Congregational growth should be the outcome, not the goal

Good Afternoon!

Today there is tremendous weight and pressure put upon Congregational Leaders to continually grow the numbers of those that are considered to be, “my people” or “my flock”.

This perceived necessity is driven by some very powerful and motivating factors.

1. I am judged as a leader on how well I grow my congregation.

2. My prestige in the Christian sub-culture proportionally increases as my flock increases.

3. I am rewarded by my denominational piers and given official positions (district and regional leadership) as I have a growth track record.

4. As the numbers grow, so do the finances to a point that some leaders see “giving units” rather than families.

5. I am personally financially rewarded in direct proportion as the congregation size increases.

6. My long-term security (pension, health benefits and insurances) is too often caught within the web of numeric growth.

But if we would abandon ourselves to the New Testament biblical model of equipping and sending rather than always trying to gather and keep, I believe the desire to congregate would be part of the natural flow and desire.

If the ekklisia was equipped, not just trained, by the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher, then they were encouraged to grasp the real purpose of their individual callings, ie to transform and dominate their sphere of influence.

People would then be changed by the demonstration of the genuine love of God. They would yearn for times and places to congregate, desiring to celebrate and worship together.

Without working towards and fighting for congregational growth, it would become a natural result of effective Christian life that is lived out day after day and in every sphere of life and society.

George