red flag." The church SHOULD and NEEDS to be working to fulfill the Great Commission. If a/the church is not spreading the Gospel message, then a self-evaluation needs to take place.
What are your thoughts on this topic?
Post a Comment