Church Growth

Church growth is something that has perplexed and propelled ministers throughout the ages to find the mystical answer of positive acceleration. There is only one answer to the dilemma of what and how do we attain church growth. When one surveys the scriptures to find out what God has laid out for us as a blue print to follow in the area of church growth, we see what got the results. In the book of Acts we see what I believe God laid out for us as the road map to the successful church. There were several areas in which the first church possessed attributes that if they are exhibited in the church today, the results will be the same. There are several areas in which I would like to address;

1. In the first church there was a genuine sense of urgency. When Jesus left and the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those tarrying, there was an immediate desire to proclaim the Gospel. The urgency has left the church today, and has been replaced with a comfortable feeling and complacency. The emphasis was on the power of the Holy Spirit that had just given them power to be witnesses to all the world. The church today does not have the zeal for witnessing the Gospel to the lost and dying world. That urgency must be restored and drive people out of the pews and into the mission fields which they live in. The power for witnessing which can be produced only by the Holy Spirit, must be sought after by the church.
2. In the first church there was a sense of true fellowship. If anything, today’s church is for the most part a social event. Most people do not have any contact with the other brothers and sisters until the next meeting. With the rise of the mega-churhces in our country today, it makes it extremely difficult to have any fellowship outside of services. They all meet perhaps for the same cause, but go their separate ways afterwards and may not even know the person next to them.
3. The first church did have it’s problems, but one that was clearly not evident was a sense of respect and reverence for the power of God. The incident with Ananias and Sapphira was a quick reminder to all at that time of the seriousness of purity in God’s church. There was a fear of the Lord in the first church that is blatantly missing in the church today. The gifts of the Spirit are put on display and misused and if Paul were present, I’m positive he would rebuke many of them as he did the Corinthians. The church is more concerned about numbers than the Spiritual purity and condition of it’s people. Entertainment has replaced prayer and fasting. Marketing techniques are used in churches to increase numbers instead of time on the knees, and knocking on doors. Everyone wants a quick explosion as the Apostles experienced after the day of Pentecost. What they all apparently overlook is the fact that there was 10 days of fasting and praying in one accord before it happened. Not to mention the time they had previously spent with Jesus in training and the persecution that went along with it. They took the Gospel to the people, and in the power of the Spirit, not marketing techniques.
4. The first church was not afraid of the cost involved. They were willing to go anywhere, do anything, and lay down their lives if necessary. Today’s churches are hampered by committees and boards that must approve every action before they will endorse it. The church today seldom finds its way outside the walls, not only the physical ones but the Spiritual ones they have built up. The church today only wants to become active if it will benefit them in the long run. There is too much busy activity in the church and not enough Spiritual.
5. This item is of the most importance and should be at the top of the list of the things needed for church growth. There is no discipleship in the church today, people are saved and left to fend for themselves. There is no follow up and most of the time individuals are gone out of the church for weeks and sometimes months before they are missed. The first church was not neglectful in training up the new saints, and preparing them for the battle they were about to face. The church today does not want to run anyone off, so instead of telling them the truth, they tell them what they want to hear. The instruction given in the church is not that which is needed to prepare people for the Spiritual battle that they will encounter each day. For this reason many new Christians fall by the wayside or are sucked into cults and false teachings. All the churches today need to do is look at the model we were given in Acts and then look at ourselves and see if we are matching up.
6. The first church had ministers that would never compromise the message of the Gospel for any reason. There are ministers who are straying off the narrow message of Jesus and compromising the Gospel for the sake of numbers in attendance. I lay the majority of the responsibility on the ministers, because the sheep will follow whatever example they are being led by. The church must get back to the uncompromising message that Jesus laid out and be willing to stand up to the persecution which will come with that stance.

Summary