Church Growth

Church Growth

What is it with all these expensive conferences and meetings we see advertised all the time? I can understand covering the costs of venue hire and all that goes with it, but I have seen prices pitched much higher than just covering expenses. But at what cost to the everyday punter who just wants to hear a little bit from God. Far too many conferences are little more than money spinners for the main church and speakers. So many ‘conferences’ are held to teach Christians how to cope with life. Why? Surely this is the pastors job and the church’s responsibility to demonstrate. Yet so many are sold out every day because people lack the teaching and support at their own church.

Much is also said and, indeed, much is also marketed and sold, on the subject of church growth. All the planning and marketing in the world will avail your church little if there is no love in the welcome any new folk receive when the visit or come for the first time. Growth just will not happen as folk will come – and they will go again as quickly as they came – if there is nothing to attract them into stopping a while. If the Gospel isn’t preached and demonstrated; if the sick are not healed; if no love is shown; and if there is little but gossip and money talk; then there is little or nothing to attract the visitor to stay.

Just once, in 2008, I heard a speaker at an international event stand up and ask this sort of question. “This is our 38^th day. How many of you have been here every day?” When about one third of the large audience raised their hands, the speaker asked this question – “Why? What are you doing here? What are you doing with all the teaching and encouragement you have been receiving?” There was a stunned silence for about ten seconds before many of the overseas visitors started applauding loudly.

It changed nothing by the way as each night after that the crowd was just the same. But what a great question. A huge number of people go to these conferences and then keep all the teaching they have received to themselves. How selfish is that? I have written before about Penn Jillette’s comment that, if we truly believe that heaven or hell is the ultimate destination of every person on earth, how much must we hate somebody to not tell them how to avoid hell in order to get to heaven? It is a perfectly valid question yet many churches rarely if ever preach the gospel of Jesus Christ; Him crucified and risen again in order that we might finally get to our Father in heaven.

Surely it is time for the church to practice what it preaches. The church has become like a sick doctor who tells you that what’s wrong with you is the same as what’s wrong with him, and what you must do to remedy it, but then carries on doing exactly the same as he has always done in the past. The church preaches far too much ‘ear-tickling’ – what people want to hear rather than what the Lord wants them to hear. That is what too many of these conferences are about.

Is there agreement out there that we need to return to some, if not all, of the practices of the church of Pentecost? How else did they receive 3000 into their midst on one day other than by the preaching of the Gospel and the demonstration of Holy Spirit power? Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.”  That is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ does – it brings people into God’s Kingdom from the world’s kingdoms. It’s time to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead – and make disciples of ALL who receive the message.

Amen??