We all desire to have our churches growing. If not, there is something wrong. Your call and profession might need a review. Growing a church is Biblical, and an imperative from our Lord. However, we also need to discover what it means to "grow a church." Most people consider numerical growth, and for good reasons. Numbers means success most of the time, and the more you have the more to whom you are ministering. Nevertheless, is that the main reason for growth? Well, see for yourself. Carefully read Matthew 28:18-20. Diligently examine each word. What does it say? The emphasis is on spiritual growth! Discipleship! When we are reaching all we can, all over the world, we need to be teaching them, not just corralling, and counting them!
These principles take into account the American way of life and our culture. It is sad, but true that most Christians are not mature in their faith. Over 80% come to church just to sit in the pew, either because they do not have the time to be further involved, or they do not want to be convicted or bothered. In any case, the secondary goal of the Christian life and experience is to grow in maturity and sanctification. This is rarely sought. The first goal should be our salvation and acceptance/election of our soul. Thus, the primary goals in church growth are the spiritual growth of the congregation, and growing in the Lord. When this is taking place, the numbers usually follow, because people are following the Lord and reaching out.
When I say, immaturity, I am comparing U.S. Christians to the early church, and the people in the world wide persecuted church. There is a vast difference between Christians suffering in Sudan, in mortal danger, meeting in tents and basements to worship Christ, versus the Christian in the U.S., who complains about the color of the carpet and then is attracted to a charismatic personality, unconcerned about Biblical truth.
Because of our immaturity, we have to realize how our culture works and work within it while still being true to the Word. We must also cater to people's comfort level. If people are not comfortable they will leave. You do not want people to leave for merely immature reasons. We cannot expect Christians, even those who may be mature, to have the focus and strength of a Christian in the underground church in China. Now, this is not to say that these things are shallow or wrong. They are not; they are facts of life. A genuine, committed Christian may or may not desire to spend all day on a cold floor, or meet in a basement. He may prefer to be in a comfortable room. We must strive to provide a comfortable environment, so that it can be conducive to outreach, since people are drawn to comfort rather than discomfort. (I need to say that this may sound harsh, but keep in mind that I work with and minister to and visit pastors all over the world for this ministry. There is a big difference in having visited a worship service in a cold, damp basement with members hiding from political authorities in a Middle Eastern county, people willing to risk their lives for the faith, and then coming back to my church here and hearing people complain because the room temperature is five degrees off!)
To use these Growth Principles
suggestions, ask yourself, your leadership team, and your people this one question,
"What Does a Healthy Church Look like?" Then listen for the feedback.
Go though each of these suggestions, find out where you and your church are,
and what will it take to implement the suggestions. For further help, read Preparing
the Pastor and Church Leadership to Grow! and, A Primer on How to
Lead and Manage the Church.
Forty-four Proven and Effective
Biblical Church Growth Principles that Work!
Ideas to consider: (Romans 12:18;
14:18-19; Ephesians 4:3; Hebrews 12:14)
1.The number one reason for church
growth is the preaching ability of the pastor. (Luke 3:1-7)
2.The number one reason why people
stop coming to your church is conflict and gossip! (James 3:5-6)
3.The number two reason that people
leave a church is poor "people skills" of the pastor and/or
leadership, because they do not manage the conflicts and gossip! These poor
"people skills" will cause the majority of conflicts between that pastor
and the people. (Matthew 5:9)
4.The Bible must be taught in such a
way that it is real and can be applied to the lives and situations of the
people. You are to equip and disciple people, not just in the basics of the
faith, but also in how to be Christians in their families, work, and
relationships. They must be taught how to be effective Christians, and how to
live their lives to His glory! (Psalm 119:9-12)
5.Preach holiness, how to worship,
how to deal with sin, how to relate to one another, and how to love one
another, while modeling it yourself! Evangelism, stewardship, and discipleship
come out of these! As people are transformed, they can be taught and motivated.
(Jeremiah 33:6; Romans 7:12; Galatians 3)
6.The best growing churches in the
world have solid Biblical preaching at their core. These churches do not water
down the Gospel so much that you cannot see the lifted cross! They do not
overemphasize the seeker and ignore discipleship!
