Church Growth: Distraction, or Goal?
I came across this ad on social media earlier this month, and the longer I looked, the more alluring it seemed:
I pastor at a 6 year old church I helped to start, so ads like this one nudge at a lie that comes at me fairly consistently:
You don’t have the right knowledge, Josh. THAT is the reason your church isn’t growing like you want it to… all you need is this new book!”
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I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.
Jesus (Matthew 16:18)
Growing the church is Jesus’s job description. When I make it MY job, when I chase it, hack it, strategize for it, obsess over church metrics…
Then church growth is my idol.
Sure, I may succeed in gathering a larger crowd, but then:
- Growth becomes a target I can never satisfy
- Efficiency becomes the enemy of soul work
- Shortcuts become short-circuits that dampen life transformation
Healthy numerical growth is a by-product of faithfulness to the Great Commission. It typically follows a church’s sustained focus on discipleship.
Consider the Apostle Peter, in Acts 2. When he preached his famous sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he wasn’t strategizing for growth - he was being faithful to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The result?
Every day the Lord added new believers (Acts 2:46) - to the tune of 3,000! Peter’s call was not to grow the church, but to care for it. Likewise, my call is to shepherd New Life Fellowship.
Pursue Discipleship. Leave Growth in Jesus’s Hands.
My friend and mentor Ed Underwood (from RecenteredGroup.com) helps pastors build churches that prioritize sustainable discipleship.
He says that a culture of discipleship is oriented around three priorities:
- Save the lost.
- Build the saved.
- Send out your best (experienced and successful disciple-makers) to do the same.
When your church’s budget, mission/vision, and staffing is built around these priorities - look out. The impact can be astounding.
Growing in that direction, though, can be a huge challenge. In a recent interview with Ed, I asked him piles of of questions around building a culture of discipleship in church:
- …about the relationship between trust and discipleship
- …about red flags to look out for in church leadership
- …about pastors facing resistance to bringing change
- …about pastors who feel alone in their passion for discipleship
- …and many more.
If you’re facing headwinds in your efforts to re-orient your church to discipleship, I’d love to stand with you. Connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn!
In Christ, Who is our life,
Joshua GordonPastor, New Life Fellowship
Senior Editor, TheLeadPastor.com