My question is this: Should a church grow or should it seek to maintain a "manageable number?"
The longer this man talked, the more it became clear to me that he really didn't want the church where he attended to grow, and by his own speech, whether he knew it or not, he told me more in the five minutes we spoke than the number of years I've been in ministry.
Some people don't want their church to grow, because if it does they will seemingly "lose" control of their small pond and quite possibly they will no longer know everyone's business.
Jesus wants every local church to grow! Every local church is networked to "the church" of Jesus Christ and it is His will that growth, both numerical and spiritual, takes place.
I remember a preacher telling me one time that "God wanted his church to be small." He felt that his church was one of the few remaining churches that was holding forth the standard of true holiness and therefore they represented a "remnant" that would not compromise. I stood there thinking, "are you serious?"
You really can't carry on a fruitful conversation with a person who is trapped in antiquity. It's easy to hide behind the mask of small mindedness when you have no plan of action to facilitate strategy or systems for success.
Ever run into those people that say, "The only reason that church across town is growing is because they've compromised! They've got all that loud music, words on the screen and they even drink coffee!" Honestly, it's all I can do to not just laugh out loud when I hear things like that. As if technology and coffee beans are Satan's tools to "undo" the church and it's power.
I believe Jesus was the most amazing teacher and leader that ever lived. His ways were innovative and His methods were beyond rational thought!
- He tells Peter - "cast your net on the other side!"
- Pete obeys and the catch is HUGE!
- So large, he had to help to get it all in!
Does God want me to catch
large numbers of people? Yes!
large numbers of people? Yes!
Jesus told Peter to "follow Him and He would make him a fisher of men!" WHY?
- Not so He could make him more disciplined.
- Not so He could make him more holy.
- Not so that He could make him a powerful scholar.
The reason is that Jesus wanted to make Peter
into a man that would lead others to Him.
into a man that would lead others to Him.
Do you realize that the purpose of the church is NOT so we can:
- Have our four and no more.
- Prophecy gum drops and sugar plums on each other in the comfort of our "churchified clichés."
- Make comments like, "I want more worship...I want to go deeper...I want...I want...I want..."
Friend...if you've been saved - then church is no longer about YOU - getting your spiritual fix and weekly goose bump cannot continue to be our focus.
One of the reasons that some churches aren't growing is because we are more inward focused than outward focused. I've preached in that church. There is more focus on what we do "in the house" that "out of the house." Thus, we have too much time on our hands, twiddling our thumbs and conjuring up more rules, regulations and resolutions than actually focusing on people!
It's easier for people to get into Heaven than it is for people to get membership in some churches.
We make up and cling to rules, regulations and laws that require acrobat skills and jungle gym contortion to navigate through in order to gain membership. (I realize we must have guidelines...but what if those guidelines are so stringent and stale that they drain life instead of give life?)
Church is not about what we want but what He wants. Jesus wants us to love God and love others - not just the "others" like us...but those far way from Him!
In Luke 5 - the catch of fish was so big - I don't think this is coincidental! Jesus is into us reaching LARGE numbers of people! He wants His church to reach the world!
Is our local church too big?