7.Real, heartfelt, God exalting
adoration must be the focus of the worship service. It must never lift up the
leaders or be a performance to entertain. It is God who is the audience and we
are the people who are to praise and glorify Him! We are still to make our
services friendly and innovative, as there is noting wrong with plays and contemporary
themes as long as the service glories Christ and is not a medium just to
entertain the people. Remember, the congregation is the performer, the worship
team is the leader, and God is the audience! Don't mix these up! This is where
all of the church growth and spiritual growth principles come to their focal
point--the reason for discipleship, and maturity. All that we do in the
church--from faith, fellowship, and outreach to facilities--come to this point
and reason: TO WORSHIP CHRIST! (Psalm 138:1-4)
8.You must have a well thought out,
empowered vision and mission statement with a clearly defined purpose, and
strategies on what God has called you to do and be. It must be real and
authentic, and you must be willing to act on it. It is one thing to write it
out, but another thing to act it out (see the article on Preparing the
Pastor and Church Leadership to Grow)!! (Hebrews 11:1-2)
9.Teach and model passionate
spirituality. The Christian life is not meant to be dry and mundane. Even the
Puritans were vibrant, just read their writings! Your job is to convince the
people in your church to grow beyond just doing their duty to achieving
spiritual passion and conviction. (Phil. 3:7-11)
10. The training, discipling,
recognition, and encouragement of the church are critical roles for the pastor.
If the senior pastor feels he does not have the gifts and abilities to equip
and train others to do ministry, then he needs to build a team around him that
does! If the training is not done, the church will fail! Some pastors are great
teachers, but cannot do anything else. A pastor must operate in his gifted
area, and encourage others who will compensate for him in the areas where he is
weak. He must always strive to give support and to do the rest of these bullet
points! (Romans 7:4-6; 1 Corinthians 10:14-16; 12; Ephesians 4:9-16)
11. Have a system of pastoral care
to train your staff and leaders to immediately respond when they hear of a
church member, especially another leader (most churches neglect their leaders,
thinking they are OK and do not need anything!) or someone in their family with
a pastoral need or emergency. Assign a key person to be in change by 24-hour
shifts. Have a contact list and trained deacons or care workers to be ready to
act when the need arises. No one is self-maintaining. We all need support and
care! Make sure you have caring people to be there in a timely manner! (1
Corinthians 13:1-8; Colossians 4:5; 1 Timothy 3:14-15; Hebrews 12:14-15)
12. Confront sin, evil, and heresy
in the church immediately! The leadership must put down conflict quickly,
whether it involves political agendas, the color of the carpet, how to say an
offertory prayer, what songs to sing, or who is to be in leadership. The church
must move in purpose and unity. This is tough, but possible! (Philippians 2:14)
13. The church must be willing to
spend at least one-third of its resources of time, talent, and money in
outreach and missions. (Psalm 90:1-2)
14. Political agendas that are
contrary to God's Word and Will are the second biggest disruption to the
church! (John 13:35)
15. The church should strive to be
effective. The best way to do this is by following the precepts of Scripture.
We can organize the church by mobilizing the people according to their
Spiritual Gifts! So few churches do this, even though it is so Scripturally
clear! (Romans 12)
16. The church can achieve the
extraordinary when the people serve in their area of their giftedness in a team
manner. The quarrels and apathy will dry up as the energies are redirected and
channeled in a Godly way. People will function less in their own strength and
more in the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12-14)
17. Good Biblical teaching and
preaching will provide the Holy Spirit with fuel that energizes people
and facilitates growth. The biggest growing churches are the ones who preach
the Word with power, conviction, and in truth, such as Calvary Chapel (Acts
2:17-39)!
18. The leadership must have a real
genuine sense and modeling of being Christ's servant, and the people in their
care as His children. This is Servant Leadership Development. (Galatians
2:20-21; Ephesians 4:11-13)
19. Leaders of growing churches
empower the people in their care. They do not see or use volunteers just as
helpers, but as the tools and the prime resources with which to glorify God,
and enablers of the goals of missions and needs to be reached.
