This has lit my FIRE

Church Building & Growth

I just blogged about our church – where our pastor gave this definition of the kind of church he wants to build :-

He wants to build a church of influence – not a mega-church. A church in size, perhaps, disproportionate to the size of town we are in. After all, it doesn’t need to be huge - 12 people once turned the world upside down.

1. A church where the lost are saved

2. A church where the not-yet Christians can be brought to a knowledge of God

3. A church where the lonely, the poor, and the vulnerable are the priority.

He also defined church growth using the Biblical “Daily” criteria. Acts 2:46-47 “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” God added to their number ‘daily’. For us, that would mean 365 new members in the first year – more than doubling our current size.

Can you imagine church growth like that? How would your church cope with that. Most churches I know would have to do something about accommodation for a start – and thats with just one a day added to their number. Now imagine, if you will, a full blown revival with 30 to 50 people a week coming into the church family. Assuming that you send them to their own churches (?) – there are around 16,000 people in our town and about 10 churches. That is 3 to 5 new people each per week or around 12 to 18 per month. Most would have no clue how to handle that kind of growth – I’m not kidding – not a clue how to handle them or what to do with them. Within a year 50% of those precious new souls would have been lost again due to the inherent inability, bad handling, or worse, due to a lack of real interest because many folk simply don’t want or like any change to their status quo.

But I get ahead of myself. Can you imagine the overall effect on local life that a church built on these lines could have. A church that belies the dreadful old cliché of “the middle classes on their knees” by being a truly caring, reaching, touching, and really loving church. A church where the love and presence of God can be felt as soon as you park your car. A church based on demonstrating Gods love rather than just talking about it.

Lord, I have few skills but with your help I can have more. Lord, make our church one where you can truly make your habitation – where your presence marks every meeting – where healings simply happen – where bondages are broken – where Your love rules everything we say and do. Let me be a part of a church like this. I know it won’t happen overnight, but Lord, let me help it grow into the church You want us to be. Use us Lord – Use us.

Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

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