True Church Growth Means You’ve Got to…
Today’s post is one that is 100% for me. It’s something I know to be true, but constantly have to work on. Still, as I have talked to people over the years about this subject, I know it’s not just me. So, maybe, it will be helpful to you, too.
When a congregation grows, it is a wonderful blessing. It is what God intends and what His heart desires. Each soul that is saved is now part of the family, and each one brings something unique to the makeup of a church family. What a joy it is to see that tapestry come together.
However, when a congregation grows, it also presents certain challenges. No two people are alike. And some come with tremendous amounts of baggage.
Or, at least they do if you are truly evangelizing.
There are some Christians that, when they think of who needs the Gospel, think of people who are amazingly much like themselves. They have roughly the same economic situation. Their marriage and kid situation is pretty similar to yours. They at least have some religious background, so they get “church world.”
And, yes, those people need the Gospel.
But so do people who look, act, talk, and have been raised very differently from you.
Some may be far wealthier, or may scarcely have anything compared to you. Some may have tremendous marital baggage or may have a perfect marriage–while yours is hanging by a thread. Others may have abuse in their history (or, even, in their present). And many will not have much connection with church at all, so they may not understand what you think is proper decorum or even dress. (They may even like Donald Trump and you voted for Kamala Harris!)
As we say around here sometimes, church growth is messy.
But take that a step further. When that happens, there is something that must accompany it if a congregation is going to continue to grow and thrive. What is it?
We’ve got to be comfortable…being uncomfortable.
We have to understand that unity is hard work. We have to grasp the concept that sanctification takes a long time (a lifetime, in fact). We have to be willing to do what the Bible says: “bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). And we have to show tremendous patience when people who are now brothers or sisters in Christ just don’t “get” the way “we’ve always done it.”
That’s easy when people are like me. But when they aren’t? It’s up to me to put my own viewpoint and traditions to the side, focus solely on the Word of God, and seek to truly be “one” as Jesus prayed.
We can never change doctrine. But a whole lot of what the New Testament teaches about “sound doctrine” has to do with relationships, unity, and working together.
And this cannot be forced. It is an individual decision, but one that must be talked about, preached about, led by the elders, and openly discussed. When the church grows, it should not look like YOU. It should look like the body of Jesus, and a body has very different members.
So, are you willing to be comfortable…being uncomfortable? Answering that one question may answer whether or not you really want the church to grow.
AUTHOR: Adam Faughn