They do this by encouragement, training, and organization, all centered to have
the people of God growing in and receiving the Spirit in order to reach the
full potential that God has for them. If a pastor, coach, or key supervisor
gives special recognition and encouragement even once, that leader and/or
volunteer will usually remain very faithful and loyal to the church! (Romans
12; John 4:23; Colossians 1:24-29; 1 Timothy 4:15-16)
20. The leadership must be able to
steer the church through rough white waters! (See our articles on Conflict
Resolution, Gossip, and Hypocrisy, and Matthew 18)
21. The best plans and calls of the
Lord will stall out due to conflict! God's voice is the first one muted--read the
book of Amos! The Holy Spirit cannot work effectively when ill will and ill
desires are running the roost. You must drop to your collective knees and
pray for revival. That will work! However, church growth, spiritual or
numerical, will never work in an atmosphere of conflict! (Philippians 1:6-8)
22. The best way to deal with
conflict is to combat it through love. When people know that you love them and
will listen to them, it is difficult for them to be mad. Love, indeed, covers a
multitude of sins! (Proverbs 10:12 1 Peter 4:8)
23. Warning: do not agree
when you do not! (Proverbs 9:8; 17:27-28; 26:20; 3 John 9-12)
24. Be careful about taking on too
many negative people! Spread the load out. Delegate. There is only so much you
can take, so guard your own heart too! (Proverbs 4:23)
25. If you want people to like you,
then be nice to them! Interesting people are interesting because they are
interested in others! People like people who like them, so be kind, thoughtful,
listen, be polite, and do not forget to smile. Make sure you are real,
for if you are not, then you are in the wrong position or profession! You must
enjoy people and be interested in them to be a good leader or pastor. Being
prideful and/or obnoxious only serves Satan! (James 1:2; Colossians 3:13)
26. Sometimes people just will not
like you if you are modeling Christ, and some do not like to be led to
Scriptural principles. These people are happy in their will and desires, and
will not like the Fruits of the Spirit working around them. They are the weeds
in the wheat. Let those people go, and focus on the ones whose hearts are after
His! (Romans 16:17-18; Galatians 1:10; Titus 3:9-11)
27. Listening, without arguing or
defending yourself, is extremely important! This requires prayer and self-discipline.
If you cannot do it, you may be in the wrong profession. Have someone do it,
just get it done! Your task is not to persuade people to accept your view, but
to communicate Biblical precepts and get them to catch it! You are to make them
feel heard. When they feel they are listened to, then their defenses will come
down and relationships can be built. Then it will be a pleasure to lead them.
They will respect and love you more, and will be more likely to be led by your
goals. (Romans 8:31; Ephesians 4:25-29; James 3:1-12)
28. If, and when you use surveys,
make sure you are determining between perceived felt needs versus
real needs and what God is calling you to! Otherwise, you will
take your church down a rabbit trail away from God's call! (Ephesians
5:8-21)
29. A leader must be willing to make
improvements and change, even if it steps on the toes of others, but stay firm
and be uncompromising to the Word. At the same time, allow people to be in the
process with a listening ear, so they can catch the new direction and take
ownership of it. (Colossians 4:7-8; Philippians 4:8-9)
30. Are you and your leadership
learning and growing in community with one another, willing to go beyond your
prejudices and fears and embrace what Christ has for you? (Colossians 1:24-29;
1 Timothy 3:14-15)
31. A church's spiritual health is a
matter of focus. To develop an action plan, to change the pew-sitting church
into the Christ powered church, you have to go beyond talking about it and
actually do something! This requires a focus on Christ that turns into
passion and conviction. That passion must come from growth in Christ. If it
does not, you will be working for yourselves and not for the Lord and Creator
of the Universe! The focus must be on Christ, not the church. That focus
determines whether you have a survival mentality or a service mentality. Do you
have a church filled with competing agendas, or one with a purpose that is
poured out to our Lord? (Philippians 3:10)
32. A church must disciple, and
small groups are the best means to do this. Arrange, train, and lead your small
group leaders to teach the Bible clearly, going beyond just discussing passages
to applying it to their daily lives. Make sure these groups focus on prayer,
allowing healthy interaction, so people feel free to express issues, ask
questions, and discuss the concerns of life, as the leadership encourages as
well as teaches. (Psalm 119:9-12; Ecclesiastes 4:8-10; Matthew 6:33-34;
28:18-20)
33. Teach and model Discipleship, so
that personal disciplines are in the Word, and you are filled with excitement
and wonder, willing to train, share, and/or teach others what you have learned.
(Matthew 28:18-20)
34. If the primary emphasis is on
maintaining your building, or on getting more people involved, or on money,
this is sure evidence that the focus is on survival. Do the people have a
willingness to serve? If so, this is the greatest gauge of a Christ centered
church! That willingness to model Christ in the community will only come out
when it is done to others in the church first! That focus can only come out
with a servant-focused attitude! (Matthew 28:18-20)
35. Pastors, who are real, and
authentic, lead healthy churches. This builds trust. Real, authentic leaders
will never grandstand, make up problems, or blame others, but will take
responsibility, and tell their stories honestly. In wisdom, they will disclose
truth, tempered with listening. Be open, and encourage the other leaders to do
so too. Authentic leaders can be vulnerable and sensitive at the right times in
the right places, and yet wise enough not to give out too much so as to be
perceived as week and needy. Real Christians will forgive you for your mistakes
when you are honest! (Acts; James 5:16; 1 John 1:8-10)
36. All to often in the church,
we try to offer people community without cause. The Seeker sensitive, watered
down gospel says nothing and inspires people to do nothing. Without a real
cause, the church is just another civic club, such as the Kiwanis or Lions. We
have to teach the transformation that only Christ gives. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
37. Find out what the image of your
church is in the community. To do this, go door to door, and ask people how you
can pray for them, then come together as a church to pray for them. While you
are asking them for prayer requests, ask if they know about your church and
what you can do to improve. By doing this, you will get a feel about how the
community sees you and then you can know what areas need improvement and work.
This is a great project for all ages, especially youth groups! This prayer task
can also be turned into a very effective way to reach out to people and
transition into a "Lighthouse of Prayer." (Matthew 10)
38. Communicating the gospel in a
postmodern context can make us feel forced to compete with the entertainment
industry. Do not let this happen. Most people are over stimulated already, and
do not always need the PowerPoint and multimedia show. They need reality. Use
media as a tool if you need to, or if your people like it, but ask and find
out! (I personally love PowerPoint, but I was on staff at a church that did
not, so I did not use it.) We cannot compete with Hollywood. Furthermore, we do
not have to! We have the power and presence of the living God! (Isaiah 55:6-11;
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 6:3-11)
39. Commitment to loving and caring
relationships is essential! Loving relationships that are sincere, real, and
practical from the work of Christ in your church will be the quintessential
factor that will bring people in far better than any evangelism campaign could
ever do! People do not want to just hear about Christ as much as they want to
see and experience how Christian love really works. They can do this through
you! Remember that Christ lived and taught the principle that people respond
when we reach out to them. (Mark 12:28-31; John 3:22; 13:35; 1 Corinthians 13)
40. Organize a prayer base in your
church. See our Prayer Channel for details. See the article in our prayer
channel, Leading the Church to be People of Prayer. (John
13:34-35; 20:19-23; Romans 12:1-21)
41. For successful evangelism, the
key is to focus the church's evangelistic efforts on the questions and needs of
non-Christians. Find the need that is not being fulfilled and fulfill it, such
as a parent support group, a daycare or an after school program. (2 Corinthian
2:3-4; Colossians 1:24-29; 1 Peter 3:15)
42. Do not be afraid to preach
Biblical stewardship and how to handle money. If you do not know how, acquire
resources to help you. Stewardship, as well as generosity, is a sure sign of
the health of your church. A stifled church, no matter how many are attending,
will always have financial problems, where a small, poor church with real
conviction and purpose will usually have enough! (Proverbs 3:9-10)
43. Make sure your programming is
appropriate and needed. (Philippians 3:12-14)
44. A healthy church is prayerful in
all of the aspects of church life and ministry. They are reliant upon God's
power and the authority of His Word! (John 15:4-5)
Authored By
Dr.
Richard J. Krejcir
