Is Your Church Growing?

This is the million-dollar question that every pastor and many parishioners are asked about their church. Translated, that question means, “Are there more people attending your church now than when I asked you last time?” Depending on the particular Monday, or month of the year, this question can bring a lot of angst. No one wants to feel like the loser and say, “Well praise God, actually, we’ve lost a few people, and have less today than this time last year!” In the American church this seemingly has become the singular measuring stick of whether a church is healthy or not – “Is your church growing?” Don’t get me wrong; numerical growth is a wonderful thing. The problem is statistics tell us that at least 85% of all church numbers growth is transfer growth. Therefore some will gladly say that they are growing, but what they really mean is that they’ve merely added some “kingdom furniture” from another church. Also given the fact that the church has failed to gain an additional 2% of the population in the last 50 years (meaning we’re not even keeping our own children saved) glowing reports of American church growth can mostly be disregarded.

Believe me, my heart and prayer is that every church that preaches the true Gospel of Jesus Christ would grow large in every facet. But my question is – is it really right or even accurate to use numerical growth as a measuring stick for how healthy a church is?

I know the verse that is oft quoted justifying numbers as a measuring stick is Acts 2:47 – “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Certainly this shows what happens when a New Testament church is functioning in its proper capacity of preaching a Biblical Gospel - souls will be truly saved. But notice these numbers came from actual conversions – not from other churches.

My point is, this question of “Is your church growing” is only partially right. The correct version of this is “Is your church growing spiritually?”
If we are going to use the Bible as our measure (and correctly so) why stop at numerical growth? Let’s look at all the signs in the book of Acts of what a church should be. If your church is growing spiritually then are people in your church devoted to the Word of God? Are they given to prayer? Are the gifts of the Holy Spirit flowing in your church? Are they even welcome in your church? Are people being baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues? You see these are ALL indicators of whether a New Testament church is growing or not.

Since it’s the Holy Spirit who decides when we are saved (John 6:44), we truly don’t have control over numerical growth! Perhaps Jesus really meant what He said when He stated, “I will build my church…” (Matthew 16:18).

Author Os Guinness states: “…(there can be) an improper emphasis on the health of a church being judged according to unbelievers’ response to the gospel. Who, after all, is really giving the increase? Who is responsible for the response?” He goes on to say: “But theologically, (this) means the difference between the church growth as true faith and church growth as a form of streamlined humanistic engineering.”

Simply stated when we resort to marketing the church for the sake of numbers we have resorted to ‘humanistic engineering’ instead of New Testament Holy Spirit induced growth. Manipulating the growth of numbers through “marketing” appears to be unscriptural at best.

We do, however, have a hand in spiritual growth among our adherents. Our mandate from Christ Himself is not to produce numbers, but to produce quality disciples: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you...” Matthew 28:19-20.

Here’s a great test for any Pastor or Christian. Survey your congregation. Are people reading their Bibles more this year than last? Are more people showing up for your prayer meetings? Are more of your people sharing their faith in Jesus Christ? Are people in your congregation leaving sinful lifestyles and turning to Christ as a result of being a part of your church? Or do they continue to live in sin and attend week after week unchanged by your message?

Instead of saying, “Is your church growing”, perhaps we should greet each other with the language of the early revivalists, “Are you still burning for Jesus?” Are people in your church on fire for God? Are you? Am I?

Answer this my friends, and we will not be able to contain the numbers that come to our churches across this